REPLY TO ABDUL JABBAR: Religious schools (Madrassas) teaching mind numbing dogmas, myths, superstitions and communalism should not be recognised by the Government which by doing so will only legitimise their existence and give a boost to the forces of regression that seek to retard progress, cloud the reality (as made available to humanity via the outstanding discoveries and inventions of science and illumined philosophy) and divide society along whimsical lines into two camps (the so-called "believers" and the so-called "unbelievers"). If at all Madrassas are affiliated to India's leading educational board, the CBSE, will they teach Darwinian evolution, indestructibilty of energy/matter and Big Bang or will they under some absurd religious pretext or the other seek legitimacy from the Government by getting the official CBSE tag but when it comes it inculcating in their curiculum the standard scientific views backed by sound reasonings and proofs will they shy away by clinging to their retrograde theological views? Despite becoming a part of the national mainstream, it's certain that the Madrassas will continue emphasizing irrational scriptural theories of creationism (of how an extra-cosmic god who has no causal connection with anything yet somehow or the other managed to create the cosmos out of nothing and is manipulating it like puppet on string from outside), of how burning logs of wood (in a mythical extra-cosmic hell) await all those who do not subscribe to the naive scriptural theories and how Adam (man) was created in heaven and flung from there onto a mountain in Sri Lanka. If this is going to be the attitude of the Madrassas - as it is in all probability going to be - towards progressive scientific findings that broaden the mind and draw one away from myths, superstitions and communalism then the very purpose of including 7000 or more benighted religious seminaries into the eductional mainstream will be futile and will on the contrary be seen as a move to appease the Muslims and will most importantly provide a legitimate stamp of approval to teachings that have as their basis illogic and sectarianism Best Regards, |
