Understanding Madrasahs.

MADRASAHS; SCHOOLS; EDUCATION of Muslims; ISLAM; GENERAL education; SOCIAL services; RURAL poor; JIHAD; BIN Laden, Osama, 1957-2011

This article argues that madrasahs, the religious schools that educate millions of students in the Muslim world, have merits, and are not all breeding grounds for terrorists as critics claim. Samina Ahmed and Andrew Stroehlein wrote that jihadi extremism is perpetuated by radical madrassas in "The Washington Post." These criticisms focused on a few dozen Pakistani madrasahs that served as training grounds for jihadists fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and gave succor and support to Osama bin Laden. Critics claim that because of a few bad madrasahs, all madrasahs are bad. The author claims the majority of madrasahs present an opportunity, not a threat. For young village kids, it may be their only path to literacy. For many orphans and the rural poor, madrasahs provide essential social services.