The response of the school administration to the misguided messianic zeal of the TV anchor and the Punjab government

was: Our institution believes in inculcating values such as tolerance and empathy in all our students. !omparative religion" is essentially a history of religion." #t is not comparing religions$ we aim to educate about #slam% !hristianity...&oing so% we believe% will enlighten our students about the importance of peaceful coe'istence.( This is in accord with the fre)uent references in the *uran to the histories of several +ebraic and pre,+ebraic prophets mentioned in the -ible. . te'tual study of the *uran shows that it constantly urges believers to learn from history and% in particular% from the e'periences of the earlier prophets. -ut the +oly -oo/ does not go into details about the lives of these men of 0od. 1arrative is not its purpose% and% in the words of a respected scholar% whenever it refers to past events 2 whether recorded in the -ible or alive in .rabian tradition 2 it does so e'clusively with a view to bringing out elements that are relevant to the ethical teachings it propounds.( .s a conse)uence% many of the most outstanding *uran commentators% both classical as well as modern% have relied on -iblical accounts and Talmudic te'ts for the elaboration of some of the *uranic passages% particularly those pertaining to the earlier prophets. 3or instance the *uran says the coming of Prophet 4uhammad 5pbuh6 was foretold in the earlier scriptures and this is confirmed in the -iblical passage: The 7ord thy 0od will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee% of thy brethren% li/e unto me$ unto him ye shall hear/en( 5&euteronomy 'viii% 896% and% by the !reator +imself% # will raise them up a prophet from among thy brethren% li/e unto thee% and will put my words in his mouth( 5&euteronomy 'viii% 8:6. .ll #slamic scholars are convinced that the brethren" of the children of #srael 5;acob6 were the .rabs% and particularly the mustaribah" or .rabianised group among them which traces its descent to #shmael and .braham. #t is to this group that the tribe of the last of the prophets% the *uraysh% belonged and all commentators concur that the -iblical passage foretells his advent. .nother e'ample is that the *uran affirms that some of the earlier prophets were slain but does not name them 5<:=8% :>% ?8$ @: 88<% 8:8% 8:@$ A:8996. This problem is again partially addressed by the -ible. The story of the beheading of ;ohn the -aptist is given in the 1ew Testament% and% in more general terms% by ;esus: O ;erusalem% ;erusalem% thou that /illest the prophets% and stonest them which are sent to thee( 54atthew ''viii% @>6. The murder of Bachariah is referred to in 4atthew ''viii% @A,@9 and 7u/e 'i% 98% whereas% the slaying of prophets is mentioned in # Thessalonians ii% 89. -eyond the earlier scriptures% the scholars of #slam have even delved into the findings of historians% and a case in point is the account of the Prophet Calih% the second .rabian prophet after +ud% who belonged to the 1abataen tribe of Thamud. 3rom theDncyclopaedia of #slam #V% >@=% for instance% one learns that the >89 -! inscription of Cargon spea/s about the Thamud as a tribe of eastern and central .rabia who were

overwhelmed by the .ssyrians. The tribe is also mentioned as Thamudaei and Thamudenes in the wor/s of the stoic philosopher .risto 5<9E -!6% the Foman philosopher Pliny 5.& <@,>?6 and the 0reco,Foman writer Ptolemy 5.& ?E,8=:6. #slam has never claimed to be a new religion. One of the functions of the *uran is to confirm the truth of whatever still remains( of the earlier scriptures and to correct the distortions that had come into their te'ts. #t accepts all the prophets of previous ages and says clearly: .nd% indeed% 5O 4uhammad%6 Ge have sent forth apostles before thy time$ some of them we have mentioned to thee% and some we have not mentioned to thee...( 5AE:>:$ A:8=A6. 3urthermore% 4uslims are told: -ut as for those who believe in 0od and +is apostles and ma/e no distinction between any of them 2 unto them% in time% will +e grant their rewards 5in full6...( 5A:89<$ <:<:96. Gith this emphasis on the acceptance of all the prophets ever sent to man/ind% and not merely the <9 named in the *uran% it becomes obvious that a study of other faiths does not undermine but reinforces and e'plains the fundamental teachings of #slam. The controversy spar/ed by the overzealous television anchor brings the rot that is progressively contaminating Pa/istani society into the open. This is again evident from the Punjab government"s decision to also confiscate the biology te'tboo/ because it contained material that could provo/e se'ual desire.( Githout batting an eyelid the provincial education minister announced: Ge will not allow anyone to teach our children with material which is against our social values and religious beliefs.( These undefined religious beliefs" are completely at variance with what a respected modern scholar describes as the many references in the *uran to the positive% 0od, ordained nature of se'uality.( The outrageous reaction to the biology te'tboo/ is summed up in the words of Oscar Gilde: Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. 3or these there is hope.( The allegation that the school no longer teaches #slamiat is downright dishonest. .ccording to a 7ahore,based educationist #slamic and Pa/istan studies are mandatory courses for a local and overseas e'amination( and% as such% cannot be dropped. -ut there is a problem insofar as non,4uslim children are obliged to learn #slamic principles in public schools. The te'tboo/s currently being used in all the four provinces violate .rticle <<586 of the constitution which clearly states: 1o person attending any educational institution shall be re)uired to receive religious instruction% or ta/e part in any religious ceremony% or attend religious worship% if such instruction% ceremony or worship relates to a religion other than his own.( #n the central #ndian state of 4adhya Pradesh% the ruling +indu right,wing -haratiya

;anata Party was recently constrained% because of stern criticism by 4uslim organisations% to rescind its order aimed at introducing te'ts from the -hagavad 0ita into school curriculums. -ut here non,4uslim children are forced to learn about #slamic tenets even in subjects as diverse as general /nowledge% Hrdu% social studies and Dnglish despite the provisions of the constitution. 3or them there is no hope so long as public opinion is swayed by the electronic media% which is obsessed with ratings. The immediate casualty is investigative reporting% journalistic integrity and professionalism. The writer is the publisher of !riterion *uarterly. Dmail: iftimurshedIgmail.com