Re: Turkish Religious Schools in Pakistan
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?
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.