Public School Textbooks Continue to Teach Intolerance

[SecularNationalist]

Hi Most PDF members here from Pakistan know how it really was to grow up in Pakistan and studying all those school texts where Islam was the only religion which qualified as a religion and none other religion was even mentioned.If the other religion was mentioned ,you definitely read negative things about that religion.They were infidels,traitors or you have been kept completely ignorant about the realities and good things other religions have.I remember all my teachers not just the islamiat teacher talked bad about other religions specially the hindus openly in a class room.That,s the beautiful tolerant culture which prevails in our schools.My mindset only got changed when i went abroad .Now even after becoming adults most Pakistanis take them as second class citizens,traitors or in worst case scenario as inferior human beings.From the very start they were been told islam is the only religion which qualifies as "deen" and most of the time they were deliberately kept ignorant about the other religions and religious minorities in Pakistan or whenever they got a chance they tried to portray them as evil and harmful.Pakistan’s public school textbooks contain deeply troubling content that portrays non-Muslim citizens as outsiders, unpatriotic, and inferior; are filled with errors; and present widely-disputed historical “facts” as settled history.Missing from these textbooks are any references to the rights of religious minorities and their positive contributions to Pakistan’s development. These textbooks sadly reflect the alarming state today of religious freedom in Pakistan. A country’s education system, including its textbooks, should promote religious tolerance, not close the door to cooperation and coexistence.
Unfortunately that,s the mindset most Pakistanis have towards other religions .We complain too much about religious extremism in our country but at the same we plant the seeds of extremism through our school texts.A youngster who in his school years read about other religions or at least was not poisoned by religious hate mongering is difficult to brainwash than the one who just saw and read islam as one and only religion and others as yahudi and nusrani.
Below are just my few thoughts that i think should be put in action to groom a new generation of tolerant Pakistanis.

• The textbooks should reflect that religious freedom is a constitutional protection provided to all Pakistanis;
• The curriculum should inculcate a sense of constructive patriotism, rather than a sense of fear;
• Peaceful coexistence and religious diversity in Pakistan should be acknowledged so that students learn to respect all faiths; and
• Historical omissions and misrepresentations of different events should be eliminated, and diverse viewpoints should be included. @Zibago @haviZsultan

 

[Grevion]

The problem that you are referring to will only be resolved by the more and more participation of minorities in the social system of Pakistan. But for that that majority will have to come forward and give them the space to begin with.

 

[litman]

yes, Islam is the only right path. it is mentioned in quran. Allah said in Quran that "i have chosen islam as your religion" that's it. it's the final seal after all the divine religions.no other religion will be accepted in the court of Allah in the next world after the advent of islam. but nowhere in islam it is written to mistreat others who want to live peacefully. but yes, if they do mischief then reply in the same coin. the major threat to islam are the liberals and extremists who are twisting all the teachings in order to support their own fuc**ing agenda. what's happening today is not something new. it happened when the english agent started a new sect in arabia in order to weaken the ottoman empire. it happened in sub continent. the true followers have always been lesser in number and they always will be. the majority of the humans always flow with the tide .
the need of today is the true knowledge of islam should be given to next generation and groom them into tolerant true practical muslims who stick to the basic principles of islam and not into some liberals who are westerners using an islamic cover or the extremists who are barbarians using islam cover.
i dont want any comment by any indian as i have not talked about your religion.

 

[livingdead]

most pakistanis here tell us that there is no such chapter in the text book they read. Does it vary from state to state(like in India where we got state education boards)?

 

[Pindi Boy]

yes, Islam is the only right path. it is mentioned in quran. Allah said in Quran that "i have chosen islam as your religion" that's it. it's the final seal after all the divine religions.no other religion will be accepted in the court of Allah in the next world after the advent of islam. but nowhere in islam it is written to mistreat others who want to live peacefully. but yes, if they do mischief then reply in the same coin. the major threat to islam are the liberals and extremists who are twisting all the teachings in order to support their own fuc**ing agenda. what's happening today is not something new. it happened when the english agent started a new sect in arabia in order to weaken the ottoman empire. it happened in sub continent. the true followers have always been lesser in number and they always will be. the majority of the humans always flow with the tide .
the need of today is the true knowledge of islam should be given to next generation and groom them into tolerant true practical muslims who stick to the basic principles of islam and not into some liberals who are westerners using an islamic cover or the extremists who are barbarians using islam cover.
i dont want any comment by any indian as i have not talked about your religion.

Well said
You stole my words brother.......

 

[Paksanity]

Hi Most PDF members here from Pakistan know how it really was to grow up in Pakistan and studying all those school texts where Islam was the only religion which qualified as a religion and none other religion was even mentioned.If the other religion was mentioned ,you definitely read negative things about that religion.They were infidels,traitors or you have been kept completely ignorant about the realities and good things other religions have.I remember all my teachers not just the islamiat teacher talked bad about other religions specially the hindus openly in a class room.That,s the beautiful tolerant culture which prevails in our schools.My mindset only got changed when i went abroad .Now even after becoming adults most Pakistanis take them as second class citizens,traitors or in worst case scenario as inferior human beings.From the very start they were been told islam is the only religion which qualifies as "deen" and most of the time they were deliberately kept ignorant about the other religions and religious minorities in Pakistan or whenever they got a chance they tried to portray them as evil and harmful.Pakistan’s public school textbooks contain deeply troubling content that portrays non-Muslim citizens as outsiders, unpatriotic, and inferior; are filled with errors; and present widely-disputed historical “facts” as settled history.Missing from these textbooks are any references to the rights of religious minorities and their positive contributions to Pakistan’s development. These textbooks sadly reflect the alarming state today of religious freedom in Pakistan. A country’s education system, including its textbooks, should promote religious tolerance, not close the door to cooperation and coexistence.
Unfortunately that,s the mindset most Pakistanis have towards other religions .We complain too much about religious extremism in our country but at the same we plant the seeds of extremism through our school texts.A youngster who in his school years read about other religions or at least was not poisoned by religious hate mongering is difficult to brainwash than the one who just saw and read islam as one and only religion and others as yahudi and nusrani.
Below are just my few thoughts that i think should be put in action to groom a new generation of tolerant Pakistanis.

• The textbooks should reflect that religious freedom is a constitutional protection provided to all Pakistanis;
• The curriculum should inculcate a sense of constructive patriotism, rather than a sense of fear;
• Peaceful coexistence and religious diversity in Pakistan should be acknowledged so that students learn to respect all faiths; and
• Historical omissions and misrepresentations of different events should be eliminated, and diverse viewpoints should be included. @Zibago @haviZsultan

You have expressed your opinion without giving any evidence. Please come forward with proof that our textbooks are against other religions. You can copy particular pages of those textbooks.

Personal experiences can vary greatly deal. My teachers did not teach me to hate any religion.

 

[Psychic]

most pakistanis here tell us that there is no such chapter in the text book they read. Does it vary from state to state(like in India where we got state education boards)?

Only a few political things are blamed on Hindus (of subcontinent ) and perhaps a phrase or two in the entire curriculum against hindus. At most, those negative things if combined together will only make two or three pages. However, many teachers try to say negative things about other religions on their own initiative.
Textbooks have little such material but the teachers usually "explain" those things which are bieng talked about in the OP.

Still, despite all the propaganda, I won't classify the majority of those texts as hate material. *

 

[M.AsfandYar]

Hi Most PDF members here from Pakistan know how it really was to grow up in Pakistan and studying all those school texts where Islam was the only religion which qualified as a religion and none other religion was even mentioned.If the other religion was mentioned ,you definitely read negative things about that religion.They were infidels,traitors or you have been kept completely ignorant about the realities and good things other religions have.I remember all my teachers not just the islamiat teacher talked bad about other religions specially the hindus openly in a class room.That,s the beautiful tolerant culture which prevails in our schools.My mindset only got changed when i went abroad .Now even after becoming adults most Pakistanis take them as second class citizens,traitors or in worst case scenario as inferior human beings.From the very start they were been told islam is the only religion which qualifies as "deen" and most of the time they were deliberately kept ignorant about the other religions and religious minorities in Pakistan or whenever they got a chance they tried to portray them as evil and harmful.Pakistan’s public school textbooks contain deeply troubling content that portrays non-Muslim citizens as outsiders, unpatriotic, and inferior; are filled with errors; and present widely-disputed historical “facts” as settled history.Missing from these textbooks are any references to the rights of religious minorities and their positive contributions to Pakistan’s development. These textbooks sadly reflect the alarming state today of religious freedom in Pakistan. A country’s education system, including its textbooks, should promote religious tolerance, not close the door to cooperation and coexistence.
Unfortunately that,s the mindset most Pakistanis have towards other religions .We complain too much about religious extremism in our country but at the same we plant the seeds of extremism through our school texts.A youngster who in his school years read about other religions or at least was not poisoned by religious hate mongering is difficult to brainwash than the one who just saw and read islam as one and only religion and others as yahudi and nusrani.
Below are just my few thoughts that i think should be put in action to groom a new generation of tolerant Pakistanis.

• The textbooks should reflect that religious freedom is a constitutional protection provided to all Pakistanis;
• The curriculum should inculcate a sense of constructive patriotism, rather than a sense of fear;
• Peaceful coexistence and religious diversity in Pakistan should be acknowledged so that students learn to respect all faiths; and
• Historical omissions and misrepresentations of different events should be eliminated, and diverse viewpoints should be included. @Zibago @haviZsultan

Every Single word written above is BullShit. Oh Boy You have gone bonkers.
My Mother and Aunts are Governemen teachers.(Primary and Secondry) And i have seen those text Books. And there is nothing intolerant in those. SO PLEASE SPREADING ABSOLUTE CRAP. And You Should READ your POST CAREFULLY. IF A TEACHER IS BASHING THEN ITS HIS FAULT NOT A BLOODY TEXT BOOKS. If you had a bloody problem with your teachers why not report them????????????????????

• The textbooks should reflect that religious freedom is a constitutional protection provided to all Pakistanis;

• The curriculum should inculcate a sense of constructive patriotism, rather than a sense of fear;

• Peaceful coexistence and religious diversity in Pakistan should be acknowledged so that students learn to respect all faiths; and

And these Points are fully satisfied in Those Books. Though they are Historically biased towards us(Thats what you would expect from BOOKS By Government).

 

[The BrOkEn HeArT]

You have expressed your opinion without giving any evidence. Please come forward with proof that our textbooks are against other religions. You can copy particular pages of those textbooks.

Personal experiences can vary greatly deal. My teachers did not teach me to hate any religion.

Every Single word written above is BullShit. Oh Boy You have gone bonkers.
My Mother and Aunts are Governemen teachers.(Primary and Secondry) And i have seen those text Books. And there is nothing intolerant in those. SO PLEASE SPREADING ABSOLUTE CRAP. And You Should READ your POST CAREFULLY. IF A TEACHER IS BASHING THEN ITS HIS FAULT NOT A BLOODY TEXT BOOKS. If you had a bloody problem with your teachers why not report them????????????????????


And these Points are fully satisfied in Those Books. Though they are Historically biased towards us(Thats what you would expect from BOOKS By Government).

 

[livingdead]

Only a few political things are blamed on Hindus (of subcontinent ) and perhaps a phrase or two in the entire curriculum against hindus. At most, those negative things if combined together will only make two or three pages. However, many teachers try to say negative things about other religions on their own initiative.
Textbooks have little such material but the teachers usually "explain" those things which are bieng talked about in the OP.

Still, despite all the propaganda, I won't classify the majority of those texts as hate material. *

which curriculum is it? National or regional? what is the language used? is it English or urdu/punjabi
Also what exactly does it say.
for example saying muslims faced discrimination from upper caste hindus will be historically accurate and not anti hindu.
but saying hindus are bad and enemies of muslims is different. what does it exactly say in the book?

 

[Psychic]

which curriculum is it? National or regional? what is the language used? is it English or urdu/punjabi
Also what exactly does it say.
for example saying muslims faced discrimination from upper caste hindus will be historically accurate and not anti hindu.
but saying hindus are bad and enemies of muslims is different. what does it exactly say in the book?

Curriculum may have changed from what it used to be in my times. National /regional is the same I think apart from a few minor differences. Urdu.... I think that a few phrases were objectionable in the entire curriculum and may have been removed now as attempts are made to promote harmony with the minorities.

for example saying muslims faced discrimination from upper caste hindus will be historically accurate and not anti hindu.

Yes, most of that material is like that but as I have said earlier, some teachers try to "explain" those things in their own words which causes problems.

but saying hindus are bad and enemies of muslims is different

Don't remember exactly since a long time has passed. Maybe a phrase like "wicked Hindu rulers" appeared in urdu, once or twice. The rest was just depiction of events like during the struggle against British which may be baised..Nothing specific against religion (But many things specific against India, just like in Indian curriculum ).

 

[livingdead]

Curriculum may have changed from what it used to be in my times. National /regional is the same I think apart from a few minor differences. Urdu.... I think that a few phrases were objectionable in the entire curriculum and may have been removed now as attempts are made to promote harmony with the minorities.

Yes, most of that material is like that but as I have said earlier, some teachers try to "explain" those things in their own words which causes problems.


Don't remember exactly since a long time has passed. Maybe a phrase like "wicked Hindu rulers" appeared in urdu, once or twice. The rest was just depiction of events like during the struggle against British which may be baised..Nothing specific against religion (But many things specific against India, just like in Indian curriculum ).

we dont have anti pakistani curriculum or anti-muslim curriculum... every time right wing people want to change it, there is huge uproar. the history I read was neutral. Infact pakistan is rarely mentioned in history. even british were not painted as evil except what is already known about raj.
but yes, some teachers went far beyond curriculum, and put their own interpretations. One teacher was quite racist to tribals and lower castes in my school..

 

[Psychic]

we dont have anti pakistani curriculum or anti-muslim curriculum... every time right wing people want to change it, there is huge uproar. the history I read was neutral. Infact pakistan is rarely mentioned in history. even british were not painted as evil except what is already known about raj.

I can't be sure but I do suspect that the history taught in India studies or such a subject will always be baised (which I call anti-Pakistan). Unlike India, we cannot rarely mention India as we teach students about Kashmir, East Pakistan etc so how can India be rarely mentioned. I think it depends on your definition of rarity. I do not think that three or four chapters which are about the said events are an insignificant portion of our curriculum .
Your textbooks can't be anti Muslim because a very large number of Muslims live in India, I haven't claimed it either.

 

[livingdead]

I can't be sure but I do suspect that the history taught in India studies or such a subject will always be baised (which I call anti-Pakistan). Unlike India, we cannot rarely mention India as we teach students about Kashmir, East Pakistan etc so how can India be rarely mentioned. I think it depends on your definition of rarity. I do not think that three or four chapters which are about the said events are an insignificant portion of our curriculum .
Your textbooks can't be anti Muslim because a very large number of Muslims live in India, I haven't claimed it either.

I am just saying what it is, not why it is so. Its upto you to derive that conclusion. The history book I read in school deals with some world history and history of India since ancient to modern time, but stops at 47.

 

[Paksanity]

Not the media clips. Textbooks with clear references please.