The Afghan revolution of 1978 and the Iranian revolution of...

The Afghan revolution of 1978 and the Iranian revolution of 1979 brought far reaching religio-political changes in this region. In the face of new developments the role of madrasahs also changed from the socio-religious to religio-political. Zia-ul-Haq gave certain concessions to the ulema by providing financial support to madrasahs from the Zakat Fund, and equating their final degrees with the M.A degree in Islamiyat and Arabic awarded by the universities of Pakistan.

To reform the curricula of din-i-madaris and bring them into the mainstream a comprehensive study of din-i-madaris was made during Zia regime. The final report of this study which is known as the Halepota Report, proposed the introduction of modern subjects i.e. Urdu, English, general science, mathematics and Pakistan Studies at different stages in the din-i-madaris .

The report also proposed certain changes in the duration of different stages of studies and examination systems to improve their performance and the prospects of graduates of din-i-madaris to compete for jobs with graduates of formal educational institutions. The report also carries the proposal for establishment of a National Institute of din-i-madaris , which would oversee the function of din-i-madaris and works to improve their condition.

All these efforts failed because most of the ulema took it as an attempt to reduce their spheres of influence and to deprive madrasahs of their independence, which they inherited from the colonial era. The harshest reaction to government policies came from the Deobandi school of thought who, besides opposing the changes in curriculum, rejected financial aid from the Zakat Fund.

The flow of foreign funds to madrasahs of different schools of thought during the 1980s strengthened their positions and they started to assert a greater political role, especially after the defeat of the Soviet armed forces in Afghanistan at the hands of religious forces. All democratically elected governments from 1988-1999 grappled with this problem. Thus, the dichotomy in the educational system could not be abolished till the end of twentieth century.

The events of 11th September 2001 increased the importance of madrasahs all over the world as the Taliban (students of madrasahs ) were considered associated with Usama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the September 11th terrorist attacks.