ET,
Good news emanating from the education sector anywhere in the country is rare indeed, even rarer when the good news comes with even better news for the religious minorities. There is a diversity of religious minorities in the country — Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu and Zoroastrian to name but five of them and their children share classrooms with the children of the Muslim majority. Muslim children are taught the fundamentals of their faith via Islamiyat, a section of the curriculum dedicated to inculcating the values of their faith. Children who are not Muslim are usually either offered an alternative of ‘ethics’ in schools in the private sector, but in government schools that is not always the case and they find themselves lumped in with everybody else, often to the considerable displeasure and discomfort of their parents.
In Urdu it is said “Deer AAyad Drust Ayyad”. Good decisions are never late. Congratulations for this secular step. Here in Germany it is guaranteed that children belong to different religions are exempted from religious classes. However ethical classes are mandatory for all.
Few years back on the initiative and state expenses Islamic classes have been started in primary schools of Germany. Few Islamic religious groups were invited to help the state in this regard. DITIB mainlyTurkish ethnicity and Ahmadiyya Group mainly based on Pakistani ethnicity were accepted to come forward to take on this assignment and is now successfully implemented. Barring aside theological difference basic teachings of Islam are taught by the teachers belonging to these aforementioned groups. Here in Germany state has already recognized officially Ahmadiyya as Muslim denominations.
Once again salute to those who are trying to live up with secular status of Pakistan