FOREIGN STUDENTS STUDYING IN PAKISTANI MADRASSAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 012261 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2016 TAGS: PK PREL PGOV PTER SUBJECT: FOREIGN STUDENTS STUDYING IN PAKISTANI MADRASSAS REF: A. STATE 95397 ¶B. ISLAMABAD 11364 Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On June 23, in response to our request of June 13 (Ref A and B),Minister of Interior Sherpao passed to Ambassador documents on AMCIT and other Westerners studying in Pakistani madrassas. ¶2. (C) The GOP package identified a total of 77 students from the United States and nine (9) European countries. Of these 77, the documents state that 36 have been deported. The remaining 41 students are studying in nine (9) different institutions: -- Madrassa Arabia Raiwind, Lahore: Albania (6 students), the Netherlands (1),Macedonia (5),Portugal (1),Russia (5), Turkey (4),U.S. (2) -- Madrassa al- Hasnain, Faisalabad: Finland (1),Macedonia (1) -- Madrassa Jamia Marryum Saddiquia, Rawalpindi: France (2) -- Dar-ul-Uloom al- Hussainia, Shadadpur: France (3) -- Madrassa Farooquia Madni Masjid Makan, Swat: France (2) -- Madoodi International Islamic Education Institute, Lahore: Turkey (1) -- Madrassa Arabia Zakria Masjid, Rawalpindi: U.S. (1) -- Jamiat ul-Uloom Islamia, Binori Town, Karachi: UK (1) -- Jamia Bunoria Site, Karachi: U.S. (5) ¶3. (C) Of the nine madrassas listed above which still host foreign students, the Jamiat ul-Uloom Islamia Masjid in Karachi's Binori Town complex is the only institution on post's list of "madrassas of concern." The other madrassas identified by the GOP as hosting foreign students are not/not known to post as institutions with links to terrorist or extremist organizations. ¶4. (C) The GOP documents include separate lists, broken out by nationality, including students' names, passport number, name of host madrassa, and whether the student has been deported or is currently studying. (Note: Post will forward the complete package to SCA/PB to distribute to appropriate USG agencies/offices. End note.) ¶5. (C) Comment: The information above reports only on American and European madrassa students, consistent with the parameters of the USG query (Ref A and B). The numbers reported above reflect less than a third of the estimated population of foreign students attending Pakistani madrassas. The June 22 edition of the "Daily Times" reported that the Government of Pakistan informed the National Assembly on June 21 that 408 foreigners are currently studying in Pakistani madrassas. According to this press account, the government reported that these students are from Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, Finland, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, The Maldives, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda and the United States. Post believes that the majority of these non-Western students are Afghans. CROCKER