Pakistani religious schools agree to register

Religious schools in Pakistan agreed Friday to register with the government on condition the process is approved by parliament and they don't have to reveal their sources of funding, a representative of the schools said.

An umbrella group representing 13,500 madrassas met in Islamabad with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to resolve a standoff over a government drive to combat Islamic extremism and make the schools more mainstream.

Pakistan renewed a long-delayed campaign to have official oversight of the seminaries after it was revealed that at least one of the suicide bombers in the July 7 attacks on the London transport system visited a madrassa in Pakistan linked to an outlawed militant group.

Qazi Abdul Rashid, president of the Wafaq-ul-Madaris-il-Arabia for Punjab province, said the schools would register if the National Assembly and all four provincial assemblies approved the order handed down by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. He also said the agreement was conditional on the schools not revealing their sources of funding.

"The prime minister has assured us that the government will address our reservations and objections," he said during a news conference.

No information on income source
However, the schools' refusal to reveal their sources of income — mostly from private donors in Pakistan, but also from other Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia — could raise doubts about the effectiveness of the registration drive.

State-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency quoted Aziz as welcoming the madrassas' agreement, saying they had displayed a "responsible and constructive attitude."

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Asked whether madrassas would register by Dec. 31, Rashid said they would sign up as soon as parliament approved the legislation.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

"If the government gets the ordinance approved, we will start registering straight away," he said.

Rashid said the government had agreed it would accept all applications for registration of madrassas without objection, and would not interfere in their "internal matters" and activities, including their curricula."

The government wants the schools to teach a range of subjects, including science, computing and the English language, as well as Islamic studies.