Madrassa is the Arabic word for school. There are tens of thousands of madrassas throughout the Muslim world, including in the United States. Most of them promote moderate, peaceful interpretations of Islam. Some have little to do with religion; they are simply schools attended by Muslims.
Pakistan is home to some madrassas that preach a highly fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. They are considered psychological breeding grounds for anti-U.S. sentiment — and for future terrorists. A number of the most radical madrassas, including one where many of today's Taliban leaders were educated (see "What Is The Taliban?"), are on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
These radical schools are often tuition-free and provide food and shelter for boys from the ages of 8 to their early 20s. They hold appeal in a nation where many suffer from severe poverty, even starvation. Often, parents who cannot afford to feed their kids send them away to madrassas to escape that poverty.
The madrassas also hold appeal by offering to empower students. The schools say they want to improve the plight of Muslims worldwide. One way to do that, they say, is to remove Americans, Israelis and other perceived enemies from Muslim lands.
Pakistan's most militant madrassas teach fundamentalist Islam and little else. It is not uncommon for students to spend entire school days simply memorizing and reciting portions of the Koran, the Muslim sacred text. They ignore subjects such as math, science, geography and history. Generally, questions and discussions are prohibited in classes. Teachers teach; students listen and repeat.
These same madrassas preach jihad, or holy war, against the West. Students are taught that the United States wants to destroy Islam's values, culture and people. And they are encouraged to join Muslim armies fighting in disputed territories such as Kashmir and Afghanistan.
Though they're outside the mainstream of Pakistani culture, the fundamentalist madrassas have substantial power. Their students and alumni are believed to be behind the anti-government and anti-U.S. protests that have wracked Pakistan since U.S. began its attacks on Afghanistan.
Jamia Darul Uloom Haqqania, one of the most radical madrassas, in northwest Pakistan, sent nearly all 3,000 of its students to fight in Afghanistan in 1997. Many of al Qaeda's other foot soldiers are believed to have graduated from madrassas in Pakistan as well.
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An MTV News Staff report
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