In this Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015 photo, a student of a madrassa, or Islamic school, looks out through the window of his classroom at a seminary in Islamabad, Pakistan. There’s no exact number of madrassas in Pakistan but estimates put the number in the tens of thousands. They provide food, housing and a religious education to students from around the country. Many teach both male and female students. — AP

Terror suspicions draw spotlight on Pakistan's madrassahs

Critics say madressas operate with little to no oversight of their curriculum and often promote religious intolerance.
Published March 5, 2015

Students of a madrassah attend their class at a seminary in Rawalpindi.— AP
Students of a madrassah attend their class at a seminary in Rawalpindi.— AP
AP

RAWALPINDI: Sitting on the ground, the students sway back and forth, deep in thought as they read the Holy Quran. Their white skull caps signify that they are students at one of the tens of thousands of religious schools across the country that have become embroiled in a debate about where militancy comes from.

Internally displaced children from tribal areas attend a madrassah set up in a mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad. — AP
Internally displaced children from tribal areas attend a madrassah set up in a mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad. — AP

Following the Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar in December that killed 150 people — most of them children — the government has been under intense pressure to combat militancy and terrorism. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif proposed 20 measures including reintroducing the death penalty for terrorism-related cases, freezing funding for militants, ending religious extremism and protecting minorities.

Students of a madrassah eat their lunch at a seminary in Islamabad. — AP
Students of a madrassah eat their lunch at a seminary in Islamabad. — AP

The action plan included a proposal to register and regulate religious seminaries — often called madrassahs — which face accusations of incubating religious extremism. Critics say the religious schools operate with little to no oversight of their curriculum, do not prepare students with real-world skills and often promote religious intolerance.

A student of a madrassah sits on a spot of light as he is wrapped in a shawl to warm himself while reading verses of the Holy Quran prior to a class at a seminary in Islamabad. — AP
A student of a madrassah sits on a spot of light as he is wrapped in a shawl to warm himself while reading verses of the Holy Quran prior to a class at a seminary in Islamabad. — AP

But many of those working at religious schools say they are being unfairly painted as contributing to militancy.

"We condemn all those who indulge in terrorism. This is our country. Anyone who is doing anything against Pakistan, against Islam, against the army ... we condemn them," said Abrarul Haq, who teaches at the Taleemul Quran school in Rawalpindi.

A student uses tweezers to groom his beard, at the seminary dorms on the outskirts of Islamabad. — AP
A student uses tweezers to groom his beard, at the seminary dorms on the outskirts of Islamabad. — AP

There's no exact number of madrassahs in Pakistan but estimates put the number in the tens of thousands. They provide food, housing and a religious education to students from around the country. Many teach both male and female students.