Maj. Todd Schmidt
Maj. Todd Schmidt has been on the front lines of the War on Terror -- he was stationed in Afghanistan in 2004 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. His experiences with children and soldiers there motivated him to create Operation Dreamseed, a nonprofit organization that gives Americans the chance to donate school supplies to soldiers -- who then hand them out to kids in overseas hotspots.
He's back in America, working on the Army staff in Washington D.C. But he hasn't forgotten about the children. And he thinks they may be the key to reducing support for violent extremism in the Middle East. In the latest edition of Military Review, an Army intellectual journal, he argues that the United States should make a concerted effort to support education in the Muslim world and thus win the "war of ideas."
The U. S. needs to undertake a major effort to reorient the madrasah system so that education in the Muslim world focuses less on reproducing repressive religious ideologies and more on teaching the skills needed to develop and globalize their economies; think critically and act independently; and exercise freedom of initiative. In the end, victory in the war of ideas will depend on how effectively we persuade Muslim leaders that madrasah reform is in the best interests of their societies and the Islamic faith.
Maj. Schmidt joins Ben and Joel in today's podcast. The opinions expressed in the interview are his own and do not represent, in any way, the official views or policy of the Army and Department of Defense.
Thoughts
At least the madrassah teaches you how to...
Submitted on April 29th, 2008 by Chuck_Johnsonfield strip an AK rather than having a fellow student teach it to you in public school.
What do we have to show for public schools? A literacy rate far worse than what it was a hundred years ago.
Chuck Johnson is a student at Claremont McKenna College. Feel free to contact him.
additional brief perspective - afghanistan
Submitted on April 29th, 2008 by John 2000http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mad...
Re: Books not bombs
Submitted on April 29th, 2008 by JoelI always enjoy the privatization-or-bust fetish. Some of these madrassahs turn out students who have no skills but who come out with a greatly enhanced sympathy for violent ideologies. But public schools? They're baaaaad.
On Books, Not Bombs
Submitted on April 28th, 2008 by Chuck_JohnsonI would prefer it if we set up private schools in those countries, but it shouldn't be a government or even a NGO endeavor.
We know how poorly the public schools have failed America. What makes us think they would be any different in the Middle East?
Chuck Johnson is a student at Claremont McKenna College. Feel free to contact him.
I do not know ...
Submitted on April 28th, 2008 by John 2000Never-ending armed conflict is not even remotely feasible, and even less so desirable.
But pulling troops out precipitously certainly is not going to be of any assistance toward solving the madras problem. Surely you must sense that. Watching as Iran builds a nuclear weapons program is not going to help either.
It's funny how it always seems to boil down to at least 35 years of idiotic energy policy where we have in every conceivable way boxed ourself into total dependency.
The Ron Paul moment of opportunity to butt out and get to things-in-order passed us by about 35 years ago also, and seemingly had no chance, even then.
It just seems to me that to be worrying about schools in muslim countries at this moment is marginally superfluous. I would love to be wrong.
Joel, unfortunately I do not have an answer that I feel at home with anymore than I am hearing any answers that I feel I can believe. We seem caught beneath a wheel of history.
Re: Dreams
Submitted on April 28th, 2008 by JoelJohn, I don't think building schools is like waving a magic wand -- and certainly, Maj. Schmidt's proposal takes a very long view of the task at hand. But what do you propose as an alternative? Never-ending armed conflict? Is that viable or sustainable?
An International Dreams Corps
Submitted on April 28th, 2008 by John 2000Far be it from me to preemptively scoff at the good major's project's hope, dream, and intent, as difficult as that may be for me at the moment. I am sympathetic to those aspects. I also agree with his assessment that it can only viewed realistically as a long term and arduous endeavor, as well as one requiring a deep and prolonged international commitment, particularly in the sense that international includes the major nations that have strong extreme Islamic components and wield self-conflicting motivations.
How difficult it seems to say humbug to good intentions! That is about as extreme as I feel energetic enough to exclaim in response today, as I am not feeling particularly confrontational.
God bless the good major, in all seriousness.