Censoring Text Books

Daily Times, June 10, 2006
Censoring textbooks

The government's decision to ban an Urdu textbook being used by O-level students is unfounded and proof that contrary to official pronouncements for a more progressive and forward-looking curriculum we seem to be going backwards. Cambridge International Examinations, which conducts the O- and A-level exams in the country, has also been reportedly asked by the education ministry to remove this book from its prescribed reading list. The textbook in question, "Pakistan ki kahanian" has been banned because it allegedly contains "objectionable and vulgar" material. However, students who have been using the book (prescribed for study in class IX and X) have said that the stories it contains actually helped develop in them an awareness of issues like rape, karo-kari, honour killings, swara, child marriages and so on. This puts in serious doubt the government's contention that the book contains objectionable material. In fact, the banning of the textbook and the prelude to this extreme action are typical of the way the state exercises its prerogative to censor at will all sources of information and knowledge.

The banning was preceded by a well-orchestrated campaign against the book's contents which came basically from those holding conservative and religious views. And for the government to have acceded to their wishes indicates that the inherent contradiction between what the government says (for example, President Musharraf's repeated statements and pleas for progressive and forward-looking thinking) and what it does to counter growing extremism remains as strong as ever. Textbooks play a major role in influencing the minds of children and hence can have a very important impact on a country's collective mindset, especially looking towards the future. They are often used by governments to promote the national culture or ideology and this happens everywhere. Though the form and content may change from that in an oppressive dictatorship to an enlightened democracy, textbooks prescribed for the national curriculum all tend to portray a particular sense of nationhood, ideology or even faith. But it is when governments take upon themselves to use textbooks as tools of indoctrination and propaganda when problems creep in.

Those who study such textbooks are fed a doctored or concocted version of the nation's history and current affairs with little or no reference to the dark or unpleasant side of things. The idea is to use such textbooks to foster "patriotism" in the young generation. They hence grow up developing a skewed worldview believing that their society/faith is the best and all others are bad. This in turn gives a false sense of security and superiority which is shattered when such people come in contact with the rest of the world. What could the government possibly be trying to achieve by banning a book that tells those who study it of social evils like karo-kari, swara and honour killings? Do not all Pakistanis need to be made aware that such practices go on in their midst, that women are sold to settle disputes, that women are killed merely on suspicion of infidelity or talking to another man and that girls as young as 11 years of age are married off to men who are old enough to be their grandfathers? What the ban does is prevent public opinion from being influenced by increased awareness of such social ills. Public opinion, for its part, can be a crucial catalyst for social change because of its ability to be a source of pressure on the government to act against such practices. But the government's prohibition, unwittingly or otherwise, nullifies all of that. The ban must be overturned.