[lg policy] Muslims and education

Tue May 3 14:20:23 UTC 2011

Fouzi

Islamofascism is controversial term, but in Pakistani blogs we use it a lot.
It refers to what the Taliban stand for based upon what they have done
during their misrule in Afghanistan and they have been doing in Pakistan's
lawless northern borders. Some examples, slaughtering non-Wahabis and
non-Deobandis, burning down schools, waging a bloody campaign to establish
khilafat in Pakistan (and later elsewhere) where mutilative Islamic
punishments will be implemented regardless of the objective conditions,
confining women to the "four walls of the home," and much more. I wish I
could go on, but I must complete a review I have been writing.

The writer of this article is a very well known liberal intellectual. By
Muslims, he means Muslims of the world and not just Pakistanis. You have
every right to disagree with him and I suggest that you write a
counter-argument in this respect. I have interacted with many Arabs and my
view is that they are more anti-intellectual than the Taliban. Forgive me
for such an outlandish statement but it is based upon my personal
experience. If you want me to write an argumentative piece on it, I will try
to oblige you, but I cannot tell when. I have so much on hand.

We Muslims tend to take refuge in the past glories. We even claim that the
West stole from us, etc. Again, I am saying a very controversial thing, but
it is not wide off the mark.

Some time back, an international Islamic sciences conference was held in
Islamabad in which a Muslim scientist came up with fantastic idea. One of
them was that in order to solve energy problems, we should control jinns and
harness their energies. The Koran says that the jinns are made of
fire/energy. That scientist was given very high awards including a
professorship. Refer to Dr Hoodbhoy's "Islam and Science" and you will find
lots of fantasies of "Islamic science" to entertain yourself.

Regards.

Abbas Zaidi

  _____  

From: lgpolicy-list-bounces at groups.sas.upenn.edu
[mailto:lgpolicy-list-bounces at groups.sas.upenn.edu] On Behalf Of Fouzi
Bellalem
Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 9:50 PM
To: Language Policy List
Subject: RE: [lg policy] Muslims and education

Abbas, Thanks for your comments. First, I like the term "Islamo-fascism",
but I am not sure what the definition of it means exactly, i.e., is it
people with extremist hatred towards Muslims and Islam, or is it Muslims who
develop an extremist ideology? Nevetheless, in both cases it seems that
Education in Pakistan is failing. Second, what do you think is the way out
to this problem? Please let me know what you think.

I've asked for more information on the issue because as a Muslim I disagree
(and at the same time feel disturbed) with the discourse used in the
paragraphs below since it implies a generalisation on all Muslims in the
world. The statements below about Muslims and education are far from being
the truth, and history is there to prove that Muslims, as much as any other
social beings from other faiths and ideologies, have also contributed to the
development and progress of humanity in the world. This is not to deny that
education is in its lowest standards in the Muslim world, but this is not
because of Islam, rather there are different other factors such as
illiteracy, poverty, political and economic instability and lack of
tranparency and democracy. Unless, what the author meant by Muslims was
solely related to Pakistan, then this I believe will be another debate. This
is my stance.

Fouzi

--- On Tue, 3/5/11, Zaidi <manoo at brunet.bn> wrote:

From: Zaidi <manoo at brunet.bn>
Subject: RE: [lg policy] Muslims and education
To: "'Language Policy List'" <lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu>
Date: Tuesday, 3 May, 2011, 12:42

Fouzi 

The point about sharing this article was to try to tell that if you have the
type of attitudes we have in Pakistan (in terms of education), you end up
producing Islamofascists. I guess I need not tell anyone what is happening
in Pakistan thanks to educational policies funded and supported by the CIA
and Saudi Arabia . That now the United States will pose as a pious
grandmother preaching blessings of democracy and hatred for the likes of Al
Qaeda is another matter. 

It may be the same case in some other Muslim countries here the US has been
spreading the light of democracy such as Saudi Arabia. 

Regards. 

Abbas Zaidi 

  _____  

From: lgpolicy-list-bounces+manoo=brunet.bn at groups.sas.upenn.edu
[mailto:lgpolicy-list-bounces+manoo=brunet.bn at groups.sas.upenn.edu] On
Behalf Of Fouzi Bellalem
Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2011 11:05 PM
To: Language Policy List
Subject: Re: [lg policy] Muslims and education

Abbas, what was the point of this article? As I don't have a great
background knowledge on Pakistan's education, can you please give me an idea
on the nature of conflict taking place and why such a discourse is being
used by the author and for which political interest? I let you know my views
once I have a full picture.

Regards

Fouzi

--- On Thu, 28/4/11, Zaidi <manoo at brunet.bn> wrote:

From: Zaidi <manoo at brunet.bn>
Subject: [lg policy] Muslims and education
To: "'Language Policy List'" <lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu>
Date: Thursday, 28 April, 2011, 10:35

Excerpt:
"Muslims can't handle two things. They can't cope with the task of thinking
about a modern state and they swoon into all kinds of unrealistic trances
when it comes to thinking about education. It is because of the fixity of
their thinking and their erroneous imitative mindset that they cannot
imagine life as 'becoming' despite Allama Iqbal's insistence on it. Their
utopia lies in fixity and what they aspire to is utopian paralysis. It is
almost futile to ask Muslims to run a state intelligently or to educate
their masses. They will end up making the state inanely ideological in the
belief that purity is attained only through stringency of ritual. And they
will push education in the direction of the madrassa where the mind is
closed against doubt and questioning.

Our scientists are Muslims and act in line with our mindset, maybe to get
themselves validated, barring people like Hoodbhoy who wish obstinately to
remain outside the pale. Dr Attaur Rahman followed in the footsteps of the
doyen of all Pakistani scientists Sultan Bashiruddin - who wished to extract
electricity for the jinn - when he came on PTV to lecture on Islam. Needless
to say, he was out of his depth and false-sounding; it was simply not his
bailiwick. In the process, he subordinated himself to the authority of the
lowest cleric in Pakistan. Nuclear scientist Samar Mubarakmand has also
given proof of this fatal attraction by narrating his cooking pot 'miracle'
story after he had tested the nuclear device in the Chaghai Hills of
Balochistan in 1998."

I have attched the entire article with this email.
Regards.
Abbas Zaidi

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