Madrassas hit by sex abuse claims

**Ray** · 15 Dec 04,, 18:25

By Paul Anderson
BBC News, Islamabad

Students read the Koran at a Madrassa
Some clerics demanded an apology from Mr Hussain
A Pakistani minister has revealed hundreds of cases of alleged child sex abuse at Islamic schools, or madrassas.

There were 500 complaints this year of abuse allegedly committed by clerics, Aamer Liaquat Hussain, a minister in the religious affairs department, said.

That compares with 2,000 last year, but as yet there have been no successful prosecutions, Mr Hussain told the BBC.

The minister's revelations have sparked death threats and infuriated some religious political leaders.

Mr Hussain said he had received death threats from clerics, but that he had done his job and his conscience was clear.

Leaders angered

The time had come for his country to face the bitter truth - the sickness of child abuse, he said.

The allegations involving Pakistan's Sunni majority and Shia minority referred to a tiny proportion of the country's 10,000 or so madrassas, he said.

He added that the body responsible for them, the Federation of Madrassas, was willing to co-operate with investigations because some clerics were bringing a bad name to Islam.

However, the revelations have angered some Islamic leaders. At a parliamentary meeting this week, some demanded he apologise.

The abuse revelations were made during a week in which the Pakistani government has been meeting religious leaders to build awareness of the spread of HIV/Aids.

Pakistan is stepping up its anti-Aids campaign, and the idea is to utilise the clerics' unique reach into communities to increase HIV/Aids awareness and to preach prevention.

It is nothing new. Religious blokes everyhwhere misuse their aura.

Blinking idiots.

But good fun for these swines, what?

And we blame the Catholic priests!

Religion is a great weapon or vehicle for licence.

**Sohail** · 15 Dec 04,, 18:47

No that s not new n it will continue coz mullahz are very strong in mosluum countries

**tarek** · 18 Dec 04,, 18:34

I must be missing something with Ray's "no big deal" and now "nothing new"

Actualy there is much new and it's a big deal - note who it is that is introducing the charge and notice that the charge is introduced in Majlis - Perhaps Indian and other friends do not realize it, but certainly among Iranian and urban Pakistanis, the certain knowledge of the prevalence of pederasty and homosexual proclivity among the so called Mullah or clerics, accrues to them the contempt that hypocracy earns.

Lets see if the Minister will continue to enjoy the support of the Premier and Musharraf or whether he will be sacrified once the Premier and President, once again, convince themselves that the Mullah are ammenable to reason and notions of decency.

**Ray** · 19 Dec 04,, 03:09

Tarek,

Religion has now become an industry as I see it; and most of those who pretend that they are the sole conduit to God (as if they have wireless contact with God) are no longer the pious people who would sacrifice and lead their life in meditation to realise the verities of life. And having understood, preach and teach the same.

Today, the priestly class of all religions are all out leading high living corporate style of existence. They are more concerned for themselves than for their God.

Let's compare Prophet Mohamed's, Jesus' or Sri Ramakrishna's lifestyle of sacrifice and simple living and clothing with that with these who carry the patent as modern 'conduits to God'. There is a stark and horrifying difference.

That is why I am not unduly perturbed by 'revealation' about the corrupt lives of these 'conduits to God'.

Hence, I don't believe in them.

I believe in God but the God as I perceive in my inner eye and not that which is explained in any religious text. Blasphemous as it appear, as per my interpretation, all religious texts have been written by man and men all have motives; some good and some not so pleasant. I have no inclination to sift the wheat from the chaff. What is the authenticity that these were what God said? I acccept the goodness explained in ALL religious text and not the anecdortes and 'thus spake' parts of the religious text.

My aim is not to hurt anyone who believes in the institution of religion and institutionalised God.

I just wrote to clarify Tarek's point as why I don't find the priestly classes shenanigans anything new.

I could be wrong in my interpretation, but that is my belief.

**Rahul** · 19 Dec 04,, 03:18

So Ray, basically, you are religious but you just don't like the idea of organized religion as it is today?

I sort of feel similarily though not as strongly as you. Nominally, I'm a Hindu but I figure if I lead a good life (and I don't necessarily need a book with lots of pages to tell me what that is), things will end up okay.

**tarek** · 19 Dec 04,, 05:10

Ray and rahul

Both of you express a "reliogisity" -- and we should take care that we don't confuse it with religion. There are types of religiosities - in Pakistan we have the the emmulative kind - it's not about faith, just outward appearance - actually it has very little to do with religion.

**Ray** · 19 Dec 04,, 05:40

Rahul and Tarek,

Actually, it is not only organised religion alone. I don't beleive in the concept of God as an entity. I think of God as the Creator of this world and I find it beyond my comprehension as to how he did so?

I believe in the air, the earth, the sun and all these natural phenomena as what is sustaining mankind and giving us life; and the supernatural energy that is sustaining them as God.

I know it sounds odd, but that is why I perceive. That is why I have no shame if someone call me a pagan!

I prefer to be pagan than waste time in quibbling and killing each other in the name of the God one believes in. I find the concept most ludicrous. I also find it such a waste to build huge man made and grand structures in the name of God that are used only on Sundays or Fridays or are visited by few most of the time or thronged with devotees if it has some miracle attached to it!

I also agree with Tarek and it is not that it is only in Pakistan this malady lies - too much of public display of how religious one is and yet in private life they are crooks.

There is a saying in India - Too much of devotion is a sure shot sign of a thief!

Just go out into the wide countryside where there is hardly any noise, with a lot of trees and a beautiful sky, with the breeze wafting gentle. The peace you get there is to me more than the hymns sung lustily or the padre sternly moralising or the clashing of bells and slow drone of a Hindu priest or the loudspeakers from the Mosque. How can your mind think of peace with so much of din? How can you search yourself in so much of noise?

I am sure the Creator does not count devotion by the hghest decible that is produced.

But, then just my thoughts.

**Asim Aquil** · 19 Dec 04,, 07:05

Aamir Liaqat is a big time religious celebrity in Pakistan, hes close to untouchable, since hes got such a hug fan following. He brought a simple initiative, uniting sects and treating sects, equally on his show Aalim Online. He's allied with the PML-Q, I don't think he'd get any heat from them, pissing off the MMA.

**Srirangan** · 19 Dec 04,, 08:01

It's just sad to see holy men involved in crime. DOesn't matter which reliogion, doesn't matter what crime.

**Asim Aquil** · 20 Dec 04,, 04:47

Holy? inki shakal se manhoosat tapak rahi hoti hai.

Only yesterday here in Pakistan I got into an argument with this Mullah, he was quoting the Quran, where it says "I will not worship, what you worship nor will you worship what I worship.... To you, your religion, to me mine".

This guy's like, this does not mean we don't discourage other people from their 'false' ways and not speak out and work against them. I'm like hey dude, thats exactly what it says. Fine, in the right place and time, debate maybe ok, but just to go upto someone and say your religion suck, mine rules, is stupid. And this person was one of the more famous dude, with a lot of influence around.

Goes to show how retarded they are and how much would they disrupt the Quran's message, to fit their extremist viewpoints.

Then followed an even longer debate about me attending a Christmas party.

**ajaybhutani** · 20 Dec 04,, 13:04

Originally Posted by Ray

Rahul and Tarek,

Actually, it is not only organised religion alone. I don't beleive in the concept of God as an entity. I think of God as the Creator of this world and I find it beyond my comprehension as to how he did so?

I believe in the air, the earth, the sun and all these natural phenomena as what is sustaining mankind and giving us life; and the supernatural energy that is sustaining them as God.

I know it sounds odd, but that is why I perceive. That is why I have no shame if someone call me a pagan!

I prefer to be pagan than waste time in quibbling and killing each other in the name of the God one believes in. I find the concept most ludicrous. I also find it such a waste to build huge man made and grand structures in the name of God that are used only on Sundays or Fridays or are visited by few most of the time or thronged with devotees if it has some miracle attached to it!

I also agree with Tarek and it is not that it is only in Pakistan this malady lies - too much of public display of how religious one is and yet in private life they are crooks.

There is a saying in India - Too much of devotion is a sure shot sign of a thief!

Just go out into the wide countryside where there is hardly any noise, with a lot of trees and a beautiful sky, with the breeze wafting gentle. The peace you get there is to me more than the hymns sung lustily or the padre sternly moralising or the clashing of bells and slow drone of a Hindu priest or the loudspeakers from the Mosque. How can your mind think of peace with so much of din? How can you search yourself in so much of noise?

I am sure the Creator does not count devotion by the hghest decible that is produced.

But, then just my thoughts.

i have similar views . One of my frnds once asked me who do i believe in god. And heres what came out of my mouth
" theres so much that i dont understand today .And til the time i dont have answers to all that is myusterious/unknown theres a need to keep a bacup explanation like God. till the answers are found.
What i really hate is the stuff like jehad and organisations like VHP,RSS who use religion as their means to create instability/voilence.
One needs to understand that religion is ones own personal choice and has nothin to do with his work/friends /nation. It has always been taken by humans as an answer to what all we donot know. The problem arises when we start using it instead of what all we know (like our sense of right and wrong etc ) and start giving it more priority than it deserves.