video Shi'a Islam and Contemporary Pakistani Education

[Muntazir e Mahdi]

I made a video recently on how the current content of education material plays a role in the oppression of Shi'a Muslims. I posted the video in General Islamic Discussion before, but just now realised that since it is so focused on Pakistani education, I should post it here.

JazakAllah

Edited October 27, 2020 by Muntazir e Mahdi
Clarification

[beans]

Thanks, I listened with interest - I went through O Levels in Pakistan about 20 years ago when I lived there for some years.

Do they still recommend Martin Lings as their main source in Islamiat?? I always found this odd. Also I remember my sister telling us how the Islamiat teacher taught her class in one sentence about when Imam Ali (عليه السلام). was caliph - 'nothing good happened, there were just wars'.....and making my sister repeat it when she knew we were shia. There was a teacher who we found out was shia by coincidence (my mum asked her to tutor us in Urdu), and she told us not to tell anyone because she didn't want to be discriminated. That's how I first became self-conscious of it. There was only one other shia girl in my class, and it did help that she was in the 'popular' group and her confidence helped normalise it. But I had already learnt to refrain from mentioning anything to do with religion in my circle - I realise now this wasn't the best tactic as school is the best time to teach others who won't have any kind of exposure to what Shi'ism is apart from maybe the Ashura night majlis that is (or used to be?) televised on PTV.

At the same time there was a (sunni) Urdu poetry teacher who shamed everyone (in a grandmotherly way) who didn't know about Kerbala and told them to ask their parents, I have so much love for her lol. But I think such people are few and far between.

Regarding Shah Waliullah etc, I found out years later what the reality was. Are kids at least in private schools/ middle class backgrounds more aware now, would you say? They have definitely more sources of information than when I was at school. 

[Muntazir e Mahdi]

On 11/19/2020 at 6:11 PM, beans said:

Thanks, I listened with interest - I went through O Levels in Pakistan about 20 years ago when I lived there for some years.

Do they still recommend Martin Lings as their main source in Islamiat?? I always found this odd. Also I remember my sister telling us how the Islamiat teacher taught her class in one sentence about when Imam Ali (عليه السلام). was caliph - 'nothing good happened, there were just wars'.....and making my sister repeat it when she knew we were shia. There was a teacher who we found out was shia by coincidence (my mum asked her to tutor us in Urdu), and she told us not to tell anyone because she didn't want to be discriminated. That's how I first became self-conscious of it. There was only one other shia girl in my class, and it did help that she was in the 'popular' group and her confidence helped normalise it. But I had already learnt to refrain from mentioning anything to do with religion in my circle - I realise now this wasn't the best tactic as school is the best time to teach others who won't have any kind of exposure to what Shi'ism is apart from maybe the Ashura night majlis that is (or used to be?) televised on PTV.

At the same time there was a (sunni) Urdu poetry teacher who shamed everyone (in a grandmotherly way) who didn't know about Kerbala and told them to ask their parents, I have so much love for her lol. But I think such people are few and far between.

Regarding Shah Waliullah etc, I found out years later what the reality was. Are kids at least in private schools/ middle class backgrounds more aware now, would you say? They have definitely more sources of information than when I was at school. 

JazakAllah, thank you for listening, I am glad I could spread the message across.

Cambridge itself recommends the following books: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-o-level-islamiyat-2058/published-resources/

Though some schools use other books as well. One example being "Islam: Beliefs and Practices" by Yasmin Malik.

Additionally, many students resort to using notes of famed tutors which very vehemently support the 'Sunni' narratives.

I can confirm none of these books and they way things are taught do enough to create Islamic unity and fight against persecution of the Shi'as. Rather they add fuel to the fire.

 

I apologise for that discrimination, it fills me with disgust. Currently, discrimination in classes is still an issue, but I've personally always mentioned the Infallibles with appropriate titles and honorifics in school tests and exams, as well as in my CAIE exams.

 

Yes, the 'Ashura Majlis is still televised on PTV as far as I am aware.

 

May Allah have Mercy on her for that. It calms my anger due instigators and discriminators after hearing of cases like that of your Urdu poetry teacher.

 

Not at all. The narrative in Pakistan Studies in both books and tutor's resources does not reveal the hideous truth of such disgusting figures like 'Shah Waliullah'. Looking at the whole 'Religion is the opium of the masses' mindset people have, the extreme 'liberalism' people practice, the hypocrisy in people, the selective acceptance and practicing of Islam by people, and the general ignorance of people in this time and age, it is safe to say that despite them having access to all the resources in the world for Islamic unity and/or supporting the Shi'a faith, they do not use them. They do not care. So indeed, it takes for one to prepare an exposé and spread it around to raise awareness, but even that is not enough. By God, the world is in an incredibly ignorant state still, despite every piece of information being at the fingertips of people in this age of information.