Madrasas in Pak, Afghan becoming breeding grounds for terrorists: Research analyst to UN

Geneva, October 05: In the major development, a research analyst at the European Foundation for South Asian Studies has expressed concern over religious schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan saying, Madrasas are becoming breeding grounds for terrorists.

 

 

 

While addressing the 48th session of UN Human Rights Session Anne Heckendorff said, "It is well-known that the menace of terrorism in South Asia has largely grown out of religious schools, the so-called Madrassas. These schools that often instill a distorted, ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam still flourish uninhibitedly in Pakistan and Madrasas in Pak, Afghan becoming breeding grounds for terrorists: Research analyst to UN Afghanistan".

 

Researcher Anne further pointed out that Taliban and the dreaded Haqqani network were born from such Madrassas in Pakistan. Under the cover of Pakistan's intelligence agency, terrorist organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and others continue to operate terror factories in the country.

 

 

She said, "The Taliban and the dreaded Haqqani network were born from such Madrassas in Pakistan. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and other terrorist organisations continue operating such terror factories in Pakistan under the protection of the country's powerful intelligence agency".

 

 

 

 

She further highlighted that numerous illegal madrasas or religious schools, in Pakistan and Afghanistan, force young people to engage in jihad (holy war). They instill enmity towards other religions and encourage people to participate in gun culture.

 

Heckendorff told UNHRC, "The International Community must not be appeased with the Taliban's false promises of education. What is schooling worth, if instead of raising a workforce capable of leading their country onto a path of peace and development, creates foot soldiers indoctrinated into a worldview defined by misogyny and hatred?"

 

She stressed in her speech that the Taliban's lack of economic independence, as well as that of its patron state next door, had a silver lining: leverage to the international community. There is a lot of leverage that can be used to prevent another generation of young Afghans from succumbing to Madrasa-bred radicalism.

 

"The lack of economic independence of the Taliban and their patron State next door has a silver lining: it gives leverage to the international community. Leverage that must be used to prevent the loss of another generation of young Afghans to Madrassa-bred radicalism", she said in her speech.

 

The research analyst concluded that the most substantial investment we can make in Afghanistan's future is to impose restrictions on diplomatic and economic involvement to assure human rights-compliant education, without which the right to development will be difficult to materialize.

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