A video posted July 5 by RealClearPolitics depicts U.S. Rep. Andre Carson (D-Indiana) saying America's schools should be modeled after madrasas -- Islamic religious schools -- with their "foundation" as the Quran. "America will never tap into educational innovation and ingenuity without looking at the model that we have in our madrasas, in our schools where innovation is encouraged, where the foundation is the Quran," Carson said May 26 at the annual convention of the Islamic Circle of North America. "We need an educational model that is current, that meets the need of our students. America must understand that she needs Muslims." According to at least one State Department report, madrasas have been accused of fostering anti-American, terrorist sympathies, with one report singling out the Pakistani educational system, where madrasas are common. "Hosting over 10,000 madrasas, Pakistan's religious and public educational infrastructure are of ongoing concern in the United States," the report said. "In recommending increased U.S. attention to 'actual or potential terrorist sanctuaries,' the 9/11 Commission's final report singled out 'poor education' in Pakistan as 'a particular concern,' citing reports that some madrasas 'have been used as incubators for violent extremism.'"
