Why teach only Gita in schools: Madhya Pradesh minorities
Submitted by admin4 on 10 March 2010 - 11:43am
By Sanjay Sharma, IANS,
Bhopal : Minorities in Madhya Pradesh have criticised plans to introduce the Bhagvad Gita in state-run schools, saying the scriptures of other religions should also be part of the syllabus, even as a section of Muslim leaders sees nothing wrong with it.
The Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh has said the government should, if it has to, teach the scriptures of all religions and not just the Hindu scriptures.
"We are not against introducing lessons from religious scriptures in schools. But all religions in the country should get equal representation," Bhopal's Archbishop Leo Cornelio told IANS.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had declared last week that his government was contemplating introducing the Gita in the school curriculum as "its study is necessary for moral education".
"The Bhagvad Gita is a treasure of knowledge. Children should be imparted the knowledge of the Gita and there should be no politics over it," Chouhan said.
But Cornelia said the move favouring just one religious text was against India's secular character which respects all religions equally.
The archbishop said the church supports the idea of having lessons from scriptures as they will help inculcate values in students, but the problem is "ever since the BJP government came to power in the state in December 2003, it has made efforts to promote the Hindu religion alone".
Madhya Pradesh Catholic Churches' spokesman Father Anand Muttangal said: "We welcome the proposal of the government to include the religious scripture in the educational syllabus. We too have been asking the government to include religious education as part of the curriculum so that children will know about religions when they complete studies, but the thing is that here too it is selective.
"Plans to introduce only a Hindu religious book in the school curriculum are to be seen as an attempt to incite communal feelings in people. We would say the government must introduce all religious scriptures into the educational system in the larger interest of society," he added.
Muslims are divided over the move.
"It is wrong to introduce the religious book of one community in the school curriculum," All India Muslim Teohar Committee Ausaf Shahmeeri Khurram told IANS.
"If the government has any such plans, it should include the scriptures of all communities and sects," he said.
But Muslim leaders like state Haj Committee chairman Salim Qureshi and Madhya Pradesh Minorities Committee's former chief Anwar Mohammad Khan see nothing wrong in it.
"The Gita is a part of our tradition and culture and there is nothing wrong in studying it. Bringing fundamentalism in anything and everything is not correct," said Qureshi.
He said the Gita is an instrument of knowledge and therefore there is nothing wrong in introducing it in schools. "Why should we see everything from a communal angle?" he asked.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government here had earlier faced opposition from the minorities over making "Surya Namaskar" (sun salutation) and yoga mandatory in its schools. It has also been at loggerheads with the minority communities over the singing of the national song "Vande Mataram".
(Sanjay Sharma can be contacted at sanjay.s@ians.in)
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MORAL SCIENCE is different from RELIGIOUS BOOKS
There is no harm is teaching "Moral Science" in schools, provided there is NO REFERENCE "whatsoever" to any religious books.
If the POLITICAL ADMINISTRATORS / LAW-MAKERS / RELIGIOUS PREACHERS understand the DIFFERENCE between TWO - not only Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, or Gujarat, but INDIA as a WHOLE can prosper.
An Indian
Gita is eternal truth
Why? Because Bhagvad Gita (Song of the Lord) is eternal truth and the whole humanity should read and understand it. Students are learning all trash in school and from their friends and parents have no time or introduce this great knowledge, so it is imperative Gita is introduced in all schools in the country not only in MP.
Gita's eternal truth preachers are doing what ???
Mr. Giri !
Reference to your "BLIND support" to a proposed idea of preaching "Bhagwad Gita" as "Moral Science" in an unconstitutional way.
What do you have to say about those preachers (I mean Godmen) who are caught doing this:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/07/stories/2010030763560100.htm
And about this "so-called" Godman, caught in bed with Tamil Actress and six prostitutes. Read this:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/03/stories/2010030363050300.htm
Read above articles in your "Aeykant", and respond - which is a constitutionally guaranteed act. Thank you.
An Indian
Another Javed Akhtar
Think what must be the status of Haj Committee in MP when you have Salim (saleem or saa-lim) Qureshi talking of avoiding fundamentalism in Gita. If the proposal is not fundamentalim then what is fundamentalism. He means opposition by Muslims to 'Gita only' in fundamentalism while he will not have teeth to talk same about the Church. While nobody is opposed to religious teachings, why to have only Hindu one? Like the west and Israel who instead of solving the problems by stopping to interfere in other's affairs analyse and write about what is taugh, in India of late, people have started talking about what is taught in Bangladesh or Pakistan. They forget that they are not the 'developed' world to ask these questions while the asking by the developed world itself is pricipally wrong and flawed. By questioning what is taught as history, we conveniently forget that even Maolana Azad is Abdul Kalam Azad instead of 'Abul' while the fight of independence starts with Tatia Tope and there is no mention of Begam Hazrath Mahal or Bahadur Shah Zafar or Ashfaqullah while Sawarkar has reached the parliament.
My question to Qureshi or Javed Akhtar is "what is the motive behind just being critical while you have no solution to the problem"? Mere criticism is not healthy and as it is in case of Akhtar, he is a 'dahria'. His secularism goes for a toss if MF Husain needs it. How come a non-religious person like J Akhtar allowed to question on Muslims while on the flip side, there is no-one to be critical. Manu Singhvi talks of constitutionality on reservation to minorities as if the constitution is banned to be amended while it is done in most blatant anto-democratic way. This argument is put forth to deny even playing field. The AP govt reservation is sighted as example whereas there is nobody who could ask the question as what holds back the congress in amending anything which allows justice to 'Muslims'??
Qureshi would do well if he keep his mouth shut because the so called moderates or those who are posted to pose as moderates cant ask simple questions like missing voters while the people have IDs. If you pose these agents are moderates, the public at large knows what they can stand for and reject them. Shahrukh Khan say he was not singled out for being Muslim whereas the fact is he was singled out exactly for that. Even if we accept him as Muslim, why he says that he told his daughter that she should say she is christian if asked of his religion. Why the christians get all the 'profits' without being even near to a situation? Why he did not tell that she will decide what she professes when she comes of age instead of trying to be 'more christian than the Queen". These are cowards. Another reason for MNIK controvesy was it was first time that a Muslim was shown to be good while being a practising Muslim. It was the bread of stereotype which was being opposed. There is one fool mouthed Kabir Khan, who though denied US visa for his name, despite claiming that his knowledge of Islam is just skin deep, speak as authority on Islam while despising other's view. How can a skin deep knowledge holder be allowed as authority. This shameful fellow never agrees that he was dinied visa for being named a Muslim but blames it on people who are confronting the USA for its misdeeds, be it Palestine, Iraq or Afghanistan. Please remember that this criminal Kabir Khan produced a movie on Afghanistan. His know of Taliban is western media based but he wanted to be more nationalist than Jinah and Gandhi by showing Indian 'nose poking in Afghanistan' as emancipation of the country while never bothering to question the still raging attack which kills and maims innocents as collaterals while 'suspects' are fired with missiles. We all know it does not need to fire missiles to kill combatants. What is the aim is to show chaos in 'Islamic system' while not allowing one to function.
The text is diverging and I stop it here.
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