The governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province has asked all provincial universities to recommend how the teaching of the Quran with translation could be made part of the syllabus, saying the Islamic holy book is a complete code of life and will help students “win favor of Allah Almighty.”
It will be compulsory for students to attend lectures on the Quran, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said at a news conference, saying that the Quran will also help them become good human beings, according to The New International.
The news conference was held to announce that the governor, who is the chancellor of universities, has constituted a seven-member committee of vice-chancellors to submit recommendations on how to make the Quran part of the syllabus.
The committee has been asked to submit final recommendations on May 22, according to a statement by CLAAS-UK, a Christian legal advocacy group.
“It is sad that for minorities, especially Christians who are living in large numbers in Punjab, their religious and fundamental rights are totally ignored,” Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS-UK, said. “No alternative program has been announced for non-Muslim students of Punjab universities.”
Saeed said forcing non-Muslim students to study the Quran against their will, and that of their parents, will have “a negative impact.”
“It will promote bigotry and hatred against non-Muslims in Pakistani society, something which is already on the rise.”
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SOURCE: Christian Post, Anugrah Kumar
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