veiled4allah: threat of madrasas overblown

The World Bank Research Group has released a study (download link) saying that the fearmongering about the threat of madrasas (also spelled madrassahs; Islamic schools) is overblown.

As a Reuters report says:

A World Bank-sponsored study has said enrolment in Pakistani madrassahs, or Islamic schools, that critics believe are misused by militants, has been exaggerated by the media and a U.S. 9/11 report. The working paper published this month on the World Bank Research Web site and reported by daily The News on Sunday criticises local and foreign media for exaggerated accounts of number of Islamic schools and their students in Pakistan...

...The study also expressed concern at the U.S. 9/11 Commission report into the attacks on U.S. cities in 2001, which said millions of families send their children to religious schools in Pakistan.

"Striking, yet unsubstantiated claims such as 'millions of families ... send their children to religious schools' are of particular concern given the emphasis on identifying and curbing potential sources of extremism," it said.

The report (www.econ.worldbank.org/working_papers/41363/) dispelled general perceptions that enrolment was on the rise saying: "We find no evidence of a dramatic increase in madrassah enrolment in recent years."...

...It said figures reported by international newspapers such as the Washington Post, saying there were 10 percent enrolment in madrassahs, and an estimate by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group of 33 percent were not correct.

"It is troubling that none of the reports and articles reviewed based their analysis on publicly available data or established statistical methodologies," it said.

The research, conducted by Jishu Das of the World Bank, Asim Ijaz Khawaja and Tristan Zajonc of the Harvard University and Tahir Andrabil of Pomona College, said "madrassahs account for less than 1 percent of all enrolment in the country"

What are these other "studies" doing, making up numbers out of thin air? If we're going to have a debate about an issue, it really helps to get the facts.

Added: For a criticism of this study, see Juggling Figures, Ignoring Facts.