Letters to the Editor
Islamist extremism and modern education
Boko Haram in Nigeria, Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Salafists in Mali and some other Muslim countries have one common objective: to destroy modern (Western) education by attacking schools and vandalising sites/buildings considered world's cultural heritage by UNESCO. Shrines of Sufi Saints in Bamaco capital of Mali was one of those. They did not spare pre-Islamic Buddhist statue of Bamyan in Afghanistan. In India during British rule, Western education was boycotted by the Muslims. Schools teaching modern subjects were not destroyed perhaps because non-Muslims were also students in these institutions and British rulers gave sufficient protection. A research should be conducted to find out the source of inspiration and causes of destructive behaviour by these extremists among the Muslims. Any kind of suppression of facts or unwillingness to go deeper into the matter considering the sensitivity of the issue would not help matters resulting in continuous downfall of the Muslims throughout the world.
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