Education and the root of terrorism

Teaching terror
By TAVLEEN SINGH, The Indian Express

Moderate Muslims rarely speak out against the Islamists and the handful that do nearly always add a ‘‘but’’. Terrible what is happening in London but America is to blame. Terrible that small children should be killed by suicide bombers but what about the children dying in Iraq and Palestine. Indian Muslims do not add Kashmir, foreign Muslims do. As soon as a ‘‘but’’ gets added you get justification for evil deeds and an evil ideology of hatred and violence.

Words well spoken. Rarely heeded by sensationalist journalists on the war beats today, mind you. But nonetheless this simple statement by Ms. Singh is right on - effectively nailing those who give a pass to the terrorists, blaming their mayhem on the actions of others, as nothing more than enablers.

But this paragraph isn't the thrust of her column in the Indian Express. It is about a subject near and dear to my heart... teaching hatred to children.

It genuinely escapes me why most do not comprehend how the spread of democracy is integral to defeating terrorism over the long haul. The simple truth is an elected democracy will lead to better schools, education and economy, and the country's youth will gain exposure and an education to the world and it's vast opportunities and cultures.

When the youth of the world have a future with potential and opportunity to look forward to, death and martyrdom look considerably less attractive.

Yes, yes... I know many of the latest jihadist recruits are from western campuses. Many from well to do families as well. There are no absolutes. If there were no terror school in existance, even that would inspire some spoiled brats that are disgruntled with just about everything. The fact is, some of the elitist wealthy jihadists are just bored, and perpetually charmed by the lure of activism.

But, without argument, eliminating the schools of hate would cut down considerably on the pool of young suicide bombers held hostage by third world fundamentalist Islamic teachings.

Comes this heartfelt column by Ms. Singh, providing her own dissertations on the same issue. Those in the fundamentalist schools, unlike the elitist bored or disgruntled western recruits, are clueless to the real world.

Let me begin by quoting Christina Lamb who in last week’s Sunday Times (London) described a visit to a madrasa she calls the ‘‘Eton of budding Islamic warriors’’ — the Darul Uloom Haqqania in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province. During my visit to our own Darul Uloom in Deoband I caused too much aggravation to get into conversation with the students so I was unable to gauge their general knowledge or general understanding of what lies outside their 7th century world.

Christina Lamb had more luck and this is what she writes, ‘‘The teenagers I spoke to were unable to do simple calculations and had never heard of dinosaurs. They laughed uproariously at the idea that man could walk on the moon. When I asked what they wanted to be when they graduated, they talked of becoming mullahs. One or two spoke of embracing shahadat, martyrdom, and of going to Paradise with its 72 virgins, almost as though this world was just a grade to get through.’’

Read in it's entirety at the link above.