While portraying the current situation of Pakistan, the incident of Lal Mosque should not be forgotten.

The operation caused closing down of the madrassas in the capital Islamabadand in my impressions, the madrassas who are considered to be the source of terrorists and who keep their doors closed to the world press, hold a very important place in the country. As I mentioned earlier in the article series, the ‘m’ of modernism completely conflicts with the ‘m’ of madrassas.

We entered the mosque and interviewed the imam and spokesman of the mosque, Aamir Siddique. His words were: “There wouldn’t be this many losses if the government didn’t step in. Such strong decisions shouldn’t be taken. Islamic education is provided in these schools. If they are looking for someone to blame, they should look at themselves. The mindset that creates terrorist isn’t in the madrassas, it’s in the politics.” He walks away, thinking that he said too much.

We then visit the Bilal Mosque, which doesn’t open its doors to foreign press. The imam of the mosque, Moulana Muhammed Ishfaq, strongly refuses the idea that suicide attacks are organized in madrassas: “We provide Islamic education to children for 3 years. They decide what they will do next with their families. We don’t put pressure on any of other students. The real terrorism originates from ignorance and lack of education”. He says thatPakistanandTurkeyare alike and adds: “Both countries are Muslim and they face the same problems”. He says that he is hopeful about the future and invites us to his house. It’s a sincere invitation, without any attempts to look better.

What we see in these madrassas increases our interest in seeing Taliban’s Oxford, in other words, Akotha Khattak.