06-03-2006, 06:40 AM
Saturday, June 03, 2006
âIslami Jamiat Talaba campaignâ: âStop music, stop drama and danceâ
* PU âstudentsâ circulate handbill against Punjab governor
* Music should be taught as a subject: education minister
* MTM referendum against music today
By Ali Waqar
LAHORE: A handbill widely distributed by the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) in the Punjab University denounced Punjab Governor Lt Gen ® Khalid Maqbool and Punjab governmentâs policy to start music and drama courses at higher education institutions.
The handbill, distributed after Friday prayers at the main PU mosque and allegedly representing PU students, effused determination to resist secularism and enlightened moderation in educational institutions and called for promoting Islamic ideology on campus. Handwritten posters also sprung up at different spots in the Punjab University saying, âStop music, Stop drama in the university.â
The IJT and the Muttahida Talaba Mahaz (MTM), an alliance of eight student organisations, have announced a campaign against music and against the governor from today (Saturday), and a referendum on all campuses on the subjects. On the other hand, Punjab Education Minister Mian Imran Masood said about the referendum that the governmentâs policies could not be stopped. He added that music and drama should be taught, and they were the essence of society.
Trying to demonstrate how ludicrous the protest was, he referred to police and army bands playing music everywhere, mostly so at weddings. He said there was no point interfering with the government and if some religious partiesâ youth wings had reservations, they should ask their political wings to raise the issues in parliament. He added that there could be a referendum, but only with permission from the educational institutions. The pamphlet in Urdu, in bold font, asks questions of the governor and begins with Iqbalâs verse praying God to give direction to the misled.
The Urdu handbill reads [translation]: Pakistan was achieved in the name of Islam after thousands of sacrifices to make a society living according to Islam. Educational institutions are the base of that ideology and their youth is a guarantee for practicing those Islamic ideological teachings. But the current [government] authorities had reversed this objective and started to focus on âso called enlightened moderation.â They are misleading youth.
The handbill reads that PU students were justified in asking the governor/chancellor: âIs Islam not the ideology of this state? Can music defend the ideological boundaries of Pakistan? Is stage drama a guarantee of the ideology of Pakistan? Which secular objectives were being achieved with such policies?â It read that âso called enlightened moderationâ was making society rudderless and personal motives were being gained from educational institutions.
The handbill added that PU students were determined to defend the ideological boundaries of the state at all cost. They would oppose secular agenda and âobscenityâ in the name of music and drama would be resisted. Moreover, some students that at the last Friday prayers (May end) the Khateeb of the PU main mosque shocked the PU teachers and deans when he asked how they tolerated the statement by the governor at a post-book fair dinner encouraging music classes in the Punjab University. âIt is teachersâ responsibility to prepare youth to defend Islam and Pakistani ideology,â they quoted the Khateeb as having said.
The MTM has condemned the governmentâs âliberalâ ideology by saying that eliminating Islamic studies from early classes was a step aiming to satisfy âforeign mastersâ. Comments from Pakistani doctors, teachers and political and religious leaders will be taken in the referendum and results will be announced the next day. MTM alleges that the governor has abolished productive activities, so musical functions were being held at PU instead of Quran recitation and book fairs.
âIslami Jamiat Talaba campaignâ: âStop music, stop drama and danceâ
* PU âstudentsâ circulate handbill against Punjab governor
* Music should be taught as a subject: education minister
* MTM referendum against music today
By Ali Waqar
LAHORE: A handbill widely distributed by the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) in the Punjab University denounced Punjab Governor Lt Gen ® Khalid Maqbool and Punjab governmentâs policy to start music and drama courses at higher education institutions.
The handbill, distributed after Friday prayers at the main PU mosque and allegedly representing PU students, effused determination to resist secularism and enlightened moderation in educational institutions and called for promoting Islamic ideology on campus. Handwritten posters also sprung up at different spots in the Punjab University saying, âStop music, Stop drama in the university.â
The IJT and the Muttahida Talaba Mahaz (MTM), an alliance of eight student organisations, have announced a campaign against music and against the governor from today (Saturday), and a referendum on all campuses on the subjects. On the other hand, Punjab Education Minister Mian Imran Masood said about the referendum that the governmentâs policies could not be stopped. He added that music and drama should be taught, and they were the essence of society.
Trying to demonstrate how ludicrous the protest was, he referred to police and army bands playing music everywhere, mostly so at weddings. He said there was no point interfering with the government and if some religious partiesâ youth wings had reservations, they should ask their political wings to raise the issues in parliament. He added that there could be a referendum, but only with permission from the educational institutions. The pamphlet in Urdu, in bold font, asks questions of the governor and begins with Iqbalâs verse praying God to give direction to the misled.
The Urdu handbill reads [translation]: Pakistan was achieved in the name of Islam after thousands of sacrifices to make a society living according to Islam. Educational institutions are the base of that ideology and their youth is a guarantee for practicing those Islamic ideological teachings. But the current [government] authorities had reversed this objective and started to focus on âso called enlightened moderation.â They are misleading youth.
The handbill reads that PU students were justified in asking the governor/chancellor: âIs Islam not the ideology of this state? Can music defend the ideological boundaries of Pakistan? Is stage drama a guarantee of the ideology of Pakistan? Which secular objectives were being achieved with such policies?â It read that âso called enlightened moderationâ was making society rudderless and personal motives were being gained from educational institutions.
The handbill added that PU students were determined to defend the ideological boundaries of the state at all cost. They would oppose secular agenda and âobscenityâ in the name of music and drama would be resisted. Moreover, some students that at the last Friday prayers (May end) the Khateeb of the PU main mosque shocked the PU teachers and deans when he asked how they tolerated the statement by the governor at a post-book fair dinner encouraging music classes in the Punjab University. âIt is teachersâ responsibility to prepare youth to defend Islam and Pakistani ideology,â they quoted the Khateeb as having said.
The MTM has condemned the governmentâs âliberalâ ideology by saying that eliminating Islamic studies from early classes was a step aiming to satisfy âforeign mastersâ. Comments from Pakistani doctors, teachers and political and religious leaders will be taken in the referendum and results will be announced the next day. MTM alleges that the governor has abolished productive activities, so musical functions were being held at PU instead of Quran recitation and book fairs.