KABUL (Pajhwok): Government officials on Saturday stressed a review of Islamic subjects taught at universities and urged prevention of anti-government propaganda.
Hajj regarding anti-government propagandas.
The officials were summoned after a lawmaker Hafiz Mansoor recently claimed that most mosques in the country were promoting extremist ideology and Islamic education taught in universities lured students towards getting terrorist training.
Mansoor’s remarks drew harsh reaction from a number of lawmakers and people who accused him of insulting Islam.
Hajj and Islamic Affairs Minister Osmani told the Wolesi Jirga that most of religious scholars supported the government. He said there was no problem in Islamic subjects, but in some mosques, people and some teachers. “Ulema should talk knowingly.”
He said his ministry planned to create an institute for better management of prayer leaders and appointment of professional clerics in mosques.
Osmani added only highly educated scholars would be allowed to preach and low level educated scholars would be given subject for preaching and third level scholars would be given subject and complete text of sermon in mosques for Friday prayers.
Most people carrying out suicide attacks in Afghanistan, he alleged, adding there were no madrasas in Afghanistan that trained suicide bombers.
Deputy higher education minister, Barai Seddiqi, said Islamic subjects taught at universities would be reviewed and problems in this regard solved. However, he did not provide more details.
“Any university which uses Islamic subject as propaganda toold against the government should be reported so such practices are prevented in future,” he said.
Seddiqi said a commission had been tasked to assess Islamic subjects in universities because some lecturers talked to students out of the topic.
The Ministry of Higher Education was committed to preventing extremist ideology in higher education institutes, he added.
Mohammad Shafiq Samim, deputy education minister, said curriculum for madaris had been prepared few years ago, but reviewed every year.
He said seminaries under the Ministry of Education framework did not propagate against the government. MoE would not let anyone spread hate against the government, he added.
A number of lawmakers criticized some media outlets and said some television channels aired ‘erotic’ drama serials.
Deputy Information and Culture Minister Muzhgan Mustafawi said: “The law on media has problems. Ulema have no contact with media. We have no domestically produced dramas and dramas produced in other countries are in conflict with our culture, unfortunately responsibilities of the media are not defined in the law.”
Mustafawi stressed a review of the media law and urged lawmakers to do so. She also criticized social media networks for creating tribal differences.
Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said Afghanistan was an Islamic country and Islamic subjects were part of education curriculum. He hoped officials concerned would pay more attention to Islamic education.
He said spreading extremism was a crime and those involved should be brought to justice.
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