Turkish Religious Schools in Pakistan

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I really like this initiative as it lies at the intersection of religion, education, and society. The religious Turks are doing an amazing job in balancing modernity and Islam, where acquiring scientific knowledge is integrated into a religious curriculum.

Unlike the despicable Turkish secularists, the religious right has achieved a quiet revolution in Turkey and is now exporting the positive aspects of their remarkable achievements. Most Muslims have never despised the West for its technological prowess, focus on education but rather for its cultural decadence and materialism. So it becomes important for Muslims to take the aspects of the Western civilization that will make our people/nations stronger while rejecting the anti-Islamic influences.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/world/asia/04islam.html?ref=world

           **  Turkish Schools Offer Pakistan a Gentler Islam  **

By [SABRINA TAVERNISE](http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/sabrina_tavernise/index.html?inline=nyt-per)

Published: May 4, 2008
KARACHI, Pakistan — Praying in Pakistan has not been easy for Mesut Kacmaz, a Muslim teacher from Turkey. Mesut Kacmaz, principal of a PakTurk school in a poor neighborhood of Karachi, and his wife, Meral, in their home.

He tried the mosque near his house, but it had Israeli and Danish flags painted on the floor for people to step on. The mosque near where he works warned him never to return wearing a tie. Pakistanis everywhere assume he is not Muslim because he has no beard.
“Kill, fight, shoot,” Mr. Kacmaz said. “This is a misinterpretation of Islam.”
But that view is common in Pakistan, a frontier land for the future of Islam, where schools, nourished by Saudi and American money dating back to the 1980s, have spread Islamic radicalism through the poorest parts of society. With a literacy rate of just 50 percent and a public school system near collapse, the country is particularly vulnerable.

Mr. Kacmaz (pronounced KATCH-maz) is part of a group of Turkish educators who have come to this battleground with an entirely different vision of Islam. Theirs is moderate and flexible, comfortably coexisting with the West while remaining distinct from it. Like Muslim Peace Corps volunteers, they promote this approach in schools, which are now established in more than 80 countries, Muslim and Christian.

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If there is one country I don't mind putting its influence on Pakistan, its Turkey.

This is such a refreshing and positive news.

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sounds good
however I am confused, we have our own history of a wonderful tolerant real islam as practised and shared in the subcontinent for centuries, is it that pushed back by the uber right winger fanatics that we need positive influence from abroad?

just a little confused and concerned

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Re: Turkish Religious Schools in Pakistan

While we may have a history of a tolerant Islam, the amalgamation of Islamic and the duniyay education (Science, Engineering etc) has not been successfully integrated into our educational system (madrassa/public schools). The Islamic Turks, have had a greater experience dealing with such matters of modernity and faith. Laboring under the strictly secularist nation-state, they have adapted to ways of preparing students for professional careers without sacrificing their Islamic identity.

In Pakistan you see a dichotomy of madrasas where religion and the memorization of the Quran is given the singular importance with other subjects seen as less important. On the other side, the well to do of Pakistan send their kids to missionary schools that shifts the focus on "secular" education. As a result, the student will be well prepared for the secular life but not the religious or vice versa.

Aligarh and the efforts of Sir Syed may come close in the subcontinental history. Even they went to far towards Britishization where Ahmad Khan become a "Sir" and his grandson became "Ross" Masood.

Anyway, I am watching Turkey with great interest. Both politically and socially, great changes are afoot. The corrupt, entrenched secularist political elite is losing power to the religious, honest nouveau riche from the Anatolian heartland. Perhaps for the first time a Muslim religious elite will show the world that it can be competitive on a global scale without sacrificing its religious identity.

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pak-one I agree with what you have stated.
My concern as that even at a foundational level, has real islam so pushed to teh back in Pakistan now, coated with customs and tribal generational fueds and puritanical mumbo jumbo that we just need to start by importing? or could we ressurect the great basis that existed and then augment it with the further developed turkish model?

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Absolutely! I admire the Turks for their nationalism, commitment to Islam, and their future vision. They have always been Pakistan's ally and brother nation, I hope to see this further strengthened by our common Islamic bond.

Pakistan was created in the name of Islam, it does not restrict us from becoming an industrial and technological power. Unfortunately, we would much rather prefer prefer to import the music of Britney Spears or McDonald, instead of setting up collaborations with Universities like Cambridge, MIT, or creating indigenous technology.

The West should not be hated, its ideas and processes should be at first replicated, and later mastered by Pakistan and other Muslim countries.

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To answer your first question, I believe that real Islam has been pushed by tribal customs/puritanical visions. Although I am not saying that madrasas=terriorist training camps, however we can't deny that each madrasa has been 'flavored' by the clerical hierarchy where a non-partisan Islam is not being taught. To further elaborate, we don't even need to discuss the funding issue, but instead lets look at the politicization of the mullahs, the rise of ethnicity in the classroom and the impotence of teh Pakistani government. The Turks are somewhat politically and socially far removed from us, that their schooling and influence should not be as suspect as Shii Iran or Wahabi Saudi Arabia.

As for the second question, it would be ideal to resurrect the great basis that had existed previous. Unfortunately, not one Pakistani has stepped up to the plate. This PakTurk effort should not be seen as something taht is counterproductive to Pakistani interests. I was always looked towards the Pakistani-American community for a similar initiative. I actually joined a Pak-American NPO geared towards spreading education in Pakistan (not naming names) but the effort fizzled out when the founder got married to a board member and began B-School. Continuity and the sense of purpose must be maintained.

Aaj Kiss Baat Par Gussa Aaya ??????
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not looking at it as counter productive at all, I am afraid that the fact that it comes from ataturk's turkey, certai groups will start blasting the initiative and efforts right away

on a second thought, they would do that even if we were using our own rich history as the foundation.

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I don't see that as a problem. Armchair analysts and critics are dime a dozen. Even here on gupistan random people espouse their worthless opinions criticizing those who trying to move ahead.

I believe that this PakTurk is actually strengthened by the fact that its coming from Ataturk's Turkey because that nation has proven that it can face the unique challenges of Muslim majority nations.

If Saudi Arabia and Iran didn't have the oil, do you think they would be pushing forward their politicized agendas through our non-Public schools? I don't think so. Pakistan should not become the battleground for ideology. Instead we should refocus our energies towards an educational system that draws upon the enlightenment of Islamic golden age.

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the issue is less with armchair analysts and critics, the issue is with their KFC burning brethren who would try their best to thwart any challenge to their strangehold on being defenders of the faith in Pakistan.

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Oh I forget to mention, if you are interested in reading a few good papers on the Madrasas in Pakistan, do check out: Professor Asim Khwaja’s site: Harvard Kennedy School | Harvard Kennedy School under research.

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I think that the armchairs are symptom of a wider disease. The KFC burners and the critics have one thing in common: Bogging us down and wasting time over inconsequential matters.

Just to illustrate this phenomenon: All one needs to do is analyze the number of replies to threads that tear Pakistan down and compare then with positive efforts (such as this).

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because to discuss something like this it requires some grey matter and a real perspective.

nice link btw i wscanned thru the reserach on religious school enrollment, requires a more focused read though.

btw i may have missed it, do u have any more info on these turkish educators, i.e. how many, where are they working what schools, what levels, growth plans? funding approaches etc. that would be very insightful

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Absolutely.

I definitely have additional information on PakTurk.

The Foundation: http://www.pakturk.org/

The Visionary: http://www.fethullahgulen.org/

Some Information on the Movement: The Gülen Movement: a modern expression of Turkish Islam – Interview with Hakan Yavuz – Religioscope

I am certain that you will find critics and conspiracy theorists that seek to defame this grassroots movement, but all you would need to do is stop by one of their schools. This network seeks to spread worldly education grounded in Islam, something that the government, madrases, and the missionary schools can not accomplish.

The Foundation website has extensive information on academics, students, and competitions. Unfortunately some of the links do not work. I think that the main page where the students are "COMPETING WITH THE WORLD FOR PAKISTAN" says it all.

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That stuff is really happening in Pakistani mosques? Since when do all Muslims have beards? Plenty of non-bearded Pakistanis.

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pak-one

thanks or the links, i will check em out. is there any sort of movement in us-pakistanis to support these efforts? if not maybe it should be given more publicity. I intend to read this and have the local radio shows cover it etc

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I don't think we are talking about Mosques in DHA Karachi or the exclusive areas of your city. These are poorer, often male dominated area mosques.

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So what are these free schools for the masses? From their website they look like a chain of private schools. Thousands of those already.

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Do check out the links.

As far as I am aware, there is no US-Pakistani based movement to support this effort. Perhaps that will change after this increased exposure.

I have already contacted ISNA, and the local IC. I would like to like to bring this to the attention of many other Pakistani orgs like OPEN however I am unsure of the reaction due to this education initiative coming from a religious organization. I think that many orgs are more 'nationalist' in orientation, but I am not going to let that limit me.

Also, if you have family or friends in Pakistan, have them drop by a school to see the initiative in action. I am a cynic by nature and don't want to push anything without verification to your staisfaction.

If you have any suggestions on promoting this effort in my part of the country, do let me know. I am also trying to see if my colleagues are willing to provide
soem logistical support like the website.