We all--and by that I mean, you, me, and Rummy--at least all agree that madrassas in Pakistan and elsewhere provide fodder for jihadism, right? Well, according to a piece in this month's Foreign Policy (not online that I see), we're all a bit off-base. The story cites a World Bank -funded study concluding that madrassas aren't really very popular in Pakistan, less than one percent of students attend them a number that's stayed pretty constant for years. I knowthat's only kinda interesting (at best). Here's the part that really caught my eye (excerpt from FP):
In fact, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, a Pakistani NGO , reported in 2004 that it was the country's public schools that promote hatred. The curriculum for many secular subjects, such as Urdu and social studies, is suffused with extremist Islamic teachings. Under pressure to reform the madrasa system, President Gen. Pervez Musharaf has said he will eventually require every religious school to adopt the public school curriculum. But such a move could make matters worse. "Targeting madrasas directly is missing the point. Improving the quality of [public] schools in Pakistan is the most useful reform," says Tahir Andrabi, author of the World Bank report.
