Moral Policing Gone Rogue: Punjab Textbook Board Wanted To Put Dupatta On Newton’s Head
In a bizarre incident, a reviewer of Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) asked a publisher of a Science textbook to edit scientist Isaac Newton’s picture in the book, whom he mistook for a ‘lady’, and put a scarf on his head.
In her The News column today, researcher Ayesha Razaqque made this unusual revelation.
“Some time back, a publisher submitted a science textbook to the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) for review and approval for use in schools. On one of the pages was a picture of Sir Isaac Newton next to a tree, depicting the scientific legend of the moment an apple fell from the tree that would inspire him to discover the law of gravitation. In that picture Newton was shown wearing a long garment and maybe long hair or a wig, as was fashionable for that era. One of the comments from the PCTB’s review of this book was that the ‘lady’ in the picture be edited to add a scarf on her head, so as to observe proper purdah. True story!,” she wrote.
The article has generated a debate on social media about the level of moral policing and censorship those at the helm of affairs in the education sector engage in.
If this wasn’t about children’s education, it would be hilarious.
“One of the comments from the PCTB’s review of this book was that the ‘lady’ [Sir Isaac Newton] in the picture be edited to add a scarf on her head, so as to observe proper purdah.” https://t.co/c54dKWRjEp
— Amber Rahim Shamsi (@AmberRShamsi) April 13, 2021
Sir Isaac Newton should wear “a scarf on her head, so as to observer purdah."
For your reading pleasure:
"Some time back, a publisher submitted a science textbook to the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) for review and…
Newton in a dupatta https://t.co/Y1YKdVL91k
— Nasir Khattak (@nasirjkhattak) April 13, 2021
First of all, Pakistani should be taught that the Universe began by itself (because of the energy present in the vacuum of the space), that process of “creation” in the space is continuous (trillions of stars are born and destroyed every second) and all religions, including Islam, are man-made. It should be emphasized that one gets only one life (the mathematical probability of one being born again is absolute zero) and there is no Hell, Paradise (especially with rivers of honey and milk, cool breezes, and virgins), or Afterlife. Consequently, this life is the only time to do good for the country, and the humanity at large.
Pakistanis should also be reminded that Islam, in spite of being man-made (built on top of other religious thoughts) does not recognize priestly class (which parasites for their living the human vulnerability. They should be taught to respect the opinion of the other (freedom of expression), equality of genders, and other cultures. Perhaps by getting educated on such paths, Pakistani may be able to redeem themselves and their country.