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Pakistan Urged to Shut Extremist Schools September 25, 2006 By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON Afghanistan's president urged Pakistan on Monday to shut down extremist schools and arrest the people who run them. Hamid Karzai, who has strong U.S. support, has engaged in some sniping with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on countering terrorism. "There will not be an end to terrorism unless we remove the sources of hatred in madrassas and the training grounds," Karzai said in a speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for scholars. He is due to meet with President Bush on Tuesday. Then, at...

10 May, 2004 PAKISTAN Forced conversion to Islam fatal for Christian boy New incident reveals frightening trend Lahore (AsiaNews/Ucan) – Outrage at the death of a Catholic boy forced to convert to Islam at the hands of torturous abductors has prompted the Pakistan Catholic Bishop’s Commission of Justice and Peace, to take up the legal case. The Christian youth died of injuries inflicted by a teacher and students at an Islamic school. The National Commission for Justice and Peace declared May 4th that the incident reflects a worrying trend of forced conversions. Javed Anjum, an 18-year-old commerce student was seized...

THE US is planning a $250million joint offensive with Indonesia to curb the drift of students to Islamist boarding schools that breed terrorism and preach hatred of the West. Australia, which contributes $12million to assist the formal school system in Indonesia, may also follow the US example in boosting its spending, pending the outcome of aid reviews by the World Bank and Asia Development Bank. A spokesman for Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said there was a growing recognition that donors, including Australia, would have to focus more on education in Indonesia. Diplomatic sources suggested the US package to help Indonesia's...