This article explores use of several terms that signify Islam, and provides guidelines to clarify their use in internal and external discourses. Building on this foundation, the article delineates a typology of Islamic education and their associated institutions. This enhances understanding of important conceptual differences that hinge upon…

Since 2001 many observers of education in the Muslim world have expressed concerns about the radicalizing influence of madrasahs. These critiques often assume that the ichotomization of sacred and secular common to civic society in the West is a necessary ingredient of any educational reforms designed to prevent the spread of religious extremism…

This paper explores the role of American Muslim schools in shaping and constructing the identity of Muslim children in the U.S., and shows how Muslim organizations and educators are using these schools to (re)Islamize Muslim children. America's Muslim immigrants believe that without teaching their children the Islamic culture and religion, they…

In Dutch primary schools, Islamic religious education is presented in three ways. First, in public schools, parents may ask the municipality to create a facility for religious education (to be given by a local imam, for example) on school premises. Municipalities may also subsidize the teacher's salary. Islamic religious education (up to three…

A discussion of the history, educational philosophy and teaching methods of Quranic schools is divided into two sections. The first section discusses the historical development of such schools beginning in 650 A.D. with their strong emphasis on verbatim mastery of text, self-paced learning, and literacy skills. The second section provides a case…

This issue paper, one in a series that United States Agency for International Development (USAID) produces, provides analytical input to policy makers and practitioners on ways to address the pressing educational challenges in the Muslim world. The paper summarizes the findings and guidance contained in a full report of a three month desk study…

According to contemporary media opinion, the problem with Islam, and by implication, with Islamic education, is that it never underwent a reformation that freed individual religious inquiry from the control of a religious hierarchy. Thus, it has been assumed that Islam and Islamic education remain bound to rigid seventh-century codes of belief.…

This bibliography is intended to serve primarily as a guide for the selection of children's religious books and secondarily for the evaluation of this area in library collections. The 442 annotated citations are arranged by seven major subject areas: (1) Bible, (2) Old Testament, (3) New Testament and Jesus, (4) Christianity, (5) Judaism, (6)…

Discusses difficulties of providing religious instruction for Muslim school children in the Federal Republic of Germany. Notes the lack of a united Islamic religious community that could assist in the development and implementation of such an instruction. Explains and analyzes the Bavarian Ministry of Education's guidelines concerning such…

The paper assesses the dominant discourse on Islam and education that argues for an education derived from an exclusively "Islamic" vision. In addition to exploring the historical roots of this discourse, the paper analyses it with respect to its (i) arguments for an Islamic vision of education, (ii) conception of Islam, and (iii)…

Post-Reformation societies and states that thought they had put religious wars behind them have been caught unawares by the vehemence of religious dissent that has exploded in their midst, sometimes literally, since the 1970s. I maintain that key Enlightenment propositions that established the means for peaceful religious co-existence seriously…

In recent years, the purpose and methods of Islamic schools have received increased scrutiny from non-Muslim and Muslim leaders as well as the Western media, often leading to negative publicity, criticisms, and statements of official concern. The lack of appreciation of the distinction between radical and ordinary Islamic schools is due to a lack…

The chapters in this volume do not represent the whole of the Middle East and North Africa, as such a collection would have been too large for one volume. Rather, the selection here is intended to present different perspectives on a range of educational issues, relevant to a particular focus or country, or common to a number of countries in the…

In a brief essay originally presented as part of a panel discussion with Christian and Muslim teachers of Islam in the university setting, the author describes the distinctive characteristics of the Islamic Studies Program at Luther Seminary (St. Paul, Minnesota). While the program allows Islamic studies "majors" to earn a degree (M.A. or M.Th.)…

This article documents patterns of take-up of traditional religious and primary school education in Chefchaouen, one of the most disadvantaged provinces in Morocco located in the impoverished northwestern region of the country. First, the author provides some background on the socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of the province of…