VZCZCXRO9747
RR RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHLH #0156/01 2110241
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300241Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL LAHORE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4120
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4825
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 2120
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 1800
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0841
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0462
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 5275

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAHORE 000156 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIRF PGOV KISL PK
SUBJECT: FEMALE MADRASSAHS IN PUNJAB PREPARE WOMEN FOR THE HOME 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  Poloff visits to three female Ahl-e-Hadith 
madrassahs in Punjab has shown that they provide Islamic 
studies, Quran memorization and basic life skills training, but 
little else to prepare women for an independent life.  Aside 
from the Quran, girls learn to cook, clean and sew; they tend 
not to pursue higher education.  Local donors including 
Parliamentarians support the religious schools, which lack basic 
resources such as books and furniture.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Over 15,000 registered madrassahs in Pakistan provide 
education to over two million students, according to press. 
Estimates of unregistered madrassahs are as high as 40,000. A 
2008 report by C. Christine Fair of Rand Corporation concluded 
there are almost 700,000 madrassah students in Punjab; over half 
attend Deobandi or Salafi madrassahs.  Bahawalpur district in 
south Punjab, followed by Lahore and Bahawalnagar districts have 
the largest number of schools, according to the report. 
 
¶3. (SBU) During a May 12 visit to Madrassah Darul Islah in Hail 
village in Gujrat district in northern Punjab, poloff 
inaugurated a sewing center with eight sewing machines for 
teaching embroidery to the students as well as members of the 
village.  Six teachers at Darul Islah provide free instruction 
in Arabic and religious studies to 200 female students. 
Registered with the government, the school features classroom 
instruction in the morning and vocational training in the 
afternoon.  A separate facility teaches 200 boys on the same 
grounds.  The school does not provide boarding and classrooms 
are sparse with wooden benches and rugs for student use.  Poloff 
did not see any chalkboards or teaching materials. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Qazi Abdul Qadeer Khamosh, whose father founded and 
provided land for the madrassah, told poloff that local donors 
support on-going operations of the school.  School buildings 
comprise part of the family compound, with separate buildings 
for men and women.  Perimeter compound walls ensure privacy of 
the women faculty and students.  Curtains cover the entrance to 
the female compound to keep women out of sight.  In addition to 
these measures, teachers wear the niqab, or face covering, while 
interacting with the students. Depending on their age, students 
may wear the niqab but always wear a hijab or chadar, or head 
scarf.  Over 500 graduates from the school live overseas and, he 
estimated, about 40 percent of the village has relatives in 
places such as Denmark and Sweden. 
 
- - - 
Urban Madrassah Provides Basic Islamic Education 
- - - 
 
¶5. (SBU) Jamia Islamia Lilbanat in Lahore provides education 
based on the curriculum of Wafaq-ul Madrassahs Al-Salafia, a 
school of thought associated with the Salafi fundamentalist 
Ahl-e Hadith, to 235 female and 40 male students.  Twelve 
teachers instruct Islamic studies, which consists primarily of 
memorization of the Quran, but the school does not offer 
boarding facilities.  Government school students receive 
training in Islamic studies in the afternoon at the madrassah. 
The school does not offer any vocational skill training and 
poloff did not observe library facilities.  Primary classes are 
held in one large room without physical division of classrooms. 
Teachers and students cluster in a U-shape pattern on the floor 
in small groups based on age and grade with short benches to 
hold the Quran.   Secondary classes are held in small classrooms 
with the same setup.  Poloff did not observe any chalkboards or 
visual teaching aides.  School principal Mamoona Qudus told 
poloff June 1 that students receive basic Islamic education 
until age 13 and then progress to learning basic Arabic and 
interpretation of the Quran.  She shared that 5-10 percent of 
the students get degrees and apply to mainstream colleges.  She 
estimated that ten percent of the students open their own 
madrassahs upon completion of their studies.  The annual budget 
of the school, according to the principal, is Rs 610,000, most 
of which goes toward building maintenance as teachers work on a 
voluntary basis.  As the school is in a very poor neighborhood, 
the madrassah provides food to families during Ramadan, the 
principal said. 
 
- - - 
"Mother of Religious Schools" 
- - - 
 
¶6. (SBU) Over 1100 female students attend Jamia Taleem Ul Quran 
Wal Hadith in Gujranwala city, a two-hour drive north of Lahore. 
 According to a school brochure, the school opened in 1960 "to 
save our youth from overwhelming attack of Western culture" as a 
"modern institution where Quran and Sunnah are taught in a 
modern way so girls could become practical Muslims."  Started as 
a one-room school, the madrassah is now referred to as "ummal 
 
LAHORE 00000156  002 OF 002 
 
 
madaris," or "mother of religious schools," because of its 
"superb performance," the brochure continues.  More than 6,000 
girls have graduated from the school and many "are serving the 
cause of religion by propagation of faith in Kashmir, Northern 
Areas and foreign countries," the brochure states.  Inaugurated 
in 1998 by Imam-e-Kaba Sheikh Mohammad Bin Abdullah AlSabil 
Mecca Mukkharrama of Saudi Arabia, the hostel boards 750 
students.  The 32 classrooms transform into boarding facilities 
at night to accommodate between 12-15 students per room, 
Principal Barira Rahim told poloff on July 7.  Poloff observed 
the rooms were about ten by twelve feet in size and had several 
small cupboards for students to store their belongings.  Other 
than rugs to sleep on, the rooms did not have furniture.  The 
compound, integrated into the city surroundings, contains a 
network of buildings that include a large auditorium for prayer 
gatherings, administrative offices and classrooms. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Forty-three teachers, all graduates of this 
institution, provide instruction in Islamic studies and basic 
Arabic.  When asked about other courses, administrators insisted 
that students receive science, history and English class, but 
poloff only observed students memorizing the Quran.  The 
extensive library, locked when poloff arrived, holds mostly 
books and cassettes on Islam, including interpretations of the 
Quran and the Hadiths.  Poloff did not see contemporary science, 
history or geography books (madrassahs often use classical 
Arabic texts).  The principal assured poloff that the girls are 
properly trained in cooking and cleaning as they have 
responsibility for the upkeep of the school.  "The girls are 
trained to take care of needs such as washing of clothes and 
cleaning of the rooms," she said.  White, purple, blue and red 
chadors identify the course level of the girls, which are 
provided by the school as part of their uniform.  Administrators 
told poloff that the school trains its female students to 
fabricate handicrafts such as embroidery and painting, but 
poloff did not observe sewing machines or materials for these 
crafts.  According to the school brochure, the school provided 
566 girls a marriage package of essential household items. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The annual budget of the school is 15 million rupees. 
Administrators estimate it costs Rs 50 per day to provide food 
to each girl.  Donations from local donors, primarily zakat 
(obligatory Muslim charity), finance the school.  Jamiat 
Ahya-E-Altaras Ul Islam donated the 19,000 Dinars that purchased 
the land, according to the school brochure. (Comment:  Post 
could not confirm the origins of this party but confirmed that 
it was not based in Pakistan. End comment).  This same 
organization also contributed 5,000 Dinars for construction of a 
water tank at the school.  Member of the Provincial Assembly 
(MPA) Usman Ibrahim told poloff during the visit that he had 
contributed Rs 100,000 from his discretionary fund to provide 
books for the library.  Imran Ullah, Member of the National 
Assembly (MNA), personally contributed Rs 8,000 to lay gas 
pipelines for heating water.  The school has started to seek 
funds for a computer laboratory and an FM radio station, 
administrators said.   (Note. The school brochure noted 
contributions were made in Dinars, not which type of Dinar. End 
note) 
 
- - - 
Background: Qazi Abdul Qadeer Khamosh 
- - - 
 
¶9. Qazi Abdul Qadeer Khamosh facilitated the madrassah visits 
for poloff.  Khamosh, active in interfaith dialogue throughout 
Pakistan and abroad, organizes interfaith meetings, cultural 
workshops and training sessions for religious leaders and female 
madrassah teachers.  At a July 16 workshop attended by poloff, 
the discussion focused on the role of teachers to project a 
positive image to their students and, the responsibility of 
female teachers to instill the peaceful message of Islam in 
their students. 
 
 
 
¶10. (SBU)  Comment.  Female madrassah education offers an 
extremely narrow curriculum focused on Islamic studies, 
memorization of the Quran and domestic skill-training.  Despite 
the narrow focus, these institutions provide basic literacy 
skills, socialization and vocational training to women who may 
not have access to education.  With trained teachers, moderate 
curriculum reforms and monitoring, existing institutions can 
provide basic education to a neglected part of the population. 
End Comment. 
LOWE