Pakistan Province Announces Compulsory Study of Quran in All Universities
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province has announced it will be compulsory for all students in all provincial universities to attend lectures on the Quran, The New International reports. The announcement has raised concerns for the welfare of the many Christian students in Punjab.
The announcement was made by Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar at a press conference in Lahore on April 24. Following a meeting with university vice-chancellors, Sarwar said Quran classes will become mandatory for all students and that the necessary amendment will be made to the constitution. Sawar said the Quran is a complete code of life that will help students become good human beings and win favor with Allah.
The Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), which advocates for Christians in Pakistan, described the move as “sad” for the large numbers of Christians in Punjab, the Christian Post reports. In a statement, Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS-UK, said: “Forcing compulsory teaching of the Holy Quran with Urdu translation against the will of non-Muslim students, and their parents, will have a negative impact on the non-Muslims students. It will promote bigotry and hatred against non-Muslims in Pakistani society, something which is already on the rise.”
According to New International, the governor appointed a seven-member committee of vice-chancellors to submit a first draft of recommendations on how to implement the policy by May 10. Initial recommendations will be sent to the vice-chancellors of other public and private universities in the province. After a discussion of the initial findings on May 17, final submissions will be submitted on May 22. The recommendations will then be implemented across Punjab.
When study of the Quran became mandatory for all of Pakistan’s students in 2017, Education Minister Balighur Rehman said at the time that the Compulsory Teaching of the Holy Quran Bill 2017 would only apply to Muslims. However, Saeed said in his statement about the latest announcement in Punjab: “No alternative program has been announced for non-Muslim students of Punjab universities.”
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