Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Morals & ethics education
PM Imran Khan wants to introduce a uniform education curriculum which is indeed a wise step.
However, his emphasis upon making learning of Arabic, as a compulsory subject, will not serve to bring a radical change in the moral values of our children.
School going children should be taught Moral and Ethics Science as a subject, based on Quranic/Biblical episodes with emphasis that there is a moral lesson for them.
These stories should be drafted in such a manner to make them attractive so that children digest the intended message. This subject should be compulsory till the primary level.
Muslim students should learn Kalimas, with emphasis on their meaning and by the age of 11 years they must know how to say their prayers.
Over the past few decades, since the 60s, there has been a visible decline in moral values and ethics in our country. From the 80s onwards, this decadence has become more pronounced.
There was a time in this country when government officials, both civil and uniformed, would be seen riding Raleigh bicycles and any person living beyond his means, tainted with allegations of corruption would be scorned by society.
Integrity, honesty and commitment to the country were considered a virtue. Land grabbing mafias were very rare.
Ladies could go around without fear of harassment and sexual molestation.
Reports of adulteration in essential food items were scarce and shopkeepers would ensure that their weighing scales were of standard specifications.
The State focused on their primary role of providing justice, security of life and property while various regulatory agencies performed their functions to protect rights of citizens and consumers.
The emphasis should be that our future generation should be better human beings with tolerance and respect for all, irrespective of their caste, creed or ethnicity. Only then, can they become good Muslims. Extremism has no place in Islam.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
Violence against women
Gender-based violence is a universal fact affecting societies which every woman has faced during her life. According to international survey, one out of five women faces such discrimination which is destroying the society from its roots.
Pakistan has been ranked 151 among 153 countries in the Gender Gap index. Pakistan’s position reflects the worse living conditions for Pakistani women. Since the beginning of this index’s publication, Pakistan has remained at the bottom.
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure the rights and safety of a woman yet the rate and circumstances of gender discrimination remain the same. Surveys were to find the facts and cases of gender discrimination.
As per findings, according to an NGO working for women revealed that around 47,000 women were targeted to sexual violence, many were kidnapped and many were victim of domestic violence between the years 2014-2016 yet what’s even more alarming is that the convention ratio for these crimes remains 2.4.
Violence against women is critical and deep rooted which can be observed by the data above.
Gender violence in Pakistan can be considered a societal problem instead of a legal one. Society is enhancing gender violence and Pakistan’s legal framework is not supportive to women.
Resultantly, women have no space to breathe and survive. Unfortunately, women, the actual victims, are not supported by the society and government.
The government must formulate policies against gender discrimination to minimize these crimes and to improve Pakistan’s global image under the gender Gap index.
MUJEEB-UR-RAHMAN
Karachi
The emerging refugee crisis
One in every 100 people on the planet is a refugee. In legal terms, refugee status means that one deserves specific protection from one host state and, in other words, the country one fled to, but in real terms, refugee status means one has been taken out from the gruelling legal limbo so many of us have to live through. Several refugee resettlement models are being implemented all over the world.
One of them includes the Iranian model of refugee resettlement. Iran has settled refugees along the border. With this model, Iran has been hosting around eight hundred thousand (800,000) Afghan refugees.
Similarly, the UN has also praised Turkey for its resettlement model which has effectively dealt with the quality of asylum and numbers by easing the process for asylum-seeking refugees.
Karim Atassi, Egypt’s Representative in UNHCR said, “The UNHCR has never seen a country in the middle of crisis adopting a law managing asylum and migration. There is no other country.
Turkey is the first one”. However, various challenges exist in addressing the humanitarian crisis.
One of them is the rise of national conservatism in the West. In many European countries, right-wing parties have recently risen to prominence on an anti-immigration platform.
And America, once a leader in refugee resettlement, has more than halved the amount it receives under President Trump. Reportedly 86% of the global refugees are being hosted by developing nations. Various society fractions suggest different solutions.
Moreover, Uganda’s progressive policies are believed to serve the purpose. Uganda has decided that it will allow refugees to work.
Perceiving the refugee crisis as a regional matter is a significant cause of the global disorder. Assisting the host countries is perceived necessary for handling the refugee crisis.
Furthermore, educating the refugee remains essential to solve the humanitarian crisis. An improved vision of the leaders can also serve to solve the global refugee crisis.
SARMAD HASHIM
Via email