Pakistani Bishops’ National Commission for Justice & Peace criticizes compulsory teaching
of Islam in schools
(July 31, 2006): -The Pakistani Bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace
has expressed concern about curriculum reforms that include compulsory teaching of
Islam and reciting prayers from the Koran during class. In an open letter to the President
of Pakistan, Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha, Chairperson of the commission, said: “Church
based organizations were not consulted in framing the new education policy, despite
their recognized contribution in the field of education in the country.” Recalling
previous reform efforts that ultimately failed to deliver and wasted billion of rupees,
Archbishop Saldanha drew attention to some fundamental aspects. In the first place,
Islamic religious extremism has been described by the Pakistani president himself
as the country’s “greatest threat”; compulsory study of the Islamic religion over
the last 30 years has hindered the creation of a tolerant society. For example, having
a separate syllabus for Shia and Sunni students has only deepened the sense of sectarian
divisions. Further, making the subject compulsory for those, who are not Muslims goes
against Article 25 of the Constitution that guarantees the equality of all citizens
at any time. Archbishop Saldanha therefore, proposed teaching universal human values,
with religious education as an optional subject. Further, this education should respect
other faiths too, and children should be able to study their own religion, as prescribed
by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Pakistan has ratified, he said.