An intolerant educational system made me indifferent to the death of non-Muslims
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Nationalism,fusioned with religion and suspicion against the outside world particularly India and Israel has brought some undesirable effects to the urban middle class of this country,sadly.The sheer contradiction of what Pakistan speaks on liberal forums and what Pakistan is on ground has always been an astonishing subject of thought to me.
Armstrong
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Deplorable Indeed !
My contention isn't that they aren't condemnable but that I've never come across them !
I have come across subtle biases & prejudices that all countries & all narratives portray but nothing about Hindus wearing Dhotis (as AH Nayyar's piece mentions) or them worshiping in tight places viz a vie Muslims worshiping in spacious surroundings & so I do wonder where they're coming from !
In addition to that because there are dozens of Boards in Pakistan & quite a few books with the heading 'Pakistan Studies' *, I dunno how it can be presented as 'a Pakistani Educational System' when there is no monolithic Provincial Educational System let alone a Country-Wide-One !
*I was made to study 2 different books on Pakistan Studies (Just the History Portion) & consult 3 others - Naturally like most lazy basterds....I concentrated on the teacher's notes & never bought even one !
Khan_patriot
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- Although I agree with the notion that the masses in general and the childern in particular are being radacalized and made insensitive to the loss of human life but it is not only prevalent in Pakistan and the ME but also in the west where the death of millions of people not only Muslims but also that of African Christans and other people fail to cause eve the slightest of ripples, this has its roots in the current social structure that is more material oriented and result oriented and things such as emotions are highly neglected, people fail to realise that loss of innocent life is very unfortunate but more unfortunate to the family memebers that have to live wothout their fathers, mothers, brothers etc it is especially true if the deceased is the sole bread earner. The media is to blame in referance to the West and in the ME the psycho mullahs are to blame and the notion that this insensitivity only prevalent in the ME or Pakistan is just wrong its just as prevalent in the West because they also celebrate the death of the ''terrorists''whose innocence is very probable...
the thing is that the Pakistani ''liberal''talking on forums is mostly educated or is atleast toughtful while the rest of the masses are just plain stupid....
Solomon2
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You see my flag, right? You know I'm in a different culture. As is said, "America and Britain are two countries divided by a common language." Can you really expect me to understand idioms I don't share?Just so you get it properly by saying CNN, Fox News etc i meant medianow am i right by saying you again 'thick american mind' which i know you will again put in as insult but what i do if you cant take the proper meaning out of simple stuff ?
The author argues that in Pakistan the problem is systematic, a result of education, whereas in the U.S. it's pretty well established that mass school shootings have been the product not of education but of individual derangements with too-easy-access to guns. If you dispute that, post specific examples.
Non sequitur. Even if a comparison to America is true, how would that negate the logic of the author's argument? That's right, it doesn't.
Leviza
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Different cultures always going to have different reasons for the same problem ...
I do not agree with the writer on his point of View that its a result of education, As i have myself gone through the same education system and never seen a textbook which says what this writer is saying, its down to the fact that these people use a generalization to gain personal benefits ... which is not true ... guns are easily available in Pakistan too , it could be that reason as well but again my view is that its Media which promotes such mindsets ...
As in case of USA , Media also put muslims as terrorists ....
ending this discussion with a joke
Once a guy saw a dog attacking innocent 5 years old girl in central park in NYC
He rushed and defend that girl .. there was this newspaper guy who was looking at this and he approached the man and said you will see a news tomorrow that BRAVE NYC saved a girls life..
He was like i am not New Yorker , Newspaper guys changed the headline to "Brave American saved girls life", but the guys said i am not American , I am Pakistani
Next day news was like "Pakistani Terrorist Brutally harmed the American Dog"...
I hope it helps
HRK
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So @Aamna14 @Marshmallow @Secur @HRK @S.U.R.B. - I gather that you guys, like myself, went through the same 'System' - Did they teach us something different if we never were the boys or girls who 'then, descended into a mode of celebration upon discovering that the towers were in ‘non-Pakistani’ territory and that a significant majority of the dead were non-Muslims.' on 9'11 !
Yara a troll thread .... opened with the sole purpose to score points by Pakistan bashing ..... OP is trying blame us for a crime we never committed .... teaching of Islamiat is 'extremism' but having a faith about 'promise land is justified' under religious freedom ..... We the Islamist are the vandal in nature but its a white men 'burden' to civilized not only us but all other civilizations as well ...... there is always a good and an evil .... there is always a downtrodden and an oppressor .....but dear believe me no one is worst tyrannical then the downtrodden mentality ....
So @Aamna14 @Marshmallow @Secur @HRK @S.U.R.B. - I gather that you guys, like myself, went through the same 'System' - Did they teach us something different if we never were the boys or girls who 'then, descended into a mode of celebration upon discovering that the towers were in ‘non-Pakistani’ territory and that a significant majority of the dead were non-Muslims.' on 9'11 !
I know my saying this would be picked up as being defensive though i am not in the least being that. I don't remember any extremist notion that would in any way justify an act like 9/11 or glorify the perpetrators. I'll tell you one thing i have studied in various schools across the country nowhere did i encounter that in my life. I am sorry but at least now a days we don't need education to make someone intolerant there is so much going on here in terms of injustice and hypocrisy that it would be a sheer miracle that people don't turn into monsters themselves. Education is the only factor thats gets noticed though many other important factors are involved here.
Armstrong
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But I heard from a reliable source that you refused to shake hands with a Kashmiri Lahoriya because you thought - we - are Untouchables !
How intolerant could you be ?
You're just like @Marshmallow in this regard - She even had me gagged, tied to a car & then dragged till the flesh on my back smelled like Tikka Kebab ! Thankfully we Kashmiris of Lahore are gifted with Super-Human-Healing Powers & so I survived !
I was even going to fight @Marshmallow for that but too bad she was wearing a wig that day & so I thought she was actually a woman & we don't hit women !
But I heard from a reliable source that you refused to shake hands with a Kashmiri Lahoriya because you thought - we - are Untouchables !
How intolerant could you be ?
You're just like @Marshmallow in this regard - She even had me gagged, tied to a car & then dragged till the flesh on my back smelled like Tikka Kebab ! Thankfully we Kashmiris of Lahore are gifted with Super-Human-Healing Powers & so I survived !
I was even going to fight @Marshmallow for that but too bad she was wearing a wig that day & so I thought she was actually a woman & we don't hit women !
That has to do with a more basic fact than you being a Kashmiri Lahoriya
Otherwise not in the least intolerant
. Yeah you're healing properties have to do with you being a Kashmiri hehe
Solomon2
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Care to speculate as to how Pakistani media (English & Urdu) would headline and report such a story?
livingdead
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May be its not the education system but the way kids sit (in pic) .. makes them angry lads / birds when they grow up.. 
Dubious
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An intolerant educational system made me indifferent to the death of non-Muslims
By Bakhtawar Bilal Soofi Published: November 23, 2013
For a better future for our children we must attach monumental significance to the task of reforming our educational system. Otherwise, we will just be raising fanatical individuals who have no value for human life. PHOTO: Reuters
As the Twin Towers came crashing down in New York City on September 11, 2001 an eight-year-old boy remained unmoved some 7,000 miles away in Lahore as the horrifying images unfolded before him. The boy then, descended into a mode of celebration upon discovering that the towers were in ‘non-Pakistani’ territory and that a significant majority of the dead were non-Muslims.
This boy was no suicide bomber in the making. He was not the product of an extremist madrassa nor was he the son of a jihad veteran. In fact, this was a boy who was being educated at one of the finest institutions this country had to offer. Yet, the boy had failed to appreciate the value of human life.
He was insensitive to the deaths of more than 2,000 people. What is more alarming is that at the tender age of eight, this boy had justified his delight by distinguishing between the life of a Muslim and a non-Muslim.
As much as I hate to admit it, I was this boy.
In retrospect, I question why I showed such insensitivity to the events around me.
On what basis had I come to believe that the value of the life of a Jew or Christian was less than that of a Muslim?
How did I develop this extremely bi-polar perception of an ‘angelic’ East leading a crusade against the ‘demonic’ West?
After some pondering, I realised that my response to the events of 9/11 points towards an educational system that is deeply flawed, particularly the content of our textbooks. The factual inaccuracies, historical inconsistencies and the inherent bias that permeates these books has been criticised on numerous occasions – the most prominent being The Murder of History by KK Aziz.
However, beneath the veil of this customary disapproval lies a subtle but grave problem that still goes unnoticed. This problem is primarily two-sided. The first side is concerned with our treatment of the two identities that any Pakistani holds dear, that is, their nationality and religion, while the second arises from the content of our textbooks.
Think about it – Islam and Pakistan have always been portrayed as products of persistent persecution. Textbooks on Islamiat repeatedly drive the point home that Islam faced significant oppression before attaining the global status that it has today. Similarly, our history schoolbooks constantly highlight the cruelty faced by the Muslims of British India before acquiring the independent state of Pakistan.
It is not difficult to understand then, why this theme of persecution and oppression adopts such a paramount status in our treatment of Islam and Pakistan. Consequently, this breeds an instinctive feeling of vengeance against all those who fall outside the boundaries of Islam and Pakistan. Hence, children are subconsciously taught to view the people of this world through a binary lens – one is either a Muslim or a non-Muslim; a Pakistani or a non-Pakistani.
The second problem is concerned with the content of our textbooks. Books in both, Urdu and English are infused with tales that shed light on the lives of our national heroes. However, the irony is that while we have packed our textbooks with the bravery of Rashid Minhas and the valour of M M Alam, we have ignored the compassion of Abdul Sattar Edhi and the accomplishments of Dr Abdus Salam. Intentionally or unintentionally, through our textbooks we have placed the traits of courage, bravery and valour on a higher pedestal than the traits of honesty, compassion and skill.
Unfortunately, this is the reflection of an educational system that contributes to the glorification of war at the expense of humanity.
In no way am I trying to suggest that Islamic and Pakistani history should be eliminated from our curriculum, and neither do I intend any disrespect towards our soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the security of our homeland. I do, however, propose the adoption of a more balanced and refined approach towards teaching these subjects.
Where we celebrate a war hero, we must also celebrate a hero of science. Where we honour the bravery of an officer, we must also honour the compassion of a philanthropist. Where we recall the sacrifices of our Prophet (pbuh), we must also recall the sacrifices of Jesus.
Of course, such parity would require a shift in the very foundation of our educational system from psychological programming to a more open, pluralistic mode of critical thinking which is based on logic and reason. There is no doubt in my mind that unless we shift these foundations, we will not succeed in removing the ever-present ‘conspiracy theory’ syndrome as an explanation for all evil.
I grew up in a Pakistan where there was at least some sanctity of life and yet, I failed to recognise the intrinsic value of human life. I now fear the response of the next generation who unfortunately, have opened their eyes to a world of terror; a world where human life has been stripped of its very value and sanctity.
Thus, it is for the want of a better future for our children, that we must attach monumental significance to the task of reforming our educational system and waste no time in changing it. Otherwise, we will just be raising insensitive, fanatical and closed-minded individuals who have no value for human life.
And we will have only ourselves to blame.
Bakhtawar Bilal Soofi
A student of law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), he tweets as @bbsoofi (twitter.com/bbsoofi)
Well we see how human life is being valued in Iraq, Afghan, Palestine, Syria, Jordan...we read about Vietnam, Boston and numerous other incident like those soldiers taking photos with those they shot or Guatemala prison ...Yea, human life giving 9/11 as the ONLY incident? REALLY?
You want to write about celebrating dead...talk about those too!! Sheesh!
An intolerant educational system made me indifferent to the death of non-Muslims
By Bakhtawar Bilal Soofi Published: November 23, 2013
For a better future for our children we must attach monumental significance to the task of reforming our educational system. Otherwise, we will just be raising fanatical individuals who have no value for human life. PHOTO: Reuters
As the Twin Towers came crashing down in New York City on September 11, 2001 an eight-year-old boy remained unmoved some 7,000 miles away in Lahore as the horrifying images unfolded before him. The boy then, descended into a mode of celebration upon discovering that the towers were in ‘non-Pakistani’ territory and that a significant majority of the dead were non-Muslims.
This boy was no suicide bomber in the making. He was not the product of an extremist madrassa nor was he the son of a jihad veteran. In fact, this was a boy who was being educated at one of the finest institutions this country had to offer. Yet, the boy had failed to appreciate the value of human life.
He was insensitive to the deaths of more than 2,000 people. What is more alarming is that at the tender age of eight, this boy had justified his delight by distinguishing between the life of a Muslim and a non-Muslim.
As much as I hate to admit it, I was this boy.
In retrospect, I question why I showed such insensitivity to the events around me.
On what basis had I come to believe that the value of the life of a Jew or Christian was less than that of a Muslim?
How did I develop this extremely bi-polar perception of an ‘angelic’ East leading a crusade against the ‘demonic’ West?
After some pondering, I realised that my response to the events of 9/11 points towards an educational system that is deeply flawed, particularly the content of our textbooks. The factual inaccuracies, historical inconsistencies and the inherent bias that permeates these books has been criticised on numerous occasions – the most prominent being The Murder of History by KK Aziz.
However, beneath the veil of this customary disapproval lies a subtle but grave problem that still goes unnoticed. This problem is primarily two-sided. The first side is concerned with our treatment of the two identities that any Pakistani holds dear, that is, their nationality and religion, while the second arises from the content of our textbooks.
Think about it – Islam and Pakistan have always been portrayed as products of persistent persecution. Textbooks on Islamiat repeatedly drive the point home that Islam faced significant oppression before attaining the global status that it has today. Similarly, our history schoolbooks constantly highlight the cruelty faced by the Muslims of British India before acquiring the independent state of Pakistan.
It is not difficult to understand then, why this theme of persecution and oppression adopts such a paramount status in our treatment of Islam and Pakistan. Consequently, this breeds an instinctive feeling of vengeance against all those who fall outside the boundaries of Islam and Pakistan. Hence, children are subconsciously taught to view the people of this world through a binary lens – one is either a Muslim or a non-Muslim; a Pakistani or a non-Pakistani.
The second problem is concerned with the content of our textbooks. Books in both, Urdu and English are infused with tales that shed light on the lives of our national heroes. However, the irony is that while we have packed our textbooks with the bravery of Rashid Minhas and the valour of M M Alam, we have ignored the compassion of Abdul Sattar Edhi and the accomplishments of Dr Abdus Salam. Intentionally or unintentionally, through our textbooks we have placed the traits of courage, bravery and valour on a higher pedestal than the traits of honesty, compassion and skill.
Unfortunately, this is the reflection of an educational system that contributes to the glorification of war at the expense of humanity.
In no way am I trying to suggest that Islamic and Pakistani history should be eliminated from our curriculum, and neither do I intend any disrespect towards our soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the security of our homeland. I do, however, propose the adoption of a more balanced and refined approach towards teaching these subjects.
Where we celebrate a war hero, we must also celebrate a hero of science. Where we honour the bravery of an officer, we must also honour the compassion of a philanthropist. Where we recall the sacrifices of our Prophet (pbuh), we must also recall the sacrifices of Jesus.
Of course, such parity would require a shift in the very foundation of our educational system from psychological programming to a more open, pluralistic mode of critical thinking which is based on logic and reason. There is no doubt in my mind that unless we shift these foundations, we will not succeed in removing the ever-present ‘conspiracy theory’ syndrome as an explanation for all evil.
I grew up in a Pakistan where there was at least some sanctity of life and yet, I failed to recognise the intrinsic value of human life. I now fear the response of the next generation who unfortunately, have opened their eyes to a world of terror; a world where human life has been stripped of its very value and sanctity.
Thus, it is for the want of a better future for our children, that we must attach monumental significance to the task of reforming our educational system and waste no time in changing it. Otherwise, we will just be raising insensitive, fanatical and closed-minded individuals who have no value for human life.
And we will have only ourselves to blame.
Bakhtawar Bilal Soofi
A student of law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), he tweets as @bbsoofi (twitter.com/bbsoofi)
Was this the same education system in Pakistan that made American soldiers celebrate, pee on dead, play soccer with their chopped off heads and humiliate innocent human in Iraq. I can produce so many videos about it on you tube if you like. I know your answer would be that US soldiers were in the revenge mode....same could be said about Muslim kids in Pakistan who are revengeful after seeing so many atrocities committed by US soldiers or at least helping Israel do it against Palestinians. You should know how hate is fueled so why not stop doing things that will make one religion,a group or a nationality hate other religion, group or nationals.
