ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Madrasahs in Pakistan [untill: 2005] Introduction The concept of strict division of knowledge between the religious and the non-religious has been a topic of debate throughout the history of Pakistan. But this concept is rarely noted in the history of Islam before colonial rule in the Subcontinent, Madrasahs in the medieval Muslim world produced a considerable number of distinguished scholars and philosophers, who contributed to worldly knowledge as well.

Ijtihad or independent thinking was a notable feature of these institutions. However, under colonial rule in the Subcontinent the sphere of madrasah education was restricted to the study of strictly religious disciplines, especially fiqh or Islamic jurisprudence. Pakistan inherited this dichotomy in the education system from colonial India. However, the educational planners and policy makers have been unable to resolve this problem, which is the core of all evil.

Madrasah education has been a subject of critique in learned circles, and calls to reform regularly come from scholars, academics, and public policy makers and even from the ulema themselves. The issue has assumed far greater importance in the light of greater assertion of powers of madrasah leaders in state policy matters. Madrasahs assumed greater importance at the international level also because of their alleged involvement in violence and militancy.

The 9/11 tragedy in New York strengthened the global perception that madrasahs produce extremists and breed terrorism. However, my interest in the subject is as old as my close association with religious leaders and teachers of traditional religious madrasahs since my school days. I have the credit of having studied some of the preliminary books of madrasah curriculum at that time and enjoy relatively good intimacy with them.

Statement of the Problem Madrasah education is becoming increasingly redundant. It has strayed from its purely educational role and become involved in activities contrary to the manifest objectives. Madrasah reforms are widely believed to be the only remedy to overcome this problem. Objectives of this Study The government plan to reform madrasah education is not new.

However, the increasing interest of government in the issue is aimed at bringing madrasahs into the mainstream, in addition to diluting the negative perception of the international community regarding the reason d'tre of madrasahs.