Abstract
Pakistani madrasa has remained a subject of intense academic debate since the
tragic events of 9/11 as they were immediately identified as one of the prime
suspects. The aim of this paper is to examine the post 9/11 academic discourse
on the subject of madrasa reform in Pakistan and identify the various themes
presented in them. This paper also seeks to explore the missing perspective in
this discourse; the perspective of ulama; the madrasa managers, about the
Western demand to reform madrasa. This study is based on qualitative
research methods. To evaluate the views of academia, this study relies on a
systematic analysis of the post 9/11 discourse on this subject. To find out the
views of ulama, in-depth interviews of leading Pakistani ulama belonging to all
major schools of thought have been conducted. The study finds that many fears
generated by early post 9/11 studies were rejected by the later ones. This study
also finds that contrary to the common perception the leading ulama in
Pakistan are open to the idea of madrasa reform but they prefer to do it
internally as an ongoing process and not due to outside pressure. This study
recommends that in order to resolve the madrasa problem in Pakistan, it is
imperative to take into account the ideas and concerns of ulama running them.
It is also important to take them on board in the fight against the religious
militancy and terrorism in Pakistan.
Ms Fatima Sajjad. (2013) Reforming Madrasa Education in Pakistan; Post 9/11 Perspectives, Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, Volume III, Issue 1 .
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