Several people sent me emails saying that privatizing education institutions are not Islamic. They say (prefixing their statement with the usual “according to Islam” caveat) that education should be free for all. Therefore, government must run schools.
This is wrong.
Free education does not equal state-run institutions. Schools can be privately owned, free from state control, and still be free at the point of use.
In classical Muslim societies, education flourishes because the state does not run madrasahs. They are funded via waqf – the modern name of which is foundations or trusts. Essentially, in classical Muslim societies, education is mostly free at the point of use, yet also free from state control. (I doubt if every type of education is free at that time!)
Once the state gets involved, you can say goodbye to quality and academic freedom (and any other type of freedom too!).
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Eid Mubarak, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Just so you know, in case you are not aware, your letter on the Commonwealth vis a vis the UN was published in The Sun on January 3. For some reasons, they skipped your letter in their website. I just have a small query since your letter was quite ambiguous in many respects.
What precisely do you think our attitude to the UN should be? From the tone of your letter, you seem to suggest that we should shift our diplomatic efforts from UN-centred to Commonwealth-centred. While I concede that there are many weaknesses with the UN today, I nonetheless still have faith in this international body and what is needed however is reform. The Commonwealth may seem a tempting alternative but can it ever compete with the all-encompassing nature of the UN? In your letter, you did highlight the fact that the Commonwealth allowed more space for member states to negotiate with less interventionist pressure that characterised the UN. But at the same time you did criticise the UN for its lack of efficiency. As I see it, these two views are contradictory. It is precisely state sovereignty that always stand in the way of UN’s efficiency, particularly large and powerful states such as the US. In some other areas, such as human rights, the UN has been more successful partly because of its more activist role in pressuring states to conform to international standards. This however, has less to do with the inherent nature of the UN than with the inevitable forces of contemporary politics – as the global village becomes closer, each state increasingly realise that what happens at home matters significantly abroad. It is doubtful that the Commonwealth, if it ever chooses to shoulder UN’s responsibility, is not destined similar fate.
The CW may not be able to replace the UN. But there is much more that it can do to help improve global situation. I do not advocate the replacement of the UN by the CW. This would not be possible. In fact, it would be unwise. But, a strengthened CW can be a major force within the UN.
The CW can help drive the much needed UN reform. Daisy Cooper, who was acting head of CPSU when I was there, wrote:
“The Commonwealth has always been a supporter of the UN, and has a unique role in the UN reform process. Unlike the regional or bloc groups operating at the UN, the Commonwealth is an association of developed and developing countries from every region of the world. As such, Commonwealth fora provide an interesting and unique way of making progress in an otherwise intractable field”
The full piece sent to The Sun is posted above.
Education is the most valuable thing.It should be aquired by everyone.
[...] 9.Islam says education should be free? « WanSaiful.com Several people sent me emails saying that privatizing education institutions are not Islamic. They say (prefixing their statement with the usual “according to Islam” caveat) that education should be free for all. http://wansaiful.com/2006/12/29/islam-says-education-should-be-free/ [...]