Whats Inside the Pakistani Textbooks????

Chanakya's_Chant · Jul 29, 2013

Whats Inside the Pakistani Textbooks????

Well from a very long time I have seen many of my Pakistani friends debating us on some of the really crap facts which I first thought were just purely a product of their imagination and misconception but the reality stands even far apart from it for this is just a product of the "Curriculum of Hate" which the Pakistanis have been and being taught in their respective schools for Pakistani schools just teach Hindu hatred, promoting religious intolerance and Indophobia, Here is deep insight into the same...

According to Hussain Haqqani, only officially published textbooks are used in Pakistan's schools and colleges since the era of Ayub Khan. This is used by Pakistani government to create a standard narrative of Pakistan's history. During the rule of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq a program of Islamization of the country including the textbooks was started. General Zia's 1979 education policy stated that "[the] highest priority would be given to the revision of the curricula with a view to reorganizing the entire content around Islamic thought and giving education an ideological orientation so that Islamic ideology permeates the thinking of the younger generation and helps them with the necessary conviction and ability to refashion society according to Islamic tenets".
According to the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, since the 1970s Pakistani school textbooks have systematically inculcated hatred towards India and Hindus through historical revisionism. There is no mention of Islamic invasion and conversion of Hindus. Many texts give an impression that ancient Indian heritage was not destroyed by Afghans and Turks but Muslim heritage was destroyed by Indians, which is a contradiction of the theory of international historians.

The Islamist revisionism of Pakistan's schools began in 1976 when an act of parliament required all government and private schools (except those teaching the British O-levels from Grade 9) to follow a curriculum that includes learning outcomes for the federally approved Grade 5 social studies class 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 'India's evil designs against Pakistan.

Here is what they are taught:-

A Text Book of Pakistan Studies claims that Pakistan "came to be established for the first time when the Arabs under Mohammad bin Qasim occupied Sindh and Multan'; by the thirteenth century 'Pakistan had spread to include the whole of Northern India and Bengal' and then under the Khiljis, Pakistan moved further south-ward to include a greater part of Central India and the Deccan'. The spirit of Pakistan asserted itself', and under Aurangzeb the 'Pakistan spirit gathered in strength'; his death 'weakened the Pakistan spirit'."

K. Ali's two volume history designed for BA students traces the pre-history of the 'Indo-Pakistan' subcontinent to the Paleolithic Age and consistently refers to the post-1947 frontiers of Pakistan while discussing the Dravidians and the Aryans.

Here is a real life incident reported by Taha Siddiqui which was later published in the Christian Sconce Monitor on February 28, 2013

In a public school located just outside the capital, a classroom of ninth-graders follows quietly along in their history textbooks as their teacher reads out loud about what happened shortly after the creation of Pakistan in 1947:-

Caravans that were on the way to Pakistan were attacked by Hindus and Sikhs. Not a single Muslim was left alive in trains coming to Pakistan.

After the teacher finishes reading, he asks another student to continue reading aloud from the next chapter, which focuses on why Pakistan came into existence: "Narrow-mindedness of the Hindus and the conspiracies of whites led to the call of this Islamic country, Pakistan.

When asked later about his opinion of Hindus and Christians, the student reiterates what his textbook said. I think Hindus are against Pakistan, against Islam. Hindus are like that. And even the British and the non-Muslims they still oppose Pakistan, he adds.

In post-1979 Pakistan, the penchant for jihad has grown stronger. The National Curriculum guidelines for primary schools cite a key learning outcome as recognising the importance of Jehad in every sphere of life. Another macabre gem is to train children in making speeches on Jehad and assessing their spirits while making speeches on Jehad, Muslim History and Culture. What happened to 5,000 years of Pakistans history?

Social studies textbooks teach that India attacked us in 1948 and 1965 (class five); and Kargil (class three, Meri Kitab). Bengali separatism was a result of Hindu teachers and traders; and after 1965 war India conspired with the Hindus of Bengal and succeeded in spreading hate among the Bengalis about West Pakistan and finally attacked on East Pakistan in December 71, thus causing the breakup of East and West Pakistan. In fact, some textbooks say that we had almost won the 1971 war!

Here is what a study by a US government commission says on the same:-

''Teaching discrimination increases the likelihood that violent religious extremism in Pakistan will continue to grow, weakening religious freedom, national and regional stability, and global security,'' said Leonard Leo, the chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Researchers in February this year visited 37 public schools, interviewing 277 students and teachers, and 19 madrases, where they interviewed 226 students and teachers.

Hindus make up more than one per cent of Pakistan's 180 million people, while Christians represent around two per cent. Some estimates put the numbers higher.

There are also even smaller populations of Sikhs and Buddhists.

''Religious minorities are often portrayed as inferior or second-class citizens who have been granted limited rights and privileges by generous Pakistani Muslims, for which they should be grateful,'' the report said.

''Hindus are repeatedly described as extremists and eternal enemies of Islam whose culture and society is based on injustice and cruelty, while Islam delivers a message of peace and brotherhood, concepts portrayed as alien to the Hindu.''

The 2011 Pew Research Center study found the country is the third most intolerant in the world, but because of the influence they have, they are especially worrisome.

Apart from this However, the other side of the picture is that the same authorities take a deep interest in making the books more "appropriate". The English textbooks, which until as recently as three years ago contained information on minority festivals and practises, had all details removed during a mysterious revision, which left the rest of their content unchanged.

A paragraph removed from a chapter about the festivals of Pakistan in an English Language textbook said:

Minorities also have their festivals. The Hindus celebrate Divali, Doshera and Holi. They pray in temples and enjoy their festivities. The Christians celebrate Christmas on 25 December. It is the birthday of Jesus Christ. They decorate Christmas trees, churches and their homes. Special prayers are offered in churches, and after that there is a great deal of festivity.

The content of Pakistan's official textbooks has often been criticized by several sources including many within Pakistan for sometimes promoting religious intolerance and Indophobia, leading to calls for curriculum reform.

And the most disheartening thing is that this School curricula: Hate content in textbooks has increased since 2009 as hate content in textbooks used in the Punjab has increased from 45 lines in 2009 to 122 in 2012, a content analysis report published by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) said on Thursday. The report titled Education or Promotion of Hatred was distributed at a conference, Biases in Textbooks and Education Policy.

With such observations I was really shocked that how can the Pakistani establishment can really spread religious intolerance and Indophobia to such a level which is bound to adversely effect the Pakistani Interest on a whole...

I found a really interesting Pakistani show. Hard facts which most Pakistanis will have difficulty digesting as most of them are deluded like Zaid Hamid.