Exclusive: Red Mosque of Pakistan and rear Madrassa Debate

Dear all,

From last few weeks, the top news from the Indian subcontinent to all the world’s renowned Televisions News broadcaster focused at Pakistan’s Red Mosque and its massive lose of human life.

Recently I studied some of these articles to find out the reactions and the divisions among the students of Madrassa commonly known as the Islamic religion school in Pakistan. I was surprise to see that, Debate Competition in these religious schools is offering students to find the unveil truth of their vision.

The Red Mosque has been repainted and repaired following the bloody siege that ended on 11 July with the deaths of more than 100 people. The protesters have defaced the mosque, which had been repainted in pale colours by the authorities.

The people who were protesting against the Pakistan Government wrote "Red Mosque" in large Urdu script on the dome of the building. They also raised a black flag with two crossed swords - meant to symbolise jihad, or holy war.

This story will try to identify the difference among the Religious School student’s belief and why Debate Competition is being offered which is rear in Pakistani Madrassa culture.

Madrassa Debate Competition and Student Reaction

The students of Jamia Ghausia in Gulshan-e-Iqbal ( A renowned Madrassa in Pakistan) are unexpectedly quiet when asked about their feelings for Lal Masjid (Red Mosque). For them, their grey three-storey madrassa is a far cry from the glamorous campus of the news-making Red Mosque. Jamia Ghausia’s 150 students, including 80 who live at its hostel, have no television and while newspapers and the children would hardly think of asking for them.

But Jamia Islamia another top Madrasa in Pakistan has different appoch towards Debating. Its 950 students question and debate the issues related with Religion and International events. If there is a hot issue like Red Mosque, Salman Rushdie’s knighthood, there is a discussion during the morning assembly. Students enjoy the Debate and raise their question to the gust speakers present at the debate competitions.

Invited Guest speakers come once a month to attend at the monthly grand debate competition. Students practice debate with their heart to win the top prize for the competitions. Every month this debate competition offers top prize money of Rs 125,000 (Two Thousand USD) and in this month of august the scheduled competition is offering final-year Mufti course students to win the Jackpot.

In contrast to Jamia Ghausia in Gulshan is Clifton’s Jamia Islamia that stands just a stone’s throw away from a newspaper kiosk that stocks everything from racy Bollywood glossies to the Foreign Affairs journal and scores of DVD shops where the latest Hollywood blockbusters arrive even before they’ve been released in the US. “Yes,” admits its director of studies Mufti Abu Zar Muhi-ud-deen with a wry smile. “Our students read the newspaper... but they never buy them.”

Very interesting findings indeed. Specially I was surprised to see the teachers are encouraging the students for Debate in a Debate competition where Prize Money is near about 2000 USD in a restricted Pakistani Madrassa Society. I think this is very good news for World Debating Movement because it will spare the logic of debating to find the solutions for all the existing Eastern and Western philosophical religious differences.

Some of this information has taken from The Daily Pakistan Times website. Some of my friend who are affiliated with the Pakistan Debating Society sends me some of this information and they were actively involved with speeding Debating in Madrassa to bring these students in Moderate thinking. This program is funded by Pakistan Government it self with the US Aid so that Organization Like Al Qaeda cant spread the Fundamentalist Theory to these young student mind.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin