I really can't remember when or why I made this list of questions, though it was certainly in response to one of the various fractious, divisive and bad tempered occasions when various muslims in Glasgow have either tried to take over the management of local schools, or set up new and independent ones. Enough to say that on all these occasions the results have been miserable failures as well as a disaster for community relations, and usually because these questions have been ignored (questions that are still relevant to all those groups wishing to set up separate muslims schools today). So I've put them here under the banner of IZWAYZ as it is essentially an attempt to help find a flexible solution to the problems these questions highlight. All I have to do now is finish it.
 

Islamic Education - Unanswered Questions


Logistical Questions

How many children are we talking about?
Are we thinking of the problem nationally, regionally, or locally?
     (UK or Scotland, Strathclyde, Glasgow, or the Highlands?)
What is the demographic dispersal of the catchment area?
     Will children have to be bussed to school?
     Are all funds to be put in one basket with no alternative?
Who is going to teach, muslims or non-muslims?
     If muslims, are there enough trained and available?
          How long will it take to train them, and who trains them?
          When will they be trained? On the job?
     Can non-muslims really teach an all-embracing Islamic education?
Are educational resources immediately available?
     Where are the Islamic text-books and teaching aids?
     How long will it take to research and publish these?


Doctrinal Questions

Who decides the content of the Islamic syllabus?
     Will it be tailored to the problems of muslims in Britain?
     How long will this syllabus take to complete?
     What happens if teachers disagree with the syllabus?
          (The Islamia school has a massive turnover of staff due to differences of opinion)
Will all be welcome?
     Does this include Jews, Shi'a, Ahmadia (Qadianis), Bahais?
     Who decides the status of sub-sects of Islam?
Which nations cultural traditions and lineage will be followed?
     British traditions, or which muslim nation's traditions?
Will literary censorship be necessary?
     Will there be subjects that cannot be discussed?
Will music be studied, and if so whose musical heritage?
What will be the attitude to sports?
Who will decide dress codes, and must non-muslims conform?
Is the present state system really compatible with muslim aspirations?
     Will it still be a compromise?
What legal system will be given precedence?
     (Yusuf Islam spoke out in favour of the Rushdie death sentence)
Who will protect muslim children from misinformed religious zealots?


Social Questions

Integration or ghettoisation?
     In what ways will integration be fostered?
Will girls' education be different from boys?
     If so, how and why?
Are parents separatist demands really best suited to children's needs?
In dealing with language problems, what precedence will be given?
     (Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Turkish, Arabic?)
Will international political conflicts be reflected in the classroom?
Do muslims really want separate schools?
     Why did previous attempts in Glasgow collapse so rapidly?
Do mosque spokesmen really speak for the community?
Why do less than 10% of muslims go to a mosque on Friday?
     (Less than 1% for any other prayer time except Eids)