Mastering the madrassas

Through a new $255 million reform package, the Pakistani government is trying to do something that has never been done before: wrest control of the country's 8,000 religious schools from the mullahs. The clerics, obviously, have pledged to resist. The Muslim religious schools, known as madrassas, are blamed for spreading intolerance and hatred against the West. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in the war against terror, has pledged not to allow this to continue. Previous attempts to bring the madrassas under the government's control have failed, but the Musharraf government says it will succeed. "We are not looking to confront the [religious scholars], we want a constructive engagement," says Information Minister Shaikh Rashid. But Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who leads the country's largest religious political alliance

At first, I think Pervez Musharraf listened very closely to President Bush's Address to the Nation on 9/20/01 when he said this.....

"Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime"

I believe Musharraf understood he had a choice to make and being on the wrong side of the United States would not be in his best interest. Now after 2 years of witnessing 2/3rds of Al-Qaeda taken out of commission as well as Saddam Hussein ousted and his two Son's smoked, I think many of these Islamic leaders are starting to re-think their positions.

I think Osama bin Laden thought George W. Bush would be all talk and no action, just like Bill Clinton was. Unfortunately for Osama bin Laden, it appears he mis-underestimated George W. Bush, just like the Democrats have been doing.

"a properly educated madrassa graduate will be lost to the mullahs as soon as he is absorbed in the mainstream job market. 'He will not be there to close down shops and throw stones at cars in a strike. Why should the mullah support such reforms?'"

The mullahs depend on the ignorance of their followers. They will never allow the madrassas to educate their students. Musharraf should spend the money on decent public schools not operated by clerics. When the graduates of these schools prosper while the graduates of the madrassas suffer poverty and are used as human jihad fodder, where will the next generation of students choose to go to school? The sharp ones will choose the real schools, as for those too blinded by religeon to escape the grip of the mullahs, they will be chewed up by the jihad machine.

He's a man of true courage.

Funny. This is probably the most important single story in the GWOT this week... and even though the Washington Times gave it front-page play, there are only a half-dozen comments. Freepers all wrapped up in some weirdness from California, like Arnold, or Laci or Kobe or Latasha. God help us.

Bush and Musharraf both understand that the war requires a multithreaded, multitasking, interdisciplinary approach. That is why our most effective combat operations in the established theatres have been led by our special ops, who innately operate that way.

The most effective weapon we had in my little corner of the Hazarajat was our clinic -- and that was only because we did not yet have a school running. The people in the Islamic world, young and old, hunger for education. For many poor Pakistanis (and Afghans) the choice is madrassa or nothing -- what would you do? You would send your sons to the madrassa, of course... the alternative is nothing at all.

This programme can work because it offers the madrassas a carrot (teacher education) as well as a stick (implied). Also, it has a great benefit to the security services. The Maulawis and Malims who reject all-purpose education are self-selecting into the pool that needs the greatest scrutiny.

Of such things as a list of students filed with the Education Ministry are future terrorist apprehensions made.

The thing that makes me nervous about Pervez Musharraf, is: what is his succession plan? "What succession plan?" you reply. Exactly. The man is a single point of failure for counterterrorism in South Asia.

We also need (We being America) to bring the Pakistanis and Indians to peace over Kashmir. There is enough blame to go around on both sides (the Paks sponsored terrorists, which they now bitterly regret, but are having a hard time putting the genie back in the bottle. The Indians promised a plebiscite, knowing they'd never do it -- they'd lose). A disinterested party whose only goal is a successful outcome of the negotiations needs to take charge, and it looks like we're elected.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

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