: Pakistan Bans Radical Islam and Foreign Money in Madrassas

Having finally had enough of the militancy brewing in its 8,000 madrassas (religious schools), which gave birth to many of the leaders of the Taliban, Pakistan will be enacting legislation that bans the teaching of extremism and militancy. Financing of madrassas from foreign sources, which has come from primarily conservative Islamic countries, has been banned as well. “No madrassas will be allowed to indulge in militancy,” explained Mehmood Ghazi, Pakistan’s religious affairs minister, who also banned “financial assistance, aid or donations from foreign sources.” Islamic clerics who refuse to obey would face prison terms of up to two years. Many madrassas, however, are warning that if the government attempted any “high-handed’ measures, they would send their students into the streets in protest. The government plans to replace foreign funding with up to $250 million in financing for the loose network of schools, which educate about 1.7 million students.

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.