Overcoming the Cultural Divide

The September 11 attacks on America invoked, among other things, a debate over the quality of religious education in Muslim societies. The calls for educational reform of lslamic religious schools have been most recently echoed by well-positioned individuals in the West. Several scholars, jour­nalists, and commentators have concluded that the fanaticism that moti­vated the highjackers who drove civilian airplanes into civilian targets is rooted in an educational system that teaches hate and intolerance. Traditional religious schools in Muslim societies, the argument goes, have become breeding grounds for religious fanatics who are willing to use force and violence to impose their narrow views of the world on the rest of humanity. New advocates of curtailing religious instruction and the strengthening of liberal education would like to see increased pressure on Muslim governments to restructure religious curricula to achieve the desired end. Under this pressure, the Pakistani government has already closed several religious schools.