Strathclyde Regional Council

This workshop at Greenock Academy was held in unusual circumstances, not concerning how to teach about Islam in RME, but dealing with staff/muslim relations at a school that at the time had no muslim pupils. Of course the news was full of 'the muslim education problem' that was current, but I thought that to consider potential problems before the immediate possibility of their occurrence showed great forward thinking, and a willingness to face up to what (considering the news reports of the time) must have seemed like the unnecessary opening up of a potentially virulent can of worms.
 

Schools, Muslims & Islam


Part 1

Questions as to why I am there - Expectations 
Ways in which my talk can help

School with no muslims
     How school should react if muslims attend
     In case of teacher transfer to another school 
     Understanding of national situation (UK) 
     Understanding conceptual basis of Islam 
          getting a handle

Expectations of muslim youth
     Expectations of muslim parents
          first generation complexity

Muslims as wide variety of individuals 
Muslims and religious variety
     Ethnic groupings - languages
     Community power & Islam
     Ownership of mosques
     Mosque attendance

Racist issues & Islamic issues

Education issues
     Islam & Sex
          dress codes - sports - sex education
     Loss of cultural identity
          romantic v. arranged marriage 
          mother tongue & homeland concepts 
          loss of parental authority 
          loss of spiritual values

Values in Education
     Sofs lecture from IsEd

Conceptual basis of Islam
     Introduction to Islam

Informational approach
     The World of Islam

Questions and Contact address


Part 2

I. Problems with Islam come from ignorance
     A. non-muslims
     B. muslims

II. View of muslims
     A. homogenous
     B. media view
          1. oil sheikhs & terrorists 
               a.     thrillers and soaps 
          2. anti-semitism
               a. Fay Weldon
          3. bloodthirsty
               a. 2 World wars / S.American conversion / Spain
     C. prejudice built over centuries
          1. the Crusades
          2. Dante

III. Who are the muslims
     A. globally
     B. locally
          1. ethnic groups
          2. languages
          3. dress codes

IV. Cultural and religious confusion
     A. no time for lectures on Islamic theory

V. Strains within the community
     A. first generation
          1. elders and youth difficulties
     B. elders
          1. alien culture
               a. going home to die
          2. surrounded by disgusting temptation
               a. identical cross-cultural views
                    (1) dirty meat
                    (2) degrading treatment of women
          3. assimilators
          4. ghettoisers
               a. liberalisation of committed who then go home
     C. Youth difficulties
          1. rejection of elders cultural views
          2. arranged marriage
               a. extended family
          3. sexual mixing
          4. music
          5. alcohol
          6. food restrictions
          7. headscarves and naked showers