This is in accord with the frequent references in the Quran to the histories of several Hebraic and pre-Hebraic prophets

mentioned in the Bible. A textual study of the Quran shows that it constantly urges believers to learn from history and in particular from the experiences of the earlier prophets. But the Holy Boo! does not go into details about the lives of these men of "od. #arrative is not its purpose and in the words of a respected scholar whenever it $refers to past events % whether recorded in the Bible or alive in Arabian tradition % it does so exclusively with a view to bringing out elements that are relevant to the ethical teachings it propounds.& As a consequence many of the most outstanding Quran commentators both classical as well as modern have relied on Biblical accounts and Talmudic texts for the elaboration of some of the Quranic passages particularly those pertaining to the earlier prophets. 'or instance the Quran says the coming of (rophet )uhammad *pbuh+ was foretold in the earlier scriptures and this is confirmed in the Biblical passage, $The -ord thy "od will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee of thy brethren li!e unto me. unto him ye shall hear!en& */euteronomy xviii 01+ and by the 2reator Himself $3 will raise them up a prophet from among thy brethren li!e unto thee and will put my words in his mouth& */euteronomy xviii 04+. All 3slamic scholars are convinced that the 5brethren6 of the children of 3srael *7acob+ were the Arabs and particularly the 5mustaribah6 or Arabianised group among them which traces its descent to 3shmael and Abraham. 3t is to this group that the tribe of the last of the prophets the Quraysh belonged and all commentators concur that the Biblical passage foretells his advent. Another example is that the Quran affirms that some of the earlier prophets were slain but does not name them *8,90 4: ;0. <, 008 040 04<. =,011+. This problem is again partially addressed by the Bible. The story of the beheading of 7ohn the Baptist is given in the #ew Testament and in more general terms by 7esus, $> 7erusalem 7erusalem thou that !illest the prophets and stonest them which are sent to thee& *)atthew xxviii <:+. The murder of ?achariah is referred to in )atthew xxviii <=-<1 and -u!e xi 10 whereas the slaying of prophets is mentioned in 3 Thessalonians ii 01. Beyond the earlier scriptures the scholars of 3slam have even delved into the findings of historians and a case in point is the account of the (rophet @alih the second Arabian prophet after Hud who belonged to the #abataen tribe of Thamud. 'rom theAncyclopaedia of 3slam 3B :<9 for instance one learns that the :01 B2 inscription of @argon spea!s about the Thamud as a tribe of eastern and central Arabia who were overwhelmed by the Assyrians. The tribe is also mentioned as Thamudaei and Thamudenes in the wor!s of the stoic philosopher Aristo *81C B2+ the Doman philosopher (liny *A/ 8<-:;+ and the "reco-Doman writer (tolemy *A/ ;C-094+. 3slam has never claimed to be a new religion. >ne of the functions of the Quran is to confirm the truth of $whatever still remains& of the earlier scriptures and to correct the distortions that had come into their texts. 3t accepts all the prophets of previous ages and

says clearly, $And indeed *> )uhammad + Ee have sent forth apostles before thy time. some of them we have mentioned to thee and some we have not mentioned to thee...& *=C,:4. =,09=+. 'urthermore )uslims are told, $But as for those who believe in "od and His apostles and ma!e no distinction between any of them % unto them in time will He grant their rewards *in full+...& *=,018. 8,841+. Eith this emphasis on the acceptance of all the prophets ever sent to man!ind and not merely the 81 named in the Quran it becomes obvious that a study of other faiths does not undermine but reinforces and explains the fundamental teachings of 3slam. The controversy spar!ed by the overFealous television anchor brings the rot that is progressively contaminating (a!istani society into the open. This is again evident from the (unGab government6s decision to also confiscate the biology textboo! because it contained material that $could provo!e sexual desire.& Eithout batting an eyelid the provincial education minister announced, $Ee will not allow anyone to teach our children with material which is against our social values and religious beliefs.& These undefined 5religious beliefs6 are completely at variance with what a respected modern scholar describes as $the many references in the Quran to the positive "odordained nature of sexuality.& The outrageous reaction to the biology textboo! is summed up in the words of >scar Eilde, $Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. 'or these there is hope.& The allegation that the school no longer teaches 3slamiat is downright dishonest. According to a -ahore-based educationist $3slamic and (a!istan studies are mandatory courses for a local and overseas examination& and as such cannot be dropped. But there is a problem insofar as non-)uslim children are obliged to learn 3slamic principles in public schools. The textboo!s currently being used in all the four provinces violate Article 88*0+ of the constitution which clearly states, $#o person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction or ta!e part in any religious ceremony or attend religious worship if such instruction ceremony or worship relates to a religion other than his own.& 3n the central 3ndian state of )adhya (radesh the ruling Hindu right-wing Bharatiya 7anata (arty was recently constrained because of stern criticism by )uslim organisations to rescind its order aimed at introducing texts from the Bhagavad "ita into school curriculums. But here non-)uslim children are forced to learn about 3slamic tenets even in subGects as diverse as general !nowledge Hrdu social studies and Anglish despite the provisions of the constitution. 'or them there is no hope so long as public opinion is swayed by the electronic media

which is obsessed with ratings. The immediate casualty is investigative reporting Gournalistic integrity and professionalism. The writer is the publisher of 2riterion Quarterly. Amail, iftimurshedIgmail.com