He claimed unabashedly: Article 25 of the constitution of Pakistan is quite clear about the provision that no Pakistani citizen should

be taught a religion other than his o n religion ! "slam#$ %his is simply not true# %he relevant clause is Article 22 &'() hich is discussed later# %he response of the school administration to the misguided messianic zeal of the %* anchor and the Pun+ab government as: ,ur institution believes in inculcating values such as tolerance and empathy in all our students# -.omparative religion/ is essentially a -history of religion#/ "t is not comparing religions0 e aim to educate about "slam) .hristianity###1oing so) e believe) ill enlighten our students about the importance of peaceful coe2istence#$ %his is in accord ith the frequent references in the 3uran to the histories of several Hebraic and pre4Hebraic prophets mentioned in the 5ible# A te2tual study of the 3uran sho s that it constantly urges believers to learn from history and) in particular) from the e2periences of the earlier prophets# 5ut the Holy 5ook does not go into details about the lives of these men of 6od# 7arrative is not its purpose) and) in the ords of a respected scholar) henever it refers to past events ! hether recorded in the 5ible or alive in Arabian tradition ! it does so e2clusively ith a vie to bringing out elements that are relevant to the ethical teachings it propounds#$ As a consequence) many of the most outstanding 3uran commentators) both classical as ell as modern) have relied on 5iblical accounts and %almudic te2ts for the elaboration of some of the 3uranic passages) particularly those pertaining to the earlier prophets# 8or instance the 3uran says the coming of Prophet 9uhammad &pbuh( as foretold in the earlier scriptures and this is confirmed in the 5iblical passage: %he :ord thy 6od ill raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee) of thy brethren) like unto me0 unto him ye shall hearken$ &1euteronomy 2viii) '5() and) by the .reator Himself) " ill raise them up a prophet from among thy brethren) like unto thee) and ill put my ords in his mouth$ &1euteronomy 2viii) ';(# All "slamic scholars are convinced that the -brethren/ of the children of "srael &<acob( ere the Arabs) and particularly the -mustaribah/ or Arabianised group among them hich traces its descent to "shmael and Abraham# "t is to this group that the tribe of the last of the prophets) the 3uraysh) belonged and all commentators concur that the 5iblical passage foretells his advent# Another e2ample is that the 3uran affirms that some of the earlier prophets ere slain but does not name them &2:=') ;>) ?'0 @: ''2) ';') ';@0 A:'55(# %his problem is again partially addressed by the 5ible# %he story of the beheading of <ohn the 5aptist is given in the 7e %estament) and) in more general terms) by <esus: , <erusalem) <erusalem) thou that killest the prophets) and stonest them hich are sent to thee$ &9atthe 22viii) @>(# %he murder of Bachariah is referred to in 9atthe 22viii) @A4@5 and :uke 2i) 5') hereas) the slaying of prophets is mentioned in " %hessalonians ii) '5#

5eyond the earlier scriptures) the scholars of "slam have even delved into the findings of historians) and a case in point is the account of the Prophet Calih) the second Arabian prophet after Hud) ho belonged to the 7abataen tribe of %hamud# 8rom theDncyclopaedia of "slam "*) >@=) for instance) one learns that the >'5 5. inscription of Cargon speaks about the %hamud as a tribe of eastern and central Arabia ho ere over helmed by the Assyrians# %he tribe is also mentioned as %hamudaei and %hamudenes in the orks of the stoic philosopher Aristo &25E 5.() the Foman philosopher Pliny &A1 2@4>?( and the 6reco4Foman riter Ptolemy &A1 ?E4'=;(# "slam has never claimed to be a ne religion# ,ne of the functions of the 3uran is to confirm the truth of hatever still remains$ of the earlier scriptures and to correct the distortions that had come into their te2ts# "t accepts all the prophets of previous ages and says clearly: And) indeed) &, 9uhammad)( Ge have sent forth apostles before thy time0 some of them e have mentioned to thee) and some e have not mentioned to thee###$ &AE:>;0 A:'=A(# 8urthermore) 9uslims are told: 5ut as for those ho believe in 6od and His apostles and make no distinction bet een any of them ! unto them) in time) ill He grant their re ards &in full(###$ &A:'520 2:2;5(# Gith this emphasis on the acceptance of all the prophets ever sent to mankind) and not merely the 25 named in the 3uran) it becomes obvious that a study of other faiths does not undermine but reinforces and e2plains the fundamental teachings of "slam# %he controversy sparked by the overzealous television anchor brings the rot that is progressively contaminating Pakistani society into the open# %his is again evident from the Pun+ab government/s decision to also confiscate the biology te2tbook because it contained material that could provoke se2ual desire#$ Githout batting an eyelid the provincial education minister announced: Ge ill not allo anyone to teach our children ith material hich is against our social values and religious beliefs#$ %hese undefined -religious beliefs/ are completely at variance ith hat a respected modern scholar describes as the many references in the 3uran to the positive) 6od4 ordained nature of se2uality#$ %he outrageous reaction to the biology te2tbook is summed up in the ords of ,scar Gilde: %hose ho find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt ithout being charming# %his is a fault# %hose ho find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated# 8or these there is hope#$ %he allegation that the school no longer teaches "slamiat is do nright dishonest# According to a :ahore4based educationist "slamic and Pakistan studies are mandatory courses for a local and overseas e2amination$ and) as such) cannot be dropped# 5ut there is a problem insofar as non49uslim children are obliged to learn "slamic principles in public schools# %he te2tbooks currently being used in all the four provinces violate Article 22&'( of the constitution hich clearly states: 7o person attending any

educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction) or take part in any religious ceremony) or attend religious orship) if such instruction) ceremony or orship relates to a religion other than his o n#$ "n the central "ndian state of 9adhya Pradesh) the ruling Hindu right4 ing 5haratiya <anata Party as recently constrained) because of stern criticism by 9uslim organisations) to rescind its order aimed at introducing te2ts from the 5hagavad 6ita into school curriculums# 5ut here non49uslim children are forced to learn about "slamic tenets even in sub+ects as diverse as general kno ledge) Hrdu) social studies and Dnglish despite the provisions of the constitution# 8or them there is no hope so long as public opinion is s ayed by the electronic media) hich is obsessed ith ratings# %he immediate casualty is investigative reporting) +ournalistic integrity and professionalism# %he riter is the publisher of .riterion 3uarterly# Dmail: iftimurshedIgmail#com