Torture in the Name of God

Pakistan’s Madrassa Crisis

In Pakistan today, a child can be beaten to death by a religious teacher — and no one is shocked. That’s how normalized the abuse has become. What should be sacred places of learning have turned into dungeons, where fear replaces faith and pain replaces pedagogy. The perpetrators? Not just individual men in beards — but a culture, a system, and a state that looks the other way while children are broken in the name of Islam.

Welcome to the world of Pakistan’s religious seminaries — the madaris — where spiritual guidance has been hijacked by systemic brutality, sexual abuse, psychological trauma, and the complete absence of accountability.

🔴 A Child’s Life Snuffed Out — Again

The recent case of 14-year-old Farhan from Swat is not an anomaly. It’s a symptom. Farhan missed a few classes to attend a family wedding. For that, he was tortured to death by his madrassa teacher, Qari Muhammad Umar, and the teacher’s son, Ihsan Ullah.

His body was covered in bruises. Images went viral on social media. People gasped. Some cried. But few were surprised.

Because this wasn’t the first time. And it won’t be the last.

🔥 Seminaries or Torture Chambers?

Parents across Pakistan enroll their children in madaris hoping they’ll learn the Qur’an, memorize its verses (hifz), and become religiously upright. What they often get instead is institutionalized cruelty:

Children are whipped with gas pipes.
They are chained for days as punishment.
They are deprived of food and sleep.
Some are raped.
Others are killed.

This isn’t hearsay — this is well documented. A study titled “Beating the Devil Out of Them” found that 83% of students in madaris experience physical abuse, including beatings with sticks, pipes, and metal rods. That’s not education. That’s war on children.

🧠 Damage That Doesn’t Heal

The scars go deeper than skin. According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Commission (KPCPWC), children in the province have been subjected to 33 different forms of abuse in madaris. The consequences are devastating and long-lasting:

Emotional trauma
Aggression and violence
Learning disabilities
Depression and self-harm
Substance abuse
Impaired brain development
Criminal behavior

These kids aren’t just victims — they’re ticking time bombs, released back into society with shattered psyches and broken trust.

🕌 When the Sacred Becomes a Shield for Sadism

In Pakistan, religious teachers are often treated as sacred, above reproach. They command obedience from students and trust from parents — a trust they frequently betray. When these teachers abuse their authority, parents often condone it, believing that pain is purification, and that beatings will “build character.”

“He’s just making him a better Muslim,” they say — as their child cries through another night of torment.

This culture of deference weaponizes Islam to shield predators. In the twisted logic of these institutions, abuse is not only allowed — it's divinely justified.

📉 Where Is the State?

Pakistan’s government has criminalized corporal punishment — in theory. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private School Regulatory Authority banned it in all private institutions. But enforcement is another story.

Thousands of unregistered madaris operate without oversight.
Registered madaris rarely face serious consequences.
Police raids are reactive, only after public outcry or viral videos.
Investigations stall, perpetrators flee, and justice is elusive.

Even in Farhan’s case, two suspects escaped, despite a massive outcry. How? Because madaris operate as parallel power structures, often protected by religious political parties, tribal norms, or sheer societal fear of “offending Islam.”

📚 The Numbers Are Staggering

As of December 2024, there are:

17,738 registered madaris in Pakistan
2,249,520 students officially enrolled

But that’s just the visible tip. Thousands of unregistered seminaries exist — no regulation, no curriculum oversight, and no child protection policy. These shadow institutions are legal black holes, where anything can happen — and often does.

⚔️ Abuse ≠ Islam

Let’s be absolutely clear: Islam does not teach this. The Prophet Muhammad — whom these seminaries claim to represent — was known for his kindness toward children, not cruelty. He never beat a child, nor condoned it.

But in many madaris, beating is the curriculum. Shouting is the pedagogy. And shame is the motivator.

Islam is not the problem — weaponized religion is. When scripture is used to sanctify violence, it becomes a tool for tyranny.

🧨 A Breeding Ground for More than Violence

There’s another dimension no one wants to talk about.

Violence isn’t just physical. Many madaris are incubators for radicalization. Psychological trauma, religious indoctrination, and authoritarian discipline combine to produce young minds ripe for extremism.

Multiple studies — including reports by RAND, Brookings, and Human Rights Watch — have warned that some madaris:

Preach sectarian hate
Promote jihadist ideology
Refuse to teach science, math, or civic education
Isolate students from mainstream society

You don't just get traumatized children. You get ideologically programmed soldiers.

🛑 Why This Keeps Happening

✅ Cultural Justification:

Beating is seen as love. Pain is seen as purification. A teacher is always right.

✅ Parental Compliance:

Many parents accept abuse as normal or even necessary. Poor families often leave children in boarding madaris with no follow-up or oversight.

✅ Political Cowardice:

Governments fear religious backlash. Crackdowns are symbolic. Reform efforts are watered down or blocked.

✅ Legal Paralysis:

Laws exist on paper, but enforcement is minimal. Cases are mishandled, delayed, or ignored.

✅ Religious Hypocrisy:

Many scholars condemn violence in theory, but look the other way in practice. Others quietly enable it.

🛠️ What Must Be Done — Now

Band-aid solutions won’t cut it. We need structural reform backed by political will and legal teeth. Here's what a real solution looks like:

1. Mandatory Registration

No madrassa should operate without a license. Period.

2. National Curriculum Integration

Religious institutions must adopt standardized curricula that include science, ethics, and child rights.

3. Surprise Inspections

Independent monitoring teams must be empowered to raid madaris at will and report abuse without fear.

4. Teacher Certification

All madrassa teachers must be psychologically evaluated and trained in child-safe teaching methods.

5. Parent Accountability

Parents who knowingly leave children in abusive institutions must face legal consequences.

6. Whistleblower Protection

Students, staff, or families reporting abuse must be shielded by law and rewarded, not punished.

7. Religious Accountability

Religious boards (e.g., Wifaqul Madaris) must be held accountable for the conduct of institutions under their banner.

8. Zero Tolerance Legal Policy

One confirmed case of torture = lifetime teaching ban and criminal prosecution.

⚖️ The Choice: Protect Faith or Protect Abusers?

Pakistan must decide. Is it willing to let its children be sacrificed on the altar of religious immunity? Or will it draw a line and say: No more. Not in the name of God. Not in the name of education. Not ever again.

📣 Final Word

This isn’t about Islam vs secularism. It’s about basic humanity. No belief system — religious, political, or cultural — has the right to brutalize children.

If Pakistan wants to preserve the sanctity of Islam and the credibility of religious education, it must purge the system of its demons.

Until then, every unpunished beating, every scream in a dark seminary dorm, and every child body buried without justice is a stain on the conscience of a nation — and on the name of God itself.

INVESTIGATING ISLAM

Wednesday, August 20, 2025