Madrasas and Pakistan's education agenda: Western media misrepresentation and policy recommendations

Evidence suggests that there is a link between certain madrasas in Pakistan and militant Islamic fundamentalism. However, this link has been inflated by Western media in an attempt to indict madrasas as the genesis of violent Islamic radicalism. The following study draws upon recent research and overlooked historical narratives, demonstrating that Western media often presents enrollment figures based on guesswork, misinterprets the curricula, ignores the history, and oversimplifies the political realities dictating madrasa education. Madrasa regulation on the part of Pakistan's Ministry of Education is necessary. Equally important, nevertheless, is redirecting Western media attention to promoting overall reforms of Pakistan's system of education.