A recent report about radical teachings at Islamic educational establishments across the United Kingdom is putting the discussion on radicalism into a new perspective.
It emerged last week that 48 British madrassas, some of which were earlier found to be spreading radical teachings, have been breeding a new generation of preachers.
According to a secret government report, initially revealed by the Daily Mail, imams emerging from these madrasas are as extreme as radical clerics coming to the UK from abroad.
Moreover, at least four of these schools were previously criticised by the authorities for promulgating the notion that music and dancing comes from the devil and that women do not have the right to refuse to have sex with their husbands.
A Hard-line Curriculum
The schools in question reportedly use Dars-e-Nizami, a study curriculum representing a literal interpretation of the Koran. It is thought to be employed by the hard-line Deobandi movement, which provided training ground for the Taliban and Daesh* in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Deobandis are very hostile against Sufis and Shia Muslims. Hence, these madrassas in Pakistan created a new generation of young people who believe that the sect of their school is the only true version of Islam and that all other sects should be excluded or excommunicated,” says Nawar Kassomeh, a PhD holder (ABD) in politics at Lancaster University.
Deobandi's syllabus, which originated in the 18th century,…
