Madrasahs in Pakistan: A Clearer Picture

There are several key characteristics of the madrasahs in Pakistan. A typical madrasah is organised along one of these four sectarian divisions: Sunni-Hanafi Deobandi, Sunni- Hanafi Barelvis, Sunni Ahli Hadees and Shia. In addition, each madrasah is usually part of, or at least backed by, a powerful political group or a sectarian or missionary organisation. All madrasahs are privately financed and run by a religious scholar and his sons. Donations from the public tend to be sufficient to fund these establishments. Education within a madrasah ranges from primary to university levels. Most of the larger madrasahs offer undergraduate, masters and even doctoral programmes.

Madrasahs are fairly large, boasting student figures ranging from 500 to 3000, such as Jamia Binori in Karachi and Jamia Haqqania near Peshawar. Teachers are mostly local former graduates of the madrasah they teach at. Excluding Shiite teachers who tend to have received graduate training in Iran, very few teachers are trained outside Pakistan, as the standards of theological training available locally for Sunni Muslims are fairly high.

The curriculum in madrasahs comprises both al-ulum an-naqliya (the transmitted sciences) and al-ulumul-aqliya (the rational sciences), or in lay terms religious and secular sciences respectively. Curricula are standardised and supervised by five madrasah boards representing the different sects. The religious-secular balance in the curriculum varies across madrasahs. Within Shia madrasahs both components are given equal priority, with secular subjects including computer studies, English language, philosophy, literature, Persian and history all being taught. Deobandi and Barelvi madrasahs devote more time to religious studies, which, in their eyes, deserve more attention than secular subjects. In contrast, Ahlee Hadees madrasahs offer “Matric” education — the state-approved secular curriculum — to their primary school students. Matric education is compulsory in Ahli Hadees madrasahs but not so amongst the other sects.

Contrary to popular belief, the Ahli Hadees, known amongst locals as Wahabbis, are not anti-establishment. During my visit to Pakistan, several of my preconceptions of these Wahabbi schools were demolished in one insightful interview. True, I was told before the visit that photography; music and smoking were banned in the madrasah. What I realised eventually however is that while these Wahhabi madrasahs are most rigid in observing “halal” and “haram” – that is what is permissible and what is not in Islam — they are equally progressive about the need for development in the Muslim world. A teacher told me that education is the best means to eradicate poverty in Pakistan and that Muslims should be concerned at providing to students an education par excellence.

I was surprised at this madrasah’s pro-establishment stance, particularly on madrasah reforms initiated by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s government. The aforementioned teacher said that his madrasah would like to work with the government and had attempted a few times to register his school with the state. The madrasah had also given in to some of the demands of the government and received several computers in return. Still, it must be acknowledged that madrasahs of other sects which I visited displayed a certain adversarial stance toward the government. Some refused to give in to government madrasah reforms, because it means giving up the autonomy which they have long enjoyed and jealously guard. Also, they felt the reforms were meant to belittle their contributions to the education sector.