The Real Madrassah Threat

Abstract

Pakistani madris are not jihadist factories. The majority of them are simply religious seminaries. They do not pose an international terrorism threat to the Western world, but they do contribute to the instability of Pakistan and have the strong potential to be a destabilizing force in the region, particularly with Afghanistan and India. This report demonstrates the lack of links between madris and terrorism by analyzing recent research on the background and characteristics of terrorists. It then highlights the links between madris and sectarian violence through analysis of research on madris organization, curriculum and political affiliation. Finally, it makes recommendations for both Pakistan and the U.S. to achieve real reform in the madris and Pakistans educational system as a whole in order to ensure the stability of the country and the region.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2013
Accession Number
AD1023226

Entities

People

  • Randolph B. Witt

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Education
  • Foreign Policy
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Minority Groups
  • National Politics
  • New York
  • Pakistan
  • Sectarian Violence
  • Societies
  • South Asia
  • Students
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Training
  • United States

Readers

  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.