KARACHI, JAN 11 (DNA) — The curriculum taught in universities and other educational institutions and the books recommended to students should teach them intolerance. Reading good books and quality content can eliminate extremism.
These views were expressed by Senator Javed Jabbar in a guest speaker session ‘Intolerance and its impact on youth and Pakistani Society. How to tackle the menace of narrow-mindedness, bigotry, and white-collar crime in Pakistan’? held at Sindh Madressatul Islam University.
Addressing the students, he said, “You are the students of an esteemed institution where history is dripping, which is the alma mater of Quaid-e-Azam. In Pakistan, 20 million children do not attend school; you are fortunate to enter higher education institutes.” He said Pakistan was at the forefront of population growth while it was ranked 9th among 299 countries in the Nuclear Power Index.
“We were ranked 146th out of 180 countries in the Human Development Index such as population education, health, women’s rights, access to fundamental rights, which is an embarrassment for Pakistan,” said Jabbar.
Highlighting extremism, he said, extremism could also be positive, such as the extremes of etiquette, respect for teachers, respect for elders, respect for women are examples of positive extremism.
He added that when extremism was positive, it did not have an element of selfishness, but if the same extremism becomes negative, it does not get out of the selfishness. “The extremism was originated from home it is up to the person whether to nurture it in a positive way or negative,” he said.
In response to a question, he said that universities could play a supporting role in controlling extremism. Recalling the Peshawar University incident, he said, “I don’t remember any extremism ever happening at Sindh Madressatul Islam University, it is the responsibility of all people to control the growing extremism in universities.”
Speaking on the occasion, Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof. Dr. Mujeebuddin Sahrai Memon said that extremism was not just a problem of Pakistan but of the whole world, to deal with it we all have to play our role.
“The world has become a global village but the pathetic thing is how we are treating it, it is a serious tragedy that due to humans and their attitudes, climate Changes were taking place, said Dr. Sahrai.
At the end of the session, the VC presented a bouquet and shield to Senator Javed Jabbar. The guest speaker session was attended by the Registrar, Deans, heads of various departments, faculty, and students. =DNA
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