Pakistani Textbooks Continue to Marginalize Religious Minorities, Study Reveals

New research finds excessive religious content in non-religious subjects, creating educational barriers for minority students

Religious Content Dominates Compulsory Subjects in Pakistan’s Education System

A comprehensive study by the Lahore-based Center for Social Justice (CSJ) has uncovered concerning patterns in Pakistan’s educational materials that contribute to the marginalization of religious minorities. The research, titled “What Are We Teaching at School?”, examined 145 textbooks across compulsory subjects for grades 1 through 10 in both public and private schools during the 2022-2023 academic year.

The findings reveal that religious content remains heavily embedded in non-religious subjects, effectively making Islamic teachings compulsory for all students—including those from minority faith communities. This practice not only creates educational barriers for non-Muslim students but also potentially violates Pakistan’s constitutional protections for religious minorities.

Disproportionate Religious Content Across Provinces and Subjects

The study found significant variations in religious content across Pakistan’s provinces, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (39.6%) and Punjab (39.4%) showing the highest percentages. The National Book Foundation (29.8%), Balochistan (25.9%), and Sindh (18.7%) followed with lower but still substantial amounts of religious content in compulsory educational materials.

Among subjects, Pakistan Studies contained the highest concentration of religious material at 58%, followed by:

• Urdu (38%)
• Social Studies (33.1%)
• History (26.8%)
• English (24.2%)
• General Knowledge (12.3%)

This distribution points to a systematic integration of religious teachings across the curriculum, affecting subjects that should remain secular in nature to accommodate students of all faiths.

Unavoidable Islamic Content for Minority Students

The CSJ report highlights a particularly concerning issue: the lack of alternative content for minority students in these compulsory subjects. Non-Muslim students must study and pass examinations on Islamic teachings to advance in their education, with no accommodations made for their different religious backgrounds.

“The excessive material from the majority religion in compulsory subjects disproportionately affects students from religious minorities, forcing them to study content that may not align with their faith or personal beliefs,” the report states.

Examples of religious content in non-religious subjects include chapters on the caliphs, Seerat (life of Prophet Muhammad), Naat (poetry praising Prophet Muhammad), and Hamd (poetry praising God) appearing in Urdu and English language textbooks—subjects that should focus on linguistic skills rather than religious instruction.

Religious Terminology and Visual Representation

The study also found that Islamic terminology dominates even English language textbooks, with Arabic terms like “Allah” instead of “God” and “Masjid” instead of “Mosque” being standard. Arabic honorifics for Prophet Muhammad appear frequently across various subjects, creating additional challenges for minority students in reading, memorizing, and writing content.

Visual representation in textbooks shows a similar imbalance. Of approximately 389 images of places of worship across compulsory subjects, mosques were overwhelmingly dominant:

• Provincial textbook boards in three of four provinces featured between 56-61 images of mosques each
• Christian churches and Hindu temples were each represented only seven times
• Sikh gurdwaras appeared just four times
• Places of worship for Baha’i, Kalasha, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian communities were entirely absent

Only Sindh province showed some restraint, featuring 23 images of mosques, still significantly more than other religious sites but less than other provinces.

Problematic Content and Constitutional Concerns

The CSJ study also identified concerning examples of biased or derogatory language in textbooks, with references to “Hindus’ mentality,” “complete dominance of Hindus over Muslims,” and derogatory terms like “untouchables” and “low caste.” Such content was most prevalent in Pakistan Studies (15%), History (4%), and Urdu (0.66%).

These findings raise serious constitutional questions, as Article 22 of Pakistan’s Constitution explicitly prohibits compulsory religious instruction for students of other faiths. The placement of Islamic content in compulsory subjects potentially circumvents this protection by making religious material unavoidable for all students regardless of faith.

Progress and Inclusive Content

Despite these concerns, the study acknowledges some positive developments. In 2023, Pakistan’s National Curriculum Council approved the publication of religious textbooks for seven minority faiths: Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Baha’i, Zoroastrianism, Kalasha, and Buddhism. However, implementation remains slow, particularly in schools with only a few minority students.

The research also found varying levels of inclusive content across provinces:

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the National Book Foundation led with 7% inclusive content
• Sindh followed with 6.4%
• Balochistan (5.4%) and Punjab (5.2%) showed the lowest levels of inclusivity

Sindh demonstrated the most comprehensive approach to inclusivity, incorporating diverse protagonists and references to multiple religious festivals despite having a slightly lower percentage of inclusive chapters than Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Subjects like Social Studies (13%) and History (14.2%) contained the highest proportion of inclusive content, while Urdu (3.2%), General Knowledge (5.4%), and English (6.5%) lagged behind. Examples of inclusivity included diverse names like Vicky, Rita, Priya, and John; references to various religious festivals; and recognition of women role models such as Dr. Ruth Pfau.

Recommendations for Reform

Based on these findings, the Center for Social Justice has issued several recommendations to address these educational inequities:

1. Develop curricula that actively promote religious and social tolerance
2. Refrain from introducing policies that violate constitutional protections of religious freedom
3. Ensure textbooks for compulsory subjects do not include content that could be construed as preaching any particular faith
4. Remove content that projects the superiority of one faith over others
5. Include equitable representation of all religious communities through content on their beliefs, practices, places of worship, and festivals
6. Incorporate positive narratives emphasizing shared heritage and the contributions of minority communities to Pakistan’s development
7. Conduct independent reviews of curricula and textbooks before publication to identify and remove bias

Demographic Context

The importance of these educational reforms becomes even clearer when considering Pakistan’s religious demographics. According to 2023 data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the country’s population of 240 million includes:

• Muslims: 96.35%
• Hindus: 1.61% (the largest religious minority)
• Christians: 1.37%
• Other minorities (including Sikhs, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians): less than 1%

For these minority communities, representing over 8 million people collectively, educational equity and inclusion remain critical pathways to full participation in Pakistani society.

As Pakistan continues to develop its educational systems, addressing these inequities will be essential not only for upholding constitutional rights but also for fostering a more inclusive and cohesive national identity that respects and values its diverse religious heritage.

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