Inside a Madrasa: U.S. kids talk about their daily lives at an Islamic school in Pakistan.

Outside the walls of the Jamia Binoria madrasa, donkey carts and camels jostle with battered old trucks. It is a typical sight on the chaotic streets of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city.

Inside the madrasa's walls are some surprises. Several of the students here are from the United States. "[Before arriving at the madrasa] I imagined there would be gardens and rivers and Hogwarts like in the Harry Potter books," says Saiqa (SYE-kah), 13. "I imagined I would have my own room. When I got here, I found there were only four trees on the school grounds. The only water was in the toilets, and no one even knew what Hogwarts was. I thought, 'Where am I?'"

Saiqa is from Union City, California, where she was born. Before starting at the madrasa, she had never been to Pakistan, her parents' native country.

Saiqa does not speak Urdu, Pakistan's national language. She chose to attend the madrasa because she wanted to learn more about her Muslim faith. She thought that the course of study offered here would be more thorough than programs available in the U.S.

A Sacred Text

Another American student, Noor, 15, grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He had no say in coming here. A few years ago, Noor and his family traveled to Pakistan on vacation. Just before they headed back to the U.S., Noor's father dropped him off at Jamia Binoria. Like all of the students here, Noor must learn to memorize the Koran, which is about 500 pages, and recite it in Arabic. This generally takes two or three years.

"I never planned on reading or memorizing the Koran," Noor tells JS. "I wanted to go to school in America and become something big. But now I've missed so much school [back home], I will never be able to catch up. I only have 30 pages memorized so far. I want to go back home as soon as I can, so I need to work hard."

For Muslims, the Koran is the word of God and a source of guidance and inspiration. Being able to recite it by heart is a highly respected accomplishment.

A Long Tradition

Muslims have been studying at madrasas for centuries. In recent years, some radical Islamic leaders have used the schools to preach hatred of the West. But students and faculty at Jamia Binoria say that their program is based on religious study and character development. "We teach morality, good character, and the service of humanity," headmaster Mufti Muhammad Naeem tells JS.

Fifteen-year-old Huda, who is from Chicago, Illinois, agrees. "One of the most important things I have learned here is to respect my parents," Huda says. "The place after God is the parents' place, so we must respect and obey them."

Saiqa believes that any Muslim involved in violence is defaming the Islamic religion. "We learn about mercy and love here," she says. "You won't find any hate."

Cultural Differences

As Saiqa and other students from the U.S. have discovered, life at Jamia Binoria is far different from what it is for most American teens. Television, the Internet, and music are not allowed. However, many boys admit that they occasionally sneak off campus to surf the Web and watch TV.

Female students, especially, must follow strict codes of behavior and dress. Girls seldom leave the women's compound by themselves. They rarely see boys. They don't ever see their male teachers, who enter the girls' classrooms through a back door and lecture from behind a curtain.

In the dining halls, everyone sits on the floor and eats at low tables with their hands, a tradition in Pakistan. Meals typically consist of roti and dahl. Some U.S. kids complain about the lack of variety.

"The hardest thing to deal with here is the food," says Noor. "They serve the same thing every day, and it tastes terrible. I wish I could just get Pizza Hut to deliver."

Religion Above All

After class, the students play sports--cricket and soccer for the boys, and volleyball and badminton for the girls. Like kids everywhere, the boys often talk about girls, and try to imagine what the girls in the nearby buildings are like. The girls, in turn, talk about boys and diets.

After completing their studies at the madrasa, some students will return to the regular school system. Others may go on to further Islamic studies.

Huda says that she wants to be a nurse. She is currently following a correspondence program back in the U.S.

Despite the madrasa's hardships, many teens here agree that serious study of their religion is worthwhile. "People are too much in the worldly life," says Huda. "Go on with your worldly life, but don't forget.., your religion. What can be more important than that?"

A TYPICAL DAY: IT'S RISE AND SHINE" AT THIS MADRASA

4:30 A.M. Wake to headmaster's calls

4:45  Wash; say morning prayers

5:15  Make beds, clean room, then
      read Koran or study
7:00  Breakfast {tea and toast}

8:15  Lessons from Koran {taught
      by senior students}

9:00  Classes, including Islamic
      law, memorization of the
      Koran, Islamic history,
      Arabic, and Urdu

NOON Break

12:30 P.M. Arabic and Koran classes

2:00  Change out of school uniform,
      set the table, eat lunch
2:15  Wash; say midday prayers

3:00  Rest and relax
4:30  Wash; say afternoon prayers
5:00  Free time {snacks, spots,
      hanging out with friends}
6:35  Wash; say evening prayers
7:00  Review day's lessons, start
      homework
8:30  Wash; say late-evening
      prayers
8:45  Dinner

9:00  Finish homework
10:00 Lessons from Koran {taught
      by senior students}
      Bell rings, ending study time
      Prepare for bed

A Pakistani student shares his hopes for a peaceful future

There is no terrorism in Islam. Anyone who commits violent attacks in the name of Islam is wrong. Most Muslims want a world that is peaceful, in which there is no terrorism and people live together without fighting.

We want a world where the teachings of Allah [God] are followed--a world in which people are modest in attitude and appearances.

--Mohommad Yusef

Words to Know

* dahl: mashed lentils with spices.

* defame: harm the reputation of an individual, a group, or an institution.

* Koran: the sacred text of Islam, considered by Muslims to contain the revelations of God to the Prophet Muhammad.

* madrasa: an Islamic school, college, or university that often is part of a mosque.

* roti: flat, round, unleavened bread.

* Objective

Students should be able to.

* describe a typical school day at the Jamia Binoria madrasa in Karachi, Pakistan.

* make and discuss comparisons between their own school hours with those of the madrasa students.

* Background

Correspondent Cassandra Nelson shared these comments about her time with the girls at Jamia Binoria: "Although there is a definite schedule and structure to the day, the girls are not being herded around or intensely watched over. During study time, I had the sense that girls could take a nap if they were tired. But most of the girls are very committed and passionate about their studies.... [There are times when] the headmaster is telling them to stop studying."

* Critical Thinking

COMPREHENSION: Why do many Westerners have a negative view of madrasas? (In recent years, radical Islamic leaders have used some madrasas to preach hatred of the West.)

MAKING COMPARISONS: How did Saiqa, from California, and Noor, from Georgia, end up at a madrasa in Pakistan? How might the different ways affect how each sees the school? (Answers will vary.)

* Activity

DAY IN, DAY OUT: See the schedule on p. 10. Have students make a similar schedule of their own typical school day, from getting up to bedtime. Discuss: How are your days similar to or different from the madrasa students'? If you switched places, what adjustment would you find hardest to make? Explain.

STANDARD

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Individuals, groups, and institutions: U.S. students encounter a different lifestyle at a madrasa in Pakistan,

RESOURCES

PRINT

* Agkrogd, Elarissa, Pakistan (Mason Crest Publishers, 2005). Grades 5-8.

* Greenberger, Robert, A Historical Atlas of Pakistan (Rosen Publishing Group, 2003). Grades 5-9.

WEB SITES

* Ten Things to Know About Islam arabworld.nitle.org/texts. php?module_id--2&reading_ id=G2&sequence=1

* Islam: Empire of Faith www.pbs.org/empires/islam

* Decide whether each sentence is true, false, or an opinion. Write your answer on the blank line provided.

--11. Madrasa students read the Koran in Arabic.

--12. All the students at the Jamia Binoria madrasa are American.

--13. The diet at Jamia Binoria is too strict.

--14. Madrasa students pray five times a day.

--15. Keeping boys and girls in separate classes and living quarters is a good idea.

ANSWER

11. true

12. false

13. opinion

14. true

15. opinion