OVERVIEW: Madrassahs today are seen as the root of militancy and terror from which hatred and violence grow. International media and many world leaders have placed the blame for many a problem in the Muslim world, at the doorstep of madrassas. Looking at the institution through the eyes of it’s students and at life inside these schools of religious learning, however, paints a somewhat different portrait.
SYNOPSIS: The film explores the life of four individuals whose education has been linked to madrassas. The first is about a boy who joins a Pakistani madrassa. The days and nights of his experience unfold resulting in an intimate encounter with prayer, education, recreation and all daily activities through the eyes of one youth. The second is the story of a young man who was pulled out of school and studied in a madrassa for three years, and has now gone on to pursue a career in design. The third and fourth stories are of two graduate students (a young man and woman) who spent all their lives in madrassas and are now doing their PHDs in Islamic studies and teaching in a university.
The students’ lives are intertwined with the story of madrassas themselves as told by learned and influential figures in local mosques, madrassas, government, and NGOs. Their religious, cultural, historic and political roles are explained providing the background to the students’ stories and an understanding of the current climate surrounding this institution. Together, these stories not only help uncover the truth about madrassas, but make a distinction between reality and perception, separate fiction from fact, and learn the causes of what has gone wrong.
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