Madrassa-State Relations: An Analysis of the State Policies during General Zia-ul-Haq (1977-1988) and General Pervez Musharraf (1999-2008) Era Submitted By: Maryam Siddiqa Lodhi 67- PHD FSS/PS&IRF11 Supervisor Dr. Husnul Amin Assistant Professor Department of Politics and IR Faculty of Social Sciences International Islamic University Islamabad 1 Table of Contents 1---6 Preliminary Pages List of Abbreviations Abstract Chapter 1: Introduction 7-----42 1.1 Rationale for Selection of Cases 1.2 Thesis Arguments 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Objectives of the Study 1.5 Methodology 1.6 Theoretical Framework 1.7 Study Plan Chapter 2: Review of Literature 43----78 Introduction 2.1 Reforms in Historical Context 2.2 Contextual Factors of Madrassa Reforms 2.3 Debating the state-led madrassa Reforms 2.4 Role of Ulama in Politics in Both the Adressed Eras. Conclusion Chapter 3: A Brief History of Madrassa from its Origin to Pre-Partition and Post- partition Period 79---121 Introduction 3.1 Religious Education in the Early Days of Islam 3.2 Islamic Education beyond Arab 3.3 Madrassa in the Medieval Time Period 3.4 Madrassa in South Asia 2 3.5 Madrassa under the Mughal Rule 3.6 Political and Religious Services of Some Renowned Families in Pre-colonial India 3.7 Madrassa during the Colonial Rule 3.8 Madrassa in the Post-partition Period (1947-1977) Conclusion Chapter 4 Madrassa-State Relations: An Analysis of State Policies during General Zia Era 122---169 Introduction 4.1 Madrassa Reforms: Internal and External Dynamics 4.2 Islamization in Zia Era 4.3 Sargodha Report 4.4 Halepota Report 4.5 Ulama and Scholars Views about Reforms 4.6 Madrassa Reforms: Ulama’s Responses 4.7 Government’s Response to Ulama’s Resistance 4 .8 Implementation of Madrassa Reforms 4.9 Outcomes and Implications of madrassa-reform efforts in Zia Era Conclusion Chapter 5 Madrassa-State Relations: An Analysis of State Policies during Musharraf Era 170--215 Introduction 5.1 Madrassa reforms: Internal and External Dynamics 5.2 Some Examples of the Efforts to Reform the Muslim Societies in History 5.3 Enlightened Moderation Philosophy of General Pervez Musharraf 5.4 Pakistan Madrassa Education Board (PMEB) Ordinance 5.5 Implementation of the first Reforms 5.6 Ulama’s Reservations regarding PMEB 5.7 Implementation of PMEB Ordinance: 5.8 Madrassa Reforms Project (2002-03—2007) 5.9 Ulama’s Response to Government Efforts 5.10 Implementation of MRP 5.11 ITMDP’s Response over Demand of Alteration in Curriculum in Reform Plans 5.12 MRP Failed 5.13 The Din-i-Madaris Voluntary Registration and Regulation Ordinance, 2005 5.14 Ulama’s Response over the Madrassa Ordinance 2005 5.15 Implementation of the Madrassa Ordinance 2005 5.16 Outcomes and Implications, Conclusion Chapter 6: A Comparative Critical Analysis of Madrassa-State Relations in General Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf Era 216---252 Introduction 6.1 Commonalities in Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf’s Era 3 6.2 A Critical Analysis of Islamization and Enlightened Moderation Philosophies 6.3 Why Public Policies Fail? 6.4 Analysis of the State’s Policies towards Madrassas in Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf’s Era Conclusion Chapter 7: Conclusion 253--253 Policy Recommendations 253---262 Endnotes Reference List 4 Abbreviations DM Deeni Madaris H.S.C Level Higher School Certificate SSC Level Secondary School Certificate RCT Rational Choice Theory USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics US United States ICG International Crisis Group MMA Mutahhida Majlis-e-Amal LFO Legal Framework Order JI Jammat-i-Islami JUI Jammiat Ulama-e-Islam JUP Jammiat Ulama-e-Pakistan NWFP North West Frontier Province NSC National Security Council NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization MJUP Markazi Jamiyyat Ulama-i- Pakistan MFLO Muslim Family Law Ordinance B.A. Bachelor of Arts NCDM National Committee for Deeni Madaris UGC University Grant Commission MRD Movement for Restoration of Democracy SSP Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan LeJ Lashkar-e-Jhagvi JUI-S Jammiat Ulama-e-Islam—Sami-ul Haq JUI-F Jammiat Ulama-e-Islam—Fazlur Rehman PMEB Pakistan Madrassa Education Board MRP Madrassa Reform Project ISI Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate ITMDP Ittehad-e-Tanzeem-e-Madaris-e-Deeniya SRA 1860 Societies Registration Act 1860 FATA Federally Adminstered Tribal Areas LeT Lashkar-e-Tayyaba PPP Pakistan Peoples Party PML-N Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz PMEBO Pakistan Madrassa Education Board Ordinance PCO Provisional Constitutional Order. 5 Abstract This study aims to explore and investigate the state-led madrassa reforms initiated under the banners of Islamization and Enlightened Moderation philosophies which also served as a backdrop of madrassa-state relations in General Zia-ul-Haq and General Musharraf era. In order to approach the facts, the study has made use of the primary and secondary sources. This study has given an insight of how both the military regimes initiated the madrassa reforms with a great vigour but on the implementation stages diverted from the projected process. They kept on shaping and reshaping the reform plans by granting concessions to few among the stakeholders till they became adjustable to the regimes. This study has shown that modification of curriculum in order to integrate the madrassa system with the formal system of education in both regimes was the top priority besides resolving financial problems in Zia era and regulating madrassas in Musharraf era. The essence of the entire reform plans in both eras was declared to bring the madrassas into mainstream national life. Besides pointing out flaws left at the formulation and implementation stages, this study has taken into account the implications of reforms by categorizing the stakeholders into four as; madrassa students, madrassa administration, government and society. Firstly, taking into a glimpse at madrassa the study depicted that nothing concrete came up for the benefits of madrassa students and graduates in both eras. Infact, their conditions remained as deplorable as prior to reforms, their curriculum did not undergo any major shift that could give them acceptability in any other field for employment and they remained subservient to their teachers even after the reforms as they were ever before. Secondly, the study giving an indepth analysis has shown that madrassas’ high ups enjoyed political powers hatched out of madrassa reforms and legitimized the military regimes by extending support in legislature. The only connection between the madrassa administrations and students driven out of madrassa reforms in Zia era was that students and graduates brought accommodation to the regime on the international level by participating in Afghan war against the USSR over the directions of their teachers most of whom were state’s recipient for economic and political benefits. Thirdly, this study has highlighted that the state adopting the rational approach framed the madrassa reforms as the term ‘mainstreaming’ which was a sole and a common objective in both the aforementioned eras was not candidly defined either by the policy makers or literary circles. The military rulers used the term in their own ways to achieve maximum out of it and assigned roles to madrassa’s high-ups in politics of the state under Islamization and Enlightened Moderation Ideologies, which was assumed as mainstreaming of madrassas in both eras. Fourthly, the study scratched out that the reforms directly and indirectly sowed the seeds of few of the contemporary issues prevailing in society such as sectarianism and violence. Briefly, this study concluded that the interests of madrassa students and on a broader level society were quite divergent to the interests of madrassa administration and the state who was the real beneficiaries of implications emerged out of the realm of reforms in both the addressed eras. Moreover, this study asserts that neither madrassa administration nor the state were really interested in reforming madrassas for the benefits of the students and graduates in the long run rather reforms served as a shadow to settle their mutual ‘gives and takes’ which were accomplished successfully as the state had most of the attributes of a neo-patrimonial state. 6 Chapter 1 Introduction The impact of Islamic Seminaries on Pakistani society cannot be denied or overshadowed as each socio-religious activity is dominantly led by ulama. The political role of ulama has been also quite prominent since the creation of Pakistan as for instances Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, a teacher at Dar ul-Uloom Deoband and an active leader of Jamiat-ulama-e-Islam was quite prominent member of the first Legislative Assembly. He was the first person to hoist Pakistan’s flag first, inaugurated the first legislative assembly of Pakistan and presented the Objectives Resolution in the National Assembly which laid the foundation of the Pakistan’s Constitution. The 1973 Constitution of Pakistan was approved by the National Assembly which had on its floor renowned madrassa-based ulama such as Mufti Mahmood, Abdul Hakim, Abdul Haq, Abdul Mustafa Azhari, Ghulam Ghos Hazarvi, Muhammad Zakir, Shah Ahmad Noorani and Zafar Ahmad Ansari (Muhammad, 2012). Keeping this in view, it can be said that Pakistan has had close relationship with religion since its inception as the state was achieved on ideological grounds 7 as Pakistanis have had always close affinity with religion. The process of Islamization anchored its roots in the newly born state with the introduction of the Objectives Resolution in March 1949 which officially declared the state as an Islamic in character. Overtime, the state authorities exploited Islam as a source of legitimacy and a means of consolidating their power as the military rulers in particular leaned to the Islamic groups for ideological support. Although a host of leaders from Yahya Khan onwards tried to use Islam in political activities on the state level but Zia ul Haq accelerated these practices.