other faiths was a well-thought-through scheme to undermine Islam whereas the biology textbook, with its diagrams of the

human reproductive system, would surely pervert young and impressionable minds. The diatribe was rounded off with the outright lie that the school no longer taught Islamiat. In a civilised country, the TV channel and its anchor would have been dragged over the coals and sued for defamation. But here in Pakistan things work differently. The Punjab government impounded the books on comparative religion and its education minister announced with the self-assurance of a person mesmerised by the glitter of high office: No one would be allowed to change the basic ideology of the education system of Pakistan and stern action would be initiated against people behind such a conspiracy. The minister could do with a crash course on the basic law of the land. He claimed unabashedly: Article 25 of the constitution of Pakistan is quite clear about the provision that no Pakistani citizen should be taught a religion other than his own religion Islam. This is simply not true. The relevant clause is Article 22 (1), which is discussed later. 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. Comparative religion is essentially a history of religion. It is not comparing religions; we aim to educate about Islam, Christianity...Doing so, we believe, will enlighten our students about the importance of peaceful coexistence. This is in accord with the frequent references in the Quran to the histories of several Hebraic and pre-Hebraic prophets mentioned in the Bible. A textual study of the Quran shows that it constantly urges believers to learn from history and, in particular, from the experiences of the earlier prophets. But the Holy Book does not go into details about the lives of these men of God. Narrative is not its purpose, and, in the words of a respected scholar, whenever it refers to past events whether recorded in the Bible or alive in Arabian tradition it does so exclusively with a view to bringing out elements that are relevant to the ethical teachings it propounds. As a consequence, many of the most outstanding Quran commentators, both classical as well as modern, have relied on Biblical accounts and Talmudic texts for the elaboration of some of the Quranic passages, particularly those pertaining to the earlier prophets. For instance the Quran says the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was foretold in the earlier scriptures and this is confirmed in the Biblical passage: The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken (Deuteronomy xviii, 15), and, by the Creator Himself, I will raise them up a prophet from among thy brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth (Deuteronomy xviii, 18). All Islamic scholars are convinced that the brethren of the children of Israel (Jacob) were the Arabs, and particularly the mustaribah or Arabianised group among them

which traces its descent to Ishmael and Abraham. It is to this group that the tribe of the last of the prophets, the Quraysh, belonged and all commentators concur that the Biblical passage foretells his advent. Another example is that the Quran affirms that some of the earlier prophets were slain but does not name them (2:61, 87, 91; 3: 112, 181, 183; 4:155). This problem is again partially addressed by the Bible. The story of the beheading of John the Baptist is given in the New Testament, and, in more general terms, by Jesus: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent to thee (Matthew xxviii, 37). The murder of Zachariah is referred to in Matthew xxviii, 34-35 and Luke xi, 51, whereas, the slaying of prophets is mentioned in I Thessalonians ii, 15. Beyond the earlier scriptures, the scholars of Islam have even delved into the findings of historians, and a case in point is the account of the Prophet Salih, the second Arabian prophet after Hud, who belonged to the Nabataen tribe of Thamud. From theEncyclopaedia of Islam IV, 736, for instance, one learns that the 715 BC inscription of Sargon speaks about the Thamud as a tribe of eastern and central Arabia who were overwhelmed by the Assyrians. The tribe is also mentioned as Thamudaei and Thamudenes in the works of the stoic philosopher Aristo (250 BC), the Roman philosopher Pliny (AD 23-79) and the Greco-Roman writer Ptolemy (AD 90-168). Islam has never claimed to be a new religion. One of the functions of the Quran is to confirm the truth of whatever still remains of the earlier scriptures and to correct the distortions that had come into their texts. It accepts all the prophets of previous ages and says clearly: And, indeed, (O Muhammad,) We have sent forth apostles before thy time; some of them we have mentioned to thee, and some we have not mentioned to thee... (40:78; 4:164). Furthermore, Muslims are told: But as for those who believe in God and His apostles and make no distinction between any of them unto them, in time, will He grant their rewards (in full)... (4:152; 2:285). With this emphasis on the acceptance of all the prophets ever sent to mankind, and not merely the 25 named in the Quran, it becomes obvious that a study of other faiths does not undermine but reinforces and explains the fundamental teachings of Islam. The controversy sparked by the overzealous television anchor brings the rot that is progressively contaminating Pakistani society into the open. This is again evident from the Punjab governments decision to also confiscate the biology textbook because it contained material that could provoke sexual desire. Without batting an eyelid the provincial education minister announced: We 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 Quran to the positive, God-

ordained nature of sexuality. The outrageous reaction to the biology textbook is summed up in the words of Oscar Wilde: 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. For these there is hope. The allegation that the school no longer teaches Islamiat is downright dishonest. According to a Lahore-based educationist Islamic and Pakistan studies are mandatory courses for a local and overseas examination and, as such, cannot be dropped. But there is a problem insofar as non-Muslim children are obliged to learn Islamic principles in public schools. The textbooks currently being used in all the four provinces violate Article 22(1) of the constitution which clearly states: No person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction, or take part in any religious ceremony, or attend religious worship, if such instruction, ceremony or worship relates to a religion other than his own. In the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the ruling Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party was recently constrained, because of stern criticism by Muslim organisations, to rescind its order aimed at introducing texts from the Bhagavad Gita into school curriculums. But here non-Muslim children are forced to learn about Islamic tenets even in subjects as diverse as general knowledge, Urdu, social studies and English despite the provisions of the constitution. For 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 Criterion Quarterly. Email: iftimurshed@gmail.com