 Jamia Ashrafia, one of Pakistan's most respected religious schools |
Junaid Moolla is a handsome young man, so soft spoken one has to lean close to hear what he is saying.
Married with two children, Mr Moolla was an IT professional in Johannesburg, South Africa, before "God showed me the light".
For nearly four years now, he has been studying Islam at the Jamia Ashrafia - one of Pakistan's oldest and most respected religious universities - in Lahore.
"It is a personal thing," he told the BBC News website. "I don't understand why you are interested."
'Source of knowledge'
It is not easy to imagine Mr Moolla as an IT professional working for DataTech - a company once listed on the London Stock Exchange.
He wears a long white robe with his hair neatly tucked away in a white turban. He has a heavy beard but no moustache - the traditional appearance of a devotee.
"I have heard that my grandparents came from India but as far as I am concerned, I am a South African," he says.
Mr Moolla says he went to the Hajj in Mecca in 2000 and decided to give up his career in IT to pursue Islamic studies.
There are many religious institutions - or madrassas - in South Africa managed by people educated in India and Pakistan.
"So I decided to come to the source of knowledge," he says.
 Some students say they want to stay away from the debate |
Mr Moolla says no-one in his family, including his parents, objected to the switch.
The monetary loss in giving up a lucrative job is the least of their concerns.
"They were sad that I was going to be away for four years but that was all."
Mr Moolla intends to rejoin the IT industry on his return to South Africa.
"But I will start working with the community as well when I go back," he says.
"You do not become an aalim (scholar) just by getting a degree," he says.
"You have to apply the knowledge that you acquire and only after the successful application of your knowledge can you be confident of having become a scholar."
'Disappointed'
Mr Moolla is part of a group of six foreign students studying at Jamia Ashrafia.
Like his colleagues, he is visibly uncomfortable with the links being drawn by the media between terrorism and religious education.
"You take the example of Microsoft - or for that matter the BBC - which employs thousands of people," he says.
"If one of their employees gets involved in terrorism, can you fairly blame Microsoft or the BBC for it?"
So does he get angry when this connection is made?
"More disappointed than angry," he says, smiling sadly.
A Malaysian student sitting next to him nods in agreement.
Suhaili Bahadzur, from Kuala Lumpur, is enrolled for an eight-year course at the Jamia.
He gave up a career in graphic design to take up Islamic studies and intends to go back and teach.
"What should I get angry about?" he asks ruefully. "What is it that I can do, even if I do get angry?"
Shamsul Haq, from Nepal, agrees.
"I don't even think about these issues," he says. "It is best to stay away from all this debate."
'Impossible task'
Asked if he would also train his children in the strict Islamic code that he has chosen for himself, Mr Moolla brings out another example from his personal life to illustrate his disdain and disappointment with the media.
 Students cannot understand linking their education to terrorism |
"For as long as they are my responsibility, I will teach them what I think is right. After that, they can decide how they want to live their lives.
"My parents stopped taking decisions for me when I was old enough. Is that too difficult to understand?"
Maulana Akram Kashmiri, the registrar of Jamia Ashrafia, walks up to me soon as the students leave.
"You understand the challenge that you face as a media person?" he asks.
"You have to explain to the rest of the world that it is these people that are typical of those seeking Islamic education.
"Islamic education and institutions have nothing to do with those who go around killing innocent people," he says.
"But mind you, yours is an impossible task. The Jews and the Christians control the media.
"And that is one of our great misfortunes," he says, walking away into the quiet, tree-shaded corridor.
"There simply aren't enough people around to present our point of view to the rest of the world."
Have you attended a madrassa in Pakistan? What do you think of the attention currently being paid to Pakistan's religious schools?
I have, and all the members of my family and children went to madrassa and we never learned anything about the politics. We go there to learn Islam and Qur'an. We wish to spend our lives by the teaching of Qur'an and Sunnah. Non-Muslims should try to understand Islam. You cannot blame all the Christians for the acts of Tim McVey (Okalahoma bombing) and David Koresh (Waco, Texas incident) or Jewish religion for Dr Goldstein who killed 28 people in Hebron when they were in the position of prostration or the Jewish man who killed the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Islam is a great gift of God to human kind. We should all learn its teaching, maybe the world would be a better place to live. Those who are paranoid are mostly low class, uneducated, insecure and prejudiced people. May God have mercy on all human race.
Kamki, USA
It is sad for me to see how successful the terrorists have been. They have terrorized two communities. The British are afraid of attacks as much as the Muslims are. Everybody knows at heart that religious fervour does not equal anger, blood shed and terrorism. It's actually the opposite. I don't understand why these attacks are linked to religious activity while they sound very political to me. I haven't been to a madrassa but have met people out from there and all of them are more concerned about the good of the people, about peace, joy, sharing, and service. I wouldn't even think they would as much as hurt a fly. Are we justified in putting the blame on those who have a kind heart? How will we differentiate ourselves from those that fill people's hearts with fear?
Kaiku, Baltimore, USA
I come from a liberal Muslim family of Pakistani origin. But, I consider myself a loyal American. My deepest condolences to all in London. As part of a visit to discover my Pakistani roots, I spent some time in a madarasa near Rawalpindi. While the faculty and students were incredibly friendly, I could not believe some of the things I heard there. There is no real education outside of Islamic studies. The problem is really bad leadership and wrong values. Pakistan should actually give up and change its name to The Islamic Republic of Terroristan. Why is it that almost all recent terrorist activities track back to Pakistan? Their leaders have known this for years.
Something is fundamentally wrong with Pakistani society. When you combine poverty, repression, religious chauvinism, a culture of hyper-violence, and fanaticism, the result is, well, what you see. I know I am setting myself up for abuse by saying this, but it's the truth and it's time for Muslims to recognize that as a community, we are not vocal enough in denouncing the use of violence to further Islamic aims. Everyone is always acting like Muslims are under threat. As I understand it, the message of the Prophet (pbuh), places far greater emphasis on relieving poverty. Why not focus on that? Why always trying to press our ways on others? We keep saying that Islam is a religion of peace, but how will people believe it if all this is happening?
Kashan Ali Khokkar, Chicago, Illinois, US
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There simply aren't enough people around to present our point of view to the rest of the world
