Pakistan’s historic half-truths

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Islamabad: Punjab Textbook Board in concert with the Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education has somehow become the principal source of what can only be termed as ‘hate literature’. Our textbooks disseminate a whole array of ‘half-truths’ and propagate Taliban-like values. This is a brief survey of the hate literature that our children are being taught and the half-truths that are being taught at our elementary and secondary schools.

India, the enemy

Page 100 of Social Studies for Class VI states: “The foundation of the Hindu setup was based on injustice and cruelty.” Going back a class, and students are being taught that “India is our traditional enemy and we should always keep ourselves ready to defend our beloved country from Indian aggression” (page 123, Social Studies, Class V). On the same page there is the claim that “When India was defeated in the war of 1965, she excited the Muslims of East Pakistan against the Muslims of West Pakistan.”

Social Studies for Class VII states that “Some Jewish tribes also lived in Arabia. They lent money to workers and peasants on high rates of interest and usurped their earnings. They held the whole society in their tight grip because of the ever-increasing compound interest (page 13).

On page 25, children are told that “History has no parallel to the extremely kind treatment of the Christians by the Muslims. Still the Christian kingdoms of Europe were constantly trying to gain control of Jerusalem. This was the cause of the Crusades”. On page 26, children learn that “All Christian countries united against the Muslims and sent large armies to attack the holy city of Jerusalem”.

Page 43 of Social Studies for C

lass VII states that “European nations have been working during the past three centuries, through conspiracies on naked aggression to subjugate the countries of the Muslim world” adding that “During the Crusades, the Christians came in contact with the Muslims and learnt that the Muslim culture was far superior to their own”.

Partition

In Class IV, 9-year-old Pakistanis are told that “Sikhs destroyed the Muslim towns from the river Sutlej to the river Jamna. Sikhs turned the mosques into their Gurudwaras, demolished the shrines of the Muslim saints and burnt the religious schools and the libraries.

Ranjit Singh demolished a number of mosques and shrines in Lahore. The Hindus also turned against the Muslims during the Sikh rule (page 81, Social Studies for Class IV)”. Then there is the claim that “The Muslims of Pakistan provided all the facilities to the Hindus and the Sikhs who left for India. But the Hindus and the Sikhs looted the Muslims in India with both hands and they attacked their caravans, buses and railway trains. Therefore about one million Muslims were martyred on their way to Pakistan (page 83, Social Studies, Class IV)”.

Class IV students are also told that “India is a neighbour of Pakistan. Both the countries ought to have good mutual relations but Bharat always maltreated Pakistan”.

Under ‘The Impact of Islam in South Asia’, Social Studies for Class VI states: “Before the Arab conquest the people were fed up with the teachings of Buddhists and Hindus. The main cause was the benign treatment of Muslims with the Hindus.

Due to this attitude Hindus began to love Muslims and they became nearer and nearer to Muslims (page 97, Social Studies Class VI)”. Under ‘Influence of Islam on Social Life’ the same book says that, “The caste system of the Hindus had made the life of the common man miserable and as such they were fed up with this system (page 100, Social Studies, Class VI)”.

Eleven-year-old Pakistani students are ta

ught that, “The people of India fell prey to starvation and poverty. Poverty, unemployment and ill treatment by the British rulers compelled the people to be rebellious. The people had become too poor during the reign of the East India Company. The people had already developed immense hatred for the British (page 121, Social Studies, Class VI)”.

The British

Social Studies for Class VI also alleges that “The British changed the curriculum of Madarasas and they had their full say in Education also they could change the syllabi according to their minds. The teaching of Hadith and Fiqa was stopped all together (page123, Social Studies Class VI).”

Pakistan Studies for Class IX-X is approved by the Federal Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan and authored by Dr Hassan Askri Rizvi, Javed Iqbal, Ghulam Abid Khan and Qamer Abbas.

Fifteen to sixteen year olds are told that “The Muslims promoted equality and social justice as against the division on the basis of (Hindu) caste system (page 19, Pakistan Studies Class IX-X)”.

The same students are told that “In connivance with the Government the Hindus started communal riots and caused loss of life and property. At the time of prayers the Hindus tortured the Muslims by playing bands in front of the mosques. Before the commencement of classes the students saluted the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and Muslim students were also forced to do so (page 37-38, Pakistan Studies, Class IX-X)”.

The Hindus

Page 63 of Social Studies for Class VI has three paragraphs. First, “The Hindu children wear dhoti and kurta while the Muslim children wear shalwar, pajama and kamiz. The Bharati children also like trousers and coat.” Second, “Hindu children like to eat vegetables and pulses while the favourite food of the Muslim children is meat.” Third, “The religion has deep impact on children in Bharat. The Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian children have their own separate identity. They also speak different languages.”

Under ‘Conquest

of Debul’ students are told that a “furious battle was fought between the two forces. There was a temple in the middle of the city. A red flag was hoisted on the top. The Hindu people had a firm belief that nobody could defeat them as long as the flag was there.

The Muslims chanted the slogan of Allah-o-Akbar and catapult was operated and started throwing heavy stones. A stone hit the flag and it fell down. The temple was severely damaged. The Hindus lost all hopes. The enemy was defeated and the fort was conquered (page 95, Social Studies Class VI).” Also that the “Hindus began to embrace Islam in great number due to the good and kind treatment of Muslims.”

Consider Pakistan Studies for Classes IX-X. The book states that: ‘Urdu has been closely associated with the Pakistan Movement’ (page 178) and that the ‘object of the Muslim League was to establish a separate homeland i-e Pakistan, for Muslims’ (page 40).

The book also states that: ‘The Hindus were encouraged by the Government to force the Muslims to join the Congress’ (page 38) and that ‘a new culture was founded in the subcontinent with the advent of Muslims. This culture was different in its form and spirit from the local culture’. The book also alleges that ‘the Muslims of Bengal were greatly exploited by the English and the Hindus’ (page 49).

Islam

Social Studies for Class VIII insists that: ‘Before the advent of Islam, ruthless, strong dictators usurped power and ruled people mercilessly’ (page 89). Social Studies for Class VII states: ‘Before Islam people lived in untold misery all over the world’, and that ‘Some Jewish tribes also lived in Arabia. They lent money to workers and peasants on high rates of interest and usurped their earnings. They held the whole society in their tight grip’ (page 13). Then there is the claim that: ‘Pakistan has always made sincere efforts to establish good relations with its neighbours’ (page 52).

It is rather intriguing that the concepts of ‘jihad’ and ‘shahadat’ made their

debut in the post-1979 curriculum. ‘Jihad’, ‘shahadat’ and ‘mujahideens’ are notions that are hard to find in the pre-1979 curriculum. Primary Education’s Curriculum Document specifically prescribes: ‘to make speeches on ‘jihad’ and ‘shahadat’. The document further instructs teachers ‘to judge their spirits while making speeches on ‘jihad’, Muslim History and Culture’. Another prescribed ‘Learning Outcome’ is to ‘recognise the importance of ‘jihad’ in every sphere of life’.

To be certain, our Pakistan is now full of distortions and Punjab Textbook Board along with the Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education have both played a central role

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