Education

Problem: In many developing countries, Islamic education is not generally available to all citizens. Many children and young people in these countries get their education in small religious schools called madrassas that teach a fundamentalist strict interpretation of Islamic law for their students. Militant Islamic extremists these schools as a recruiting tool for potential terrorists.

Solution: The citizens of these countries have shown that theyschools to open new development with the support and assistance from Western countries. These schools encourage women to participate and learn a curriculum in the round without fundamentalist doctrine. The resulting improvement in reading and understanding of the outside world creates a more moderate and less poverty and overpopulation.

Every year hundreds of rich Westerners flock in the Himalayas in Asia hope to overcome some of the worldchallenging mountains. Most will take on local residents, leading them to the summit and their gear to bring along the road. The villagers spent most of the work that usually amounts to ear.

In 1993, the American climber Greg decided to try Mortonsen known peak of K2 in Pakistan, one of the largest and most dangerous mountains in the world. While Mortonsen summit he had learned much about living conditions in these wild and remote regions. Mortonsenwas separated from his group and eventually fall down exhausted on the mountain and in war, and without shelter, food or water. Fortunately he managed to wander into a small mountain village where he was taken by local people until he could regain his strength. When he climbed out of his history, has shocked the rampant poverty and high infant mortality (over 30% in order to see) are common to towns in the area.

When he realized that literacy was onlyachieved less than 3% of the population imminent Mortonsen most effective way to give back to people who were so kind to him in his distress. Mortonsen believe that education is the key to reducing poverty, reducing child mortality and birth rates and slower. He was raising funds to help build schools. One of his requirements for the construction of a new school was that women were too late to participate. Mortonsen aware that the education of women is the key to making progresspoverty, infant mortality and birth rates are high.

Mortonsen nothing. Studies have shown that in countries where women have more education, there are consistent results that improve the quality of life in the country. Poverty and infant mortality significantly Training continued to increase. The rise and fall in birth rates, as more women in the labor market. Mortonsen understand that poverty and ignorance are the motivating factors, socialFood religious extremism. When was the education and reduce poverty, but ignorance, especially of women to education, can reduce the incitement of terrorism to religious extremism to take used.

When the price increase Mortonsen first start was not much of a response from the rich and famous have tried to answer. His best response came from American schoolchildren. A group of elementary children in Wisconsin more than $ 600 in earhelp support his case. Drew the attention of adults born with the objective Greg worse, and was the beginning of a program called Pennies for Peace. Today Pennies for Peace educates American school children about life in other countries and show them how to increase the ear, can help make the world a better place for children in other countries. The money that these children have been directly in Pakistan and Afghanistan to build schools and sports facilitiesstructures.

Today, Greg Morton to Central Asia Institute. The purpose of the Central Asia Institute are to promote and community education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain areas of Central Asia. This year, the schools built by Greg Mortonsen and CAI increased to 20,000 children in 55 schools over the past 12 years to build. Almost 50% of these students are girls. CAI to ensure that women are offeredaccess to education by requiring registration of girls increased by 10% annually. The curriculum in schools CAI focusing on mathematics, science and language. Students from schools CAI average 72% of the examinations to qualify to high school last year. Than the national average in Pakistan is less than 45%. In addition to building schools CAI has more than 15 water projects and build the four women are training centers.

Too often in this regiononly source of help and support of these villagers from the Taliban or extremist militant groups that are financed by money from Saudi Arabia. These groups take advantage of these rights for women and youth dependency cattle men and boys to suppress the madrassas, where they can be indoctrinated with the ideology of extreme fundamentalist, and later employee of terrorism. Study of CAI schools offer an alternative On this trail, and the ability to make life betterthese villages, without following the warlords and religious extremists.

When Mortonsen began its mission in Afghanistan and provide training and assistance to people in remote Pakistan has little support at home. Even more daunting is the threat of local tribes, the chiefs and priests. Several times Mortonsen almost gave his life for his mission, when fatwas issued to his death by angry mullahs suspect was a spy for the United StatesGovernment. Mortonsen by an armed abduction survivors fleeing and hiding under a pile of dead animals were out of the city's transport. In light of the danger Mortonsen continued and continues to build schools and relationships with his opponents were convinced of the value of its contribution.

Apparently, the results speak loudly in these poor areas. Risvi Saeed Abbas, the supreme Shiite religious leader in Pakistan, was so impressed by the work Mortonsenapproaching the Supreme Council of Ayatollahs in Iran and controls a very rare recommendation Mortonsen come to protect the local mullahs and preachers. When news of his success traveled home Mortonsen earned the respect of a number of key members of Congress, which now supports the work of the Central Asia Institute.

There are many lessons from the success of Central Asia Institute and Greg respect Mortonsen can learn to earnMuslim leaders. One of them is a lesson in economics. Mortonsen showed that an investment in the reduction of poverty and ignorance can be the most convenient solution to terrorism. He contents that if we could have one million U.S. dollars for the purchase of a Tomahawk cruise missile is "lost on the Taliban changed to help the training, the terrorist attack on a hard blow." Another lesson is that education of women, the most effective way to fight poverty andignorance. In an attempt Mortonsen, 'girls' education is a powerful weapon in the fight against terrorism. "It makes you wonder if a large proportion of money spent on the war on terrorism could have been better to educate women spending and poverty reduction and ignorance in places where terrorists are recruited.