Pakistani Blogger Calls For Reform In Textbooks: "On What Basis Had I Come To Believe That The Value Of The Life Of A Jew Or Christian Was Less Than That Of A Muslim?"

"As the Twin Towers came crashing down in New York City on September 11, 2001, an eight-year-old boy remained unmoved some 7,000 miles away in Lahore as the horrifying images unfolded before him. The boy then descended into a mode of celebration upon discovering that the towers were in 'non-Pakistani' territory and that a significant majority of the dead were non-Muslims.  

"This boy was no suicide bomber in the making. He was not the product of an extremist madrassa nor was he the son of a jihad veteran. In fact, this was a boy who was being educated at one of the finest institutions this country had to offer....."

Proving yet again that the "moderates" (wherever they are hiding) have no theological leg to stand on. I give this brave blogger 24 hours to go underground to escape the requsite death fatwa that is sure to foillow.

Pakistani Blogger Calls For Reform In Textbooks: 'Where We Celebrate A War Hero, We Must Also Celebrate A Hero Of Science'; 'On What Basis Had I Come To Believe That The Value Of The Life Of A Jew Or Christian Was Less Than That Of A Muslim?' 'Where We Recall The Sacrifices Of Our Prophet... We Must Also Recall The Sacrifices Of Jesus' MEMRI

 

 

Recently, Pakistani blogger Bakhtawar Bilal Soofi examined the influence of school textbooks on young children in Pakistan and they subtle ways in which they come to imbue negative ideas about other religions and communities.

Soofi, whose blog post titled "An Intolerant Educational System Made Me Indifferent To The Death Of Non-Muslims" was published on the website of The Express Tribune daily, suggested ways to inculcate pluralistic thinking among Pakistani youth.

Soofi is a student of law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. The following are excerpts from his blog:

"On What Basis Had I Come To Believe That The Value Of The Life Of A Jew Or Christian Was Less Than That Of A Muslim?"

"As the Twin Towers came crashing down in New York City on September 11, 2001, an eight-year-old boy remained unmoved some 7,000 miles away in Lahore as the horrifying images unfolded before him. The boy then descended into a mode of celebration upon discovering that the towers were in 'non-Pakistani' territory and that a significant majority of the dead were non-Muslims.  

"This boy was no suicide bomber in the making. He was not the product of an extremist madrassa nor was he the son of a jihad veteran. In fact, this was a boy who was being educated at one of the finest institutions this country had to offer. Yet, the boy had failed to appreciate the value of human life. He was insensitive to the deaths of more than 2,000 people. What is more alarming is that at the tender age of eight, this boy had justified his delight by distinguishing between the life of a Muslim and a non-Muslim.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I was this boy. In retrospect, I question why I showed such insensitivity to the events around me. On what basis had I come to believe that the value of the life of a Jew or Christian was less than that of a Muslim? How did I develop this extremely bi-polar perception of an 'angelic' East leading a crusade against the 'demonic' West?"

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