FEMALE MADRASSAHS IN PUNJAB PREPARE WOMEN FOR THE HOME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAHORE 000156

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIRF PGOV KISL PK
SUBJECT: FEMALE MADRASSAHS IN PUNJAB PREPARE WOMEN FOR THE HOME


1. (SBU) Summary. Poloff visits to three female Ahl-e-Hadith
madrassahs in Punjab has shown that they provide Islamic
studies, Quran memorization and basic life skills training, but
little else to prepare women for an independent life. Aside
from the Quran, girls learn to cook, clean and sew; they tend
not to pursue higher education. Local donors including
Parliamentarians support the religious schools, which lack basic
resources such as books and furniture. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Over 15,000 registered madrassahs in Pakistan provide
education to over two million students, according to press.
Estimates of unregistered madrassahs are as high as 40,000. A
2008 report by C. Christine Fair of Rand Corporation concluded
there are almost 700,000 madrassah students in Punjab; over half
attend Deobandi or Salafi madrassahs. Bahawalpur district in
south Punjab, followed by Lahore and Bahawalnagar districts have
the largest number of schools, according to the report.


3. (SBU) During a May 12 visit to Madrassah Darul Islah in Hail
village in Gujrat district in northern Punjab, poloff
inaugurated a sewing center with eight sewing machines for
teaching embroidery to the students as well as members of the
village. Six teachers at Darul Islah provide free instruction
in Arabic and religious studies to 200 female students.
Registered with the government, the school features classroom
instruction in the morning and vocational training in the
afternoon. A separate facility teaches 200 boys on the same
grounds. The school does not provide boarding and classrooms
are sparse with wooden benches and rugs for student use. Poloff
did not see any chalkboards or teaching materials.


4. (SBU) Qazi Abdul Qadeer Khamosh, whose father founded and
provided land for the madrassah, told poloff that local donors
support on-going operations of the school. School buildings
comprise part of the family compound, with separate buildings
for men and women. Perimeter compound walls ensure privacy of
the women faculty and students. Curtains cover the entrance to
the female compound to keep women out of sight. In addition to
these measures, teachers wear the niqab, or face covering, while
interacting with the students. Depending on their age, students
may wear the niqab but always wear a hijab or chadar, or head
scarf. Over 500 graduates from the school live overseas and, he
estimated, about 40 percent of the village has relatives in
places such as Denmark and Sweden.

- - -
Urban Madrassah Provides Basic Islamic Education
- - -


5. (SBU) Jamia Islamia Lilbanat in Lahore provides education
based on the curriculum of Wafaq-ul Madrassahs Al-Salafia, a
school of thought associated with the Salafi fundamentalist
Ahl-e Hadith, to 235 female and 40 male students. Twelve
teachers instruct Islamic studies, which consists primarily of
memorization of the Quran, but the school does not offer
boarding facilities. Government school students receive
training in Islamic studies in the afternoon at the madrassah.
The school does not offer any vocational skill training and
poloff did not observe library facilities. Primary classes are
held in one large room without physical division of classrooms.
Teachers and students cluster in a U-shape pattern on the floor
in small groups based on age and grade with short benches to
hold the Quran. Secondary classes are held in small classrooms
with the same setup. Poloff did not observe any chalkboards or
visual teaching aides. School principal Mamoona Qudus told
poloff June 1 that students receive basic Islamic education
until age 13 and then progress to learning basic Arabic and
interpretation of the Quran. She shared that 5-10 percent of
the students get degrees and apply to mainstream colleges. She
estimated that ten percent of the students open their own
madrassahs upon completion of their studies. The annual budget
of the school, according to the principal, is Rs 610,000, most
of which goes toward building maintenance as teachers work on a
voluntary basis. As the school is in a very poor neighborhood,
the madrassah provides food to families during Ramadan, the
principal said.

- - -
"Mother of Religious Schools"
- - -


6. (SBU) Over 1100 female students attend Jamia Taleem Ul Quran
Wal Hadith in Gujranwala city, a two-hour drive north of Lahore.
According to a school brochure, the school opened in 1960 "to
save our youth from overwhelming attack of Western culture" as a
"modern institution where Quran and Sunnah are taught in a
modern way so girls could become practical Muslims." Started as
a one-room school, the madrassah is now referred to as "ummal

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madaris," or "mother of religious schools," because of its
"superb performance," the brochure continues. More than 6,000
girls have graduated from the school and many "are serving the
cause of religion by propagation of faith in Kashmir, Northern
Areas and foreign countries," the brochure states. Inaugurated
in 1998 by Imam-e-Kaba Sheikh Mohammad Bin Abdullah AlSabil
Mecca Mukkharrama of Saudi Arabia, the hostel boards 750
students. The 32 classrooms transform into boarding facilities
at night to accommodate between 12-15 students per room,
Principal Barira Rahim told poloff on July 7. Poloff observed
the rooms were about ten by twelve feet in size and had several
small cupboards for students to store their belongings. Other
than rugs to sleep on, the rooms did not have furniture. The
compound, integrated into the city surroundings, contains a
network of buildings that include a large auditorium for prayer
gatherings, administrative offices and classrooms.


7. (SBU) Forty-three teachers, all graduates of this
institution, provide instruction in Islamic studies and basic
Arabic. When asked about other courses, administrators insisted
that students receive science, history and English class, but
poloff only observed students memorizing the Quran. The
extensive library, locked when poloff arrived, holds mostly
books and cassettes on Islam, including interpretations of the
Quran and the Hadiths. Poloff did not see contemporary science,
history or geography books (madrassahs often use classical
Arabic texts). The principal assured poloff that the girls are
properly trained in cooking and cleaning as they have
responsibility for the upkeep of the school. "The girls are
trained to take care of needs such as washing of clothes and
cleaning of the rooms," she said. White, purple, blue and red
chadors identify the course level of the girls, which are
provided by the school as part of their uniform. Administrators
told poloff that the school trains its female students to
fabricate handicrafts such as embroidery and painting, but
poloff did not observe sewing machines or materials for these
crafts. According to the school brochure, the school provided
566 girls a marriage package of essential household items.


8. (SBU) The annual budget of the school is 15 million rupees.
Administrators estimate it costs Rs 50 per day to provide food
to each girl. Donations from local donors, primarily zakat
(obligatory Muslim charity),finance the school. Jamiat
Ahya-E-Altaras Ul Islam donated the 19,000 Dinars that purchased
the land, according to the school brochure. (Comment: Post
could not confirm the origins of this party but confirmed that
it was not based in Pakistan. End comment). This same
organization also contributed 5,000 Dinars for construction of a
water tank at the school. Member of the Provincial Assembly
(MPA) Usman Ibrahim told poloff during the visit that he had
contributed Rs 100,000 from his discretionary fund to provide
books for the library. Imran Ullah, Member of the National
Assembly (MNA),personally contributed Rs 8,000 to lay gas
pipelines for heating water. The school has started to seek
funds for a computer laboratory and an FM radio station,
administrators said. (Note. The school brochure noted
contributions were made in Dinars, not which type of Dinar. End
note)

- - -
Background: Qazi Abdul Qadeer Khamosh
- - -


9. Qazi Abdul Qadeer Khamosh facilitated the madrassah visits
for poloff. Khamosh, active in interfaith dialogue throughout
Pakistan and abroad, organizes interfaith meetings, cultural
workshops and training sessions for religious leaders and female
madrassah teachers. At a July 16 workshop attended by poloff,
the discussion focused on the role of teachers to project a
positive image to their students and, the responsibility of
female teachers to instill the peaceful message of Islam in
their students.




10. (SBU) Comment. Female madrassah education offers an
extremely narrow curriculum focused on Islamic studies,
memorization of the Quran and domestic skill-training. Despite
the narrow focus, these institutions provide basic literacy
skills, socialization and vocational training to women who may
not have access to education. With trained teachers, moderate
curriculum reforms and monitoring, existing institutions can
provide basic education to a neglected part of the population.
End Comment.
LOWE