They lure millions of poor Pakistani children with the promise of free education, food and housing. For pious families, they offer Islamic learning based on ancient traditions.
But religious seminaries, known as madrassas, are also a potential threat to the Pakistani government and Western counterterrorism officials. These institutions have long been accused of contributing to violence and radicalization, and of recruiting the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other militant groups.
Now, Pakistan's Islamic schools are at the center of an intense political battle – jeopardizing years of progress toward bringing seminaries under the government's regulatory umbrella.
The conflict dates back to 2019, when the government passed an overhaul that required madrassas to register with the Ministry of Education. The effort, which aims to increase accountability for institutions that have historically operated with minimal state oversight, has been strongly supported by Pakistan's military but has faced fierce opposition from Islamist political parties.
In October 2024, the largest of these parties, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, reached an agreement with the government to end the registration requirement. Under the agreement, madrassas will be registered under the colonial-era law governing charitable, scientific and educational groups, as they were before 2019. This law has very little control curricula, activities or finances.
In return, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam agreed to support non-constitutional amendments on judicial appointments. caused a storm of controversy.
As the end of the year approached, the government had still not implemented the change. He cited concerns that a return to the old system could undermine counterterrorism efforts, weaken controls and violate international obligations to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
The delay led to threats of anti-government protests in the capital, Islamabad, adding to the government's woes. frequent processions of supporters of deposed prime minister Imran Khan.
“We are firm on the agreed madrasa registration conditions and will ensure that they are met,” Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman warned in parliament last month. “If the government goes astray, the decision will be made in the streets, not in the parliament.”
Late last week, the government finally approved the new registration provision, giving madrassas the choice between modern supervision and the colonial-era framework. The move effectively rejects 2019 efforts to reform religious schools in favor of short-term political stability.
When Pakistan was created 77 years ago, there were dozens of madrasahs. They became popular and grew significantly in the 1980s when US and Arab funding turned them into recruitment centers for Islamic volunteers to fight against Soviet forces in neighboring Afghanistan. Today, there are about 30,000 madrassas in Pakistan.
Pakistan has come under increasing pressure to regulate religious schools since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Abdur Rahman ShahAn expert on madrasa affairs at Tongji University in Shanghai.
“The post-9/11 war on terror and similar events 2005 London bombings has raised global concerns about the lack of effective madrassa monitoring,” Mr. Shah said.
After the gunmen attacked After the 2014 killing of more than 145 people – many of them children – at a military school in northwestern Pakistan, surveillance of madrassas became a focus of counterterrorism efforts. Security agencies have used GPS to map schools and conducted raids and interrogations targeting seminaries with suspected militant links, Mr. Shah said.
In 2019, the government created a new regulatory framework to limit the influence of Islamist parties on seminary boards that run madrassas. According to official data, more than 17,500 madrassas with 2.2 million students are registered with the Ministry of Education.
Enrollment has eased the visa process for international students as interest in madrassas has increased not only from the Pakistani diaspora but also from students in African and Southeast Asian countries.
However, many seminaries, especially those affiliated with Islamist parties, including the country's largest and most prominent, have resisted integration into the formal system, citing fears of government interference in religious education.
After the government agreed to end the Education Ministry registration requirement last October, officials have been hesitant to move forward in part because of heightened scrutiny from the Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based global watchdog.
He had deployed a working group Pakistan is on the “grey list”.” from 2018 to 2022 for shortcomings in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing – a designation that often leads to a decrease in foreign investment and increased financial controls.
“FATF's main requirement was to combat the financing of terrorism, particularly to UN-designated individuals and entities, including their madrassas.” Sana AhmedAssociate Professor of Law at the University of Calgary researching illicit financial flows and terrorist financing.
Pakistan in 2019 to comply with the demands of the task force took some of them into custody The madrassas are linked to banned militant groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
But after more than two decades of increasing scrutiny of madrassas, education experts argue that the effort overlooks a deeper crisis: The country's struggling public education system is failing to meet the needs of millions of children, especially those from low-income families.
Pakistan has the second highest number of out-of-school children in the world, with 22.8 million children aged 5-16 out of school – 44 percent of this age group. UNICEF.
Madrasahs supported by private donations partially fill the gaps in the state system. For many poor families, they are the only viable option.
Recently, in a modest building in a low-income neighborhood in southern Pakistan, the air was filled with young voices reciting verses from the Koran.
Inside, hundreds of young people – some in their teens – sat cross-legged on woven mats. Their heads were covered with woven cotton hats, and their fingers were bent over Islamic books written in the Arabic alphabet. Some were memorizing scriptures.
Madrassas often emphasize sectarian Islamic theology and the Arabic language, which is not widely spoken in Pakistan. Although not all schools are associated with militancy, many promote a narrow interpretation of Islam, emphasizing doctrinal purity and the defense of Islam against other religions.
Critical thinking and open dialogue are not the main focus. Madrasahs' resistance to integrating subjects such as computer science or mathematics leaves graduates ill-equipped for today's job market.
It is religious belief, not poverty, that drives many families to enroll their children in madrassas.
“I could send my children to private schools to study computers and science, but I send them to a madrassa because I want them to have an Islamic education,” says Abdul Wahab, a real estate agent in Karachi, southern Pakistan.
Like many religious people in Pakistan, Mr. Wahab believes that a child who memorizes the Koran will bring blessings to the family, including leading 10 others to heaven in the afterlife.
Despite concerns about radicalization, madrassa administrators say they are being unfairly blamed for militancy. “There are a lot of people who go to liberal schools and become radicalized,” said Gary Shahid Gul, a teacher at a madrassa in Karachi.
He referred to Saad Aziz, a graduate of a prestigious business school. the killing of 45 members of the Ismaili sect from Shia Islam.
“Terrorism must be prevented, but accusing madrassas with scapegoats is not the solution,” said Mr. Gul.