Mohammad Shehzad

Gilgit in the northern areas is sitting atop a sectarian time bomb, which is ticking away. While sectarian tensions go back to 1988 when riots broke out in the area over the sighting of Ramadan moon resulting in the killing of 300 people officially and 700 unofficially, the present tension is owed to the objection by the Shia community to Islamiat textbooks. The issue has been simmering for three years now but has acquired more ferocity in the last one year (for Shia objections to contentious points in the books, see box).

“The issue is unresolved for the last three years. The government has failed to address it to our satisfaction. The textbooks [Islamic Studies] promote Sunni thought and totally neglect ours. We want the books redesigned or the consequences will be extremely dangerous,” warned Agha Ziauddin Rizvi, prayer leader at Gilgit’s Imamia Mosque.

The sect-wise breakdown of population in the Northern Areas is: Gilgit 60% Shia, 40% Sunni: Hunza 100% Ismaili; Nagar 100% Shia; Punial 100% Ismaili; Yasin 100% Ismaili; Ishkoman 100% Ismaili; Gupis 100% Ismaili; Chilas 100% Sunni; Darel/Tangir 100% Sunni; Astor 90% Sunni, 10% Shia; Baltistan 98% Shia; 2% Nurbakhti; 2% Sunni.

The Shia community leaders say the Islamiat textbooks have been deliberately distorted to promote sectarian hatred between the two sects. “The distortions are not only limited to Islamic Studies but are also highlighted in textbooks of other subjects like Urdu, History, English and even the drawing books. I do not advocate elimination of Islamic Studies from the curriculum but I want them purged of all controversial and inflammatory material,” Rizvi told TFT.

A senior official at the Ministry of Education says the government has taken note of the issue and is doing its best to review and re-write the textbooks to the satisfaction of the Shia leaders but it possibly cannot design a separate curriculum for Shias. “They [Shia leaders] are demanding a separate curriculum for their sect. This is impossible. It will further aggravate the scourge of sectarianism. Ziauddin Rizvi is the biggest supporter of the demand for a separate curriculum. He is a very rigid person. He refused to speak to my boss because she was not wearing a headscarf. He spoke with her only after she covered her head,” the official told TFT.

The official’s viewpoint is supported by another Shia scholar named Amin Shaheedi: “A separate Islamiat curriculum will create more dissent. It is no solution. We should have a consensus syllabus acceptable to all sects.”

What are the objections?

One of the textbooks carries a sketch of a boy offering prayers in the Sunni way. “The picture can mislead a Shia student about his/her religious rituals,” Ali Ahmed Jan, a LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development) Fellow, told TFT.

“The textbooks hurt the religious sentiments of not only the Shias but also the Sunni-Brelvis. The Holy Prophet [PBUH] is quoted as saying that God chastised the Jews because they began to worship their prophets’ graves. ‘Therefore, you should not worship my grave after my death.’ This excerpt clearly provokes the Brelvis and the followers of saints like Bari Imam,” says Shaheedi.

Shia scholars also say the textbooks utterly ignore Hazrat Ali, the fourth caliph, which the Shias revere. “Moreover, while the books speak highly of the sahaba (companions of Holy Prophet [PBUH) they ignore important figures from Ahle-Bait [family of the Prophet [PBUH],” Shaheedi says.

Protests

Shia students have been boycotting classes. Almost everyday hundreds of primary and secondary school students stage protest rallies in Gilgit. The ongoing strike and boycott of the classes turned violent when a mob reportedly tried to close down an army-run school in Gilgit. Dozens of people, including a girl student, were injured.

Recently, Shia scholars called for launching a full-scale protest movement but then called it off at the request of the Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) members. Another rally a few days ago peacefully dispersed after NALC members and Chairman of Gilgit District Council Aliyar Khan assured Shia leaders that the issue was under the active consideration of the government. Yet the situation remains tense and there is no saying when it might turn violent again.

Security situation

Gilgit is literally under siege. To ward off any untoward situation, the law enforcement agencies have enhanced security measures in Gilgit and its suburban areas. Joint teams of police, army and FC patrol the area constantly and have erected checkpoints at all sensitive points. The district magistrate has imposed section 144 in the city. He has also banned pillion riding on motorcycles, assembling of more than four persons, carrying of lethal arms, wall-chalking and use of loudspeaker except for aazan (prayer call). The army has banned pillion riding in the cantonment area. “The establishment seriously fears a bloody clash between Shias and Sunnis and to pre-empt it has deployed heavy contingents of the army and Frontier Constabulary (FC),” says an official.

Sectarian clashes in Gilgit

Shaheedi recalls the days when Shias and Sunnis used to co-exists peacefully in Gilgit. “Some 25-year ago, the Sunnis used to give complimentary milk (sabeel) to the participants of Shia processions. Sunni scholars would attend such processions and deliver speeches. The clashes started during Z A Bhutto’s days in the mid-seventies when a section of the Sunni community raised objections over the Shias’ making a stage on the city’s main road and delivering speeches. Under Bhutto’s orders, the Shias were deprived of this right. They protested and the police fired upon them.”

But things went out of hand when the military dictator General Mohammad Ziaul-Haq inducted Sipah-e-Sahaba activists in the area. This led to the worst incident of sectarian violence in Gilgit in 1988. “Zia exploited a minor issue of moon-sighting and observance of Ramadan fasting and masterminded the murder of 700 innocent people that included women, elders and children. The Shia community was celebrating Eid because its scholars had sighted the moon, whereas, the Sunni community was fasting. The Sunnis felt hurt and attacked some Shia boys who were eating and celebrating Eid. This led to a gunbattle between the two communities. The situation settled down and remained calm for four days.

On the fifth day, a huge lashkar [army] of 80,000 Sunni extremists was sent by Zia-ul-Haq’s government to annihilate the Shias. Villages inhabited by the Shias—Jalalabad, Bonji, Darot, Jaglot, Pari, and Manawar were completely ruined. Even their animals [livestock] were slaughtered. The laskhar had traveled a long distance from Mansehra to Gilgit and the government did not stop it. Instead, it put the blame on RAW and CIA.”

Who has written the textbooks?

The controversial textbooks have been written by a panel of four authors – Saeedullah Qazi, Abdul Sattar Ghouri, Shabbir Ahmed Mansoori and Iftikhar Ahmed Bhutta. “All of them are Sunni and Deobandi by belief. None of the authors is Shia. So, you can imagine what kind of mindset they are likely to promote,” says a Shia scholar.

What does the Curriculum Wing say?

The head of Curriculum Wing Dr Haroona Jatoi admits the panel of writers didn’t have any representation from the Shia community. “We have asked them [Shia leaders] to provide us a list of their leaders that should be included in the committee of writers. We have no objection to including them in the committee.”

Jatoi agrees the textbooks should not carry pictures that can promote the rituals of one sect. She, however, challenges the veracity of Shia leaders’ claim that all the books promote religious biases. “They [Shia leaders] have referred to a number of books that are not recognised by the Curriculum Wing. Such books are being taught in private schools. They have been privately published, and we are not responsible for the contents.”

Should Islamiat be compulsorily taught in school/colleges?

Islamiat is a compulsory subject from grade-I until graduation. The important question is: should it be taught by the state? When the question was posed to a government official, the answer was: “I totally agree with you. Islamiat does not provide you a skill. It does not get you a job. But we have to bear with it and teach it due to certain reasons.”

The official also admitted that the machinery at the Curriculum Wing is strongly biased against the Shia faith. “The Curriculum Wing has been hijacked by a powerful lobby that is ultra-Islamist and follows the Wahhabi school of thought. The government of Pakistan receives huge funds from Saudi wahabis. Therefore it promotes the denomination practiced by the Saudis. This type of Islam has no tolerance for the Shia. Therefore, the Curriculum Wing is represented by such Islamic scholars as are the followers of Wahhabism.”

A civil society activist objects to the state teaching religion. “Everywhere in the world, religious studies are imparted to the children by their parents or the charities. But in Pakistan, the state has assumed this responsibility. Unfortunately, the state does not do what it should be doing and wastes its time, money and energy on non-issues.”

Is there any solution?

Observers say the government can play a significant role. “The solution could be imported from other Islamic countries where Shias and Sunnis co-exist peacefully. Religion is a personal affair. The government should avoid pushing controversial issues into the public domain,” says a scholar.

Shaheedi tries to answer this question. “MMA has been formed by a group of selfish politicians to win the elections. The alliance was formed in the backdrop of certain political developments, not out of love and respect for each other’s sect.” Yet the fact is that the Shia component party of the MMA is still part of the alliance and this marriage of convenience could work towards more sectarian harmony.

Shaheedi agrees. “This can be done and an alliance of apolitical religious scholars and people of various sects could begin to work towards religious harmony.”

A former minister for religious affairs and a Sunni scholar, however, thinks there is no solution to the Shia-Sunni dispute. “The issue is 1,400 years old and it can never die down. It is in the blood of clerics on both sides of the divide to fight.”

But other analysts disagree. They point out that religion per se never causes conflict. It is only used as a marker by vested interests. It becomes easier to exploit it when the state creates space for such identification.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Zubeida Jalal says a high-level meeting will be reviewing the curriculum in July and there is a possibility that it might be revamped.

List of objections

The Curriculum Reform Committee of Northern Areas, Gilgit has objected to the text listed below. In its opinion, it is controversial and repugnant to the Shia school of thought. The committee is of the view that the text has been deliberately inserted to alienate the Shia schoolboys/girls from their religion. The committee asks the government to design a curriculum acceptable to the followers of all beliefs:

i.    The incident of wahee (revelation) has been described in a ridiculous manner that shows the Prophet himself was not sure about his prophet-hood. Islamiat, 4th grade, 22; Social Studies, 4th grade, 115; Urdu, 8th grade, 14.

ii.    Abraham’s father Azar has been described as worshipper of idols. Islamiat, 6th grade, 62

iii.    The Prophet has said to have missed his prayer during the battle Khandaq. Islamiat, 5th grade, 43

iv.    The Prophet’s wife Ayesha has been projected as superior to all other women of the prophet’s family through fake ahadiz (sayings of the Prophet). Urdu, 7th, 9-10

v.    The Sunni caliphs have been presented as Khulfa-e-Rashideen unopposed by Shias. [The Shia do not recognize the first three caliphs as Khulfa-e-Rashideen.] Urdu, 3th grade, 89; Arabic, 7th grade, 46; Social Studies, 7th grade, 12-14

vi.    The Caliphs [that are not recognized by Shias] have been eulogized through titles such as Siddique-wa-Amirul Momineen [the First Caliph Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddique] and Farooq-wa-Amirul Momineed [the Second Caliph Hazrat Umar Farooq]. Shia claim such titles are only for Hazrat Ali [the Fourth Caliph]. Urdu, 4th grade, 77; Islamiat, 4th grad, 25; Arabic, 8th grade, 27.

vii.    The Sunni Caliphs have been glorified through special chapters that pay them a rich tribute. No such tribute has been paid to the Shia Caliphs.

viii.    It is a fabricated statement that the Prophet asked the First Caliph to lead the prayer when he [the Prophet] was ill. Islamiat, 5th grade, 59-60. Islamiat, BA, 294

ix.    The contribution and sacrifices of Hazrat Ali have been faded out deliberately.

x.    Yazid has been totally exonerated from Karbala and the entire blame has been shifted to Ibn-e-Ziyad. Urdu, 8th grade, 105

xi.    Khalid bin Walid has been praised more compared to Hazrat Ali. It is untrue that the Prophet had bestowed him [Walid] the title of Saif Ullah. Urdu, 7th grade, 30-33

xii.    Sunni procedure of ablution has been featured in Islamiat, Urdu, 9-10th grade, 157

xiii.    The addition of prayer is better than sleep. Islamiat, grade 8th, 8

xiv.    Sunni procedure of prayer is features. Islamiat, 2nd grade, 15; Urdu, 3rd grade, 57.

xv.    A picture that depicts Sunni style of saying prayer. Urdu, 2nd grade, 18

xvi.    Such sayings of Prophet have been quoted that have been told by the Sunni historians.

xvii.    The Islamiat of 12th grade promotes the Sunni school of thought.

xviii.    Prophet’s uncle Hazrat Abu Talib has been described as non-Muslim. Islamiat, BA, 231.