LONDON: The texts used in state-run schools of Pakistan foster religious extremism in a less blatant but more widespread way than the Wahhabi madressah, says a report (The threat of Pakistans revisionists texts) in the The Guardain on Monday.
If the Pakistani government truly wishes to fight the extremist threat within its borders, it must begin at the roots, warns Afnan Khan, the author of the report.
The report also said that Pakistans minorities were being written out of school textbooks while the government conveniently looked the other way.
Mr Khan quoted historian Professor Mubarak Ali as saying that the Pakistani establishment taught their children right from the beginning that this state was built on the basis of religion thats why they dont have tolerance for other religions and want to wipe out all of them.
This strategy lays the blueprint for a fascist state, the professor said, adding: The logical conclusion of this line of thinking is a very narrow definition of who a real Pakistani and real Muslim is. Once minorities are out of the picture, they turn on other sects.
Mr Khan also quoted a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor which pointed out how deep the rot went. Learning outcomes in social studies for nine-year-olds still include ideas such as acknowledge and identify forces that may be working against Pakistan, make speeches on jihad, collect pictures of policemen, soldiers and national guards and Indias evil designs against Pakistan.
He said the policies of General Zia were continued by those who followed him: Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and General Pervez Musharraf.
According to Mr Khan, non-governmental organisations and independent educationists have attempted to address the subject, but have so far failed.
He quotes a most recent systemic survey on the topic conducted among a group of high-school students and teachers.
Their report, he said, found disturbing themes in social sciences and history such as Pakistan is for Muslims alone, the world is collectively scheming against Pakistan and Muslims and Islam and Muslims are urged to fight jihad against the infidels.
The report, he added, noted that the textbooks routinely engaged in historical revisionism and placed questions designed to portray Hinduism as an inherently wicked religion: There is no place for equality in Hinduism. Right/Wrong.
He quoted Father Francis Nadeem, of the National Council for Inter-faith Dialogue, saying that such efforts were marginalising minorities and making them feel like strangers in their own homes.
It is an intellectual way of segregating the minorities from the society and it gives them an impression that they were not part of the nation at all. The way extremism is being instilled in the minds of people during the past few decades shows that there were some forces working in the country who wanted to eliminate the minorities from Pakistan, he said.
According to Mr Khan it is this sort of indoctrination that sows the seeds of extremism in the minds of the people and opens the door to further brainwashing.
