From Wikipedia:

The origins of the doctorate dates back to the ijazat attadris wa ‘l-ifttd (”license to teach and issue legal opinions”) in the medieval Madrasahs from the 9th century, though it was limited to Islamic law at the time, as in a Doctor of Laws degree.[4] … The degree of Doctor of Philosophy was a doctorate, generally granted as honorary degrees to select and well-established scholars

What I find particularly troubling about the US media, reporters, and politicians right now is the latest sensationalism: The evil Madrassas teaching children to hate America! Oh No! I doubt the vast majority of Americans really understand what a Madrassa is.

It is important to note here that there have been negative connotations applied to the word by news reports in Europe and the United States, in which madrasahs are often incorrectly inferred to be Islamic religious schools. Madrasahs are simply schools, and as with schools anywhere in the world, they may have different affiliations and curriculum.

I’m not sure what the psychology is, but this idea that average and non-average Americans alike need to be fearful of a handful of “Islamic” schools in Pakistan is absolutely absurd. The logic is totally fallacious; lazy thinking, lazy reporting, and sensationalism at its best. Meanwhile, inner city schools in the heart of every major city in the US is failing to produce well educated Americans who stay out of crime circles (most of whom would even think about higher education, let alone have it available to them!).

So while it is clear that curriculums around the world vary in extremes, from totally pro-America (perhaps the typical Australian school) to totally anti-American (schools in North Korea), it should also be clear that this will forever be the case as long as our world remains flat. And that the US (reporters and politicians) should not go on scaring the public into believing that the monster really does live under the bed and vacations in the closet.

Yet another example of word associations. For years I have been calling for an end to the association between “Islam” and “Terrorism”. Finally, as I wrote a short time ago, the US Government has called an end to it. One too many pig heads thrown into Mosques, I suppose.