Documentary Review: Karachi Kids

Note: This is not intended to be an impartial review of the film, it also contains my opinion on the subject matter and content.

As with all documentaries, the content should be taken with a grain of salt, recognizing that a filmmaker typically has a preconceived notion or agenda he is hoping to reinforce with the film.  Facts presented in documentaries, much like those received from any single provider, should be verified via multiple, independent sources before you rely on them.

At the time of this writing, I have not independently verified all of the facts presented in Karachi Kids, however those I have attempted to verify have proven to be true and accurate.  Even if I had verified all of them, it should be the assumption of the reader that I, myself, might be unreliable or lying. 

It is beholden on the viewer or reader to independently verify facts before relying on them … in other words, trust no one.

A new documentary, Karachi Kids, tells the story of a Pakistani madrasah-system, and focuses on two American children sent there from Atlanta, Georgia by their father.

You might think that this is just a religious school and it’s the parents’ right to send their children there, just like some people send their kids to Catholic school.  That’s what I thought until I watched portions of this documentary. 

There’s a difference between a religious school that teaches the religion in addition to academics and one that has no academic curriculum.  These madrasahs teach only the religion (Deobandism, the religion of the Taliban) – with a mega-dose of intolerance for Western culture and other beliefs.  In fact, the only "education" provided by these madrasahs is for students to memorize the Koran – and I thought teaching to the FCAT was bad (Florida’s standardized test).

Note: It’s important to understand that this film and my commentary on it deal only with a particular set of madrasahs in Pakistan.  The word “madrasah”, in general, means “school” and there are many types of madrasah around the world. 

Some, like those documented in Karachi Kids, are indoctrination centers for radical-Islam, while others are no different than Catholic schools, blending academics with legitimate, faith-based education.  There is no reason to believe that the “madrasah” in your town is some kind of terrorist breeding-ground and you should govern yourself accordingly and appropriately.

What’s the purpose of this “education” for the American boys?  According to the head of the madrasah covered in Karachi Kids: to return to America and convert non-Muslims and correct the ways of American Muslims.

These kids will have no real education when they return to America, only a radicalized belief system.  These are going to be some “bitter Americans clinging to their religion”, because they’re going to be unable to function in American society or succeed materially in any meaningful way – since part of the indoctrination includes Taliban beliefs, will they also be “clinging to their guns”?

According to the filmmakers, some facts about this madrasah are:

• Almost 80 US children are currently in this madrasah system;
• Osama Bin Laden personally addressed the madrasah prior to 9/11;
• A large number of “graduates” (quotes added by me, since can you really call them that?) become leaders of the Taliban;

The sad thing is that these children wind up in this environment, where the film documents their reports of beatings and other human rights abuses, after being recruited in the United States.  The leader of this place comes here to talk to the parents.  

Isn’t this the sort of thing that should be a red-flag when applying for an entry visa?

“And, sir, what is your purpose for visiting the United States today?”

“I plan to recruit young Americans, train them in radical Islam, then send them back here to convert or destroy you godless infidels.”

“Thank you, sir, good luck and enjoy your stay.”

While Western societies worry about such lofty immigration issues as the burqa, these radical fanatics enter freely and bring innocent children out of the country, denying them any sort of factual education or chance at a normal life, in order to be the foot-soldiers in an attempt to convert the infidel.

My understanding, based on the film and the Karachi Kids website, is that the filmmakers didn’t start out to tell the story of American children in these madrasahs.  Their goal was to tell the story of the madrasah itself, but then encountered two American boys during filming.

Apparently, during filming of Karachi Kids, Pakistan began cracking down on these madrasahs, imposing new visa restrictions for foreign "students" and enforcing existing Pakistani laws, resulting in eight foreign "students" being deported and blacklisted from returning to Pakistan, but leaving up to five hundred other foreign "students" in the hands of this madrasah-system.

Karachi Kids is an important film.  It delivers some stunning insights into a culture and belief-system that is actively working toward a goal of converting or destroying Western Civilization.  This isn't an exaggeration or fear-mongering, those involved openly state their goals as such.  If someone says they want to kill you, you should probably take them seriously.

At present, the film appears to be available only from the filmmaker's site, but CNN is reportedly considering an in-depth look.