Islam, the Muslims and Religious Education

I. Introduction
     A. Educational System in Scotland is different 
          1. Independent 
          2. Big
               a. Strathclyde largest Education Authority in Europe
          3. Opportunity to establish its own way
               a. Dealing with societal changes
                    (1) Plural and multicultural

II. The Religious Education Debate
     A. Not just a muslim debate
     B. Why no Christian debate
          1. Has Christianity dissipated so much 
               a. People no longer believe enough to care 
     C. Working Paper No.7 to be made National Guidelines 
          1. Then it is educational policy for the 90's 
               a. For your children

III. The muslim community
     A. When I came back to Glasgow 10 years ago
          1. Constantly faced in mosque by anguished muslims
               a. We are losing our children
               b. They go through the school system 
               c. And want neither us nor Islam 
          2. First generation problems
               a. Languages
                    (1) Children speak a different language 
               b. Cultural social differences 
               c. Racism

IV. Do muslims understand education differently?  
     A. Distinguish between education and instruction
          1. Education - Complete growth of personality 
          2. Instruction - Training to do some task efficiently 
               a. Mental or physical 
          3. Man may be doctor, lawyer, engineer, accountant
               a. Ill-mannered, unjust, cruel, dissatisfied, unhappy 
               b. Obviously only partially educated
     B. When we see an educated man we see his Goodness
          1. He is outward looking, modifying understanding and behaviour 
               a. As his life is enriched with knowledge and experience 
          2. This knowledge and experience
               a. Man learns from society that surrounds him 
          3. As with values and assumptions on which it is based 
          4. He is an individual and part of a structured community 
     C. Secular Humanist attitudes to Education cover a wide range
          1. Some don't believe in unchanging moral and spiritual values 
          2. Education not a conserver of human values
               a. But process of change and journey into unknown 
          3. Some believe values are the product of man's rationality 
          4. Education is mental, emotional, and moral development 
               a. Coming from seeing different points of view 
                    (1) And their relationships
          5. Rejection of Dogma, Questioning of Absolutes, Reliance on Reason
     D. Many areas of Life highly resistant to Rationality
          1. Matters of Faith and Values
     E. Despite apparent freedom to challenge accepted knowledge
          1. Secular-Humanist approach imprisons man in his own rationality
     F. Religion places man in the larger perspective of infinity and eternity
          1. He partakes through his spirit - the custodian of eternal truth
     G. In Islamic Education Values are central to curriculum
          1. cf. WP7
     H. Communication of Faith
          1. cf. WP7
          2. Do Christians accept this view?
               a. Clearly some Catholics don't 
          3.Christians abandoning education to schools 
               a. Possible cause of falling Church rolls

V. Christian Faith communities
     A. History of Scottish Education
          1. Catholic viewpoints
          2. Other Christian denominational schools?

VI. Dogmatics v. Pragmatics
     A. Biblical/Quranic literalists v. interpreters polarity 
          1. Dietary needs, Dress codes & Social conduct 
     B. Rote learning v. modern teaching methods 
     C. Christian
          1. Catholics preferring WP7 
          2. Archbishop Keenan 
     D. Muslim
          1. "No good tinkering around the edges" - Aziz Khan
          2. "We're perfectly happy with our children’s teaching" - Ahmad Wael

VII. Muslim child's educational situation
     A. Nurture - mother tongue/cultural expression of religion
     B. School - immersion in surrounding culture
     C. Mosque school - in a different world
     D. Community requires integrated education to survive

VIII. Compare Christian child's situation
     A. Family Religious grouping
     B. School - surrounding culture Christian or secular?  
     C. Sunday school, Church, Boys Brigade etc.
     D. Community requires integrated education to survive

IX. Education system view of Islam
     A. Is it suitable for muslim children?
     B. Shapes it to secular anthropological viewpoint
          1. Takes detached "objective" stance
               a. Is it more useful to a child to learn what muslims think
               b. Or what non-muslims think they think
               c. Equal numbers from minorities on curriculum group
                    (1) Zero
                    (2) Like Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Islam 
                    (3) History of Science 
               d. Is religion to be taught from outside or within 
                    (1) You can teach music as notation 
                    (2) Explain notes as frequencies 
                    (3) It is not the same as listening to it 
               e. Will it be considered as important and exciting 
                    (1) And more crucial than science?
          2. Talks of beliefs not Truth
          3. Offering of choice suggests equivalence
               a. Does the choice matter?
     C. The way you group things determines the way you see them

X. Principles of WP7 
     A. Separation into Religion, Morals, Personal Search 
          1. Personal and Social Development 
          2. Are Values not the property of religion?
               a. Values are unquantifiable 
               b. What deals with values is inherently religious 
               c. Values unite religions
                    (1) Hagg's castle exhibition
          3. Values should not be peripheral but central to Curriculum?
               a. More important to recognise symbol?
                    (1) Cross, crescent, star, stripe?
                    (2) Or Mercy, Forgiveness, Tolerance, Charity, Justice?
     B. Religious Education
          1. Celebrations, Festivals, Ceremonies & Customs
               a. The things which delineate and separate religions
               b. Are Ceremonies that important to a muslim?
          2. Sacred Writings, Stories, and Key Figures
               a. How do you define Sacred Text?
               b. Qur’an in Islam not equivalent to Bible in Christianity
                    (1) Significance more akin to Christ in Christianity
                    (2) Important to understand whether muslim or not
               c. What are key figures
                    (1) The Companions
                    (2) Al-Ghazali or Ibn Khaldun
                         (a) Or others who shaped muslim thought 
                    (3) In Christianity the Apostles or Thomas Aquinas 
                         (a) Is Jesus comparable to these?
          3. Beliefs
               a. What do we mean by belief?
                    (1) Belief without proof - Faith?
                    (2) Do we also consider dogma in science?
                    (3) Faith in political dogma?
          4. Sacred Places, Worship, and Symbols
               a. How do we define worship?
                    (1) Not ritual but 24 hours a day for muslim 
                         (a) Working, studying, playing the best we ran 
                         (b) For the greater glory of God 
               b. Salaat is not Prayer as non-muslims might understand it 
                    (1) It might be better compared to Communion 
          5.Moral Values and Attitudes
               a. A fifth part of the first section
               b. All of which is to receive 10% of primary syllabus time 
                    (1) 5% of secondary syllabus time
               c. Is that what Moral Values are worth?
     C. For everyone except Christians all grouped in a sub-section 
          1. Other Religions
               a. Shared with Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, and Sikhs 
                    (1) To mention just those named 
          2. What percentage of the syllabus teaches Islam 
               a. To a muslim child?
     D. It is necessary for a muslim child
          1. To be able to extend his faith and moral values
               a. Across the curriculum
          2. To have his religion presented to him
               a. In a way that reflects
                    (1) His religion's own conceptual basis 
               b. Not a way that suits his educators
                    (1) System has more than a responsibility to child 
                    (2) Take the child from the parents on trust 
                         (a) Their taxes pay for the service 
          3. To have more time allocated
               a. Specifically to his own religious tradition
               b. Working Party realise that it takes more time
                    (1) To deal with something as complex as religion 
               c. Can it be dealt with in the rest of R.E.?
     E. Personal Search
          1. Perhaps less difference between religions 
          2. Than within religions between dogmatists and pragmatists 
          3. Whose opinions are likely to be taken as normative? 
          4. If Personal Search is to be directed towards 
               a. Ultimate choice in religion left to child 
          5.Parents must have a right to insist that their religion 
               a. Is offered to their child on it's own terms 
          6. This clearly will require closer co-operation 
               a. Between faith groups and the system 
     F. Personal and Social Development
          1. We don't know what that means yet
     G. WP7 not written for muslims
          1.The vast majority of children identify as Christians 
               a. So Christianity understandably surveyed in greater detail 
               b. "A nine year course in Christianity" - Diane Woolfson 
          2. If optional belief Christianity requires that much time 
               a. Would a muslim child's R.E. not need the same 
          3.Muslim children need to understand surrounding culture 
               a. But proselytizing Christian groups surround them 
               b. Harry Secombe is on T.V. on Sundays 
               c. Christmas decorations reach the shops in September 
               d. Do muslims need more or less knowledge of Christianity 
                    (1) More or less educational inclusion of Islam 
                    (2) Than Christian children in these surroundings 
          4. As long as R.E. is structured this way
               a. Some muslims will feel short-changed
               b. They will turn in desperation to those advocating
                    (1) Separate schools as a solution to the problem
     H. Is WP7 written for Christians?
          1. It may be that the Curriculum structure 
               a. That is so inadequate for muslims 
               b. Is ideal for Christians
          2. Catholic, Protestant, Presbyterian, Unitarian, Quaker
               a. That's the shape of the Curriculum you are getting.
     I. Muslim needs
          1. If Islam is to be recognizable to muslims
               a. It has to be treated from an Islamic viewpoint
          2. Similarly with Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism
          3. And Christianity?
               a. Christianity has been captured 
               b. In the secular west.
               c. And squeezed into a tiny pigeonhole
          4. Islam may not squeeze so easily
               a. Into the secular bottle.
          5 .lt's Cross-curricular nature ran make it seem 
               a. As hard to get a hold of as a bar of soap
          6. But it must be a constant
               a. A remembrance of God
               b. Integrated into a muslim child's life
     J. Possible changes to WP7?
          1. At this stage unlikely
          2. Hope debate will be re-opened 
          3. Ultimately system made more flexible 
          4. Suitable for the plural society it serves

XI. Are separate muslim schools inevitable?
     A. Other things are needed
          1. Not only a curriculum
          2. Educational materials
               a. Books and stuff
          3. Teachers trained in the system
          4. An Adult Education programme for Families 
     B. Anyone wishing to set up a muslim school
          1. Will be hard put to come up with any of these

XII. Are they desirable?
     A. Should muslims put their resources
          1. Into muslim schools for a few
     B. When majority of muslim children
          1. Will always be in mixed schools
     C. Muslim education would need to be integrated into the system
          1. For children to take exam qualifications
          2. For children who move to another school 
     D. Those who prefer an integrated system 
          1. Must change the system from within 
     E. I personally would prefer
          1. A truly integrated, pluralistic, multifaith, multicultural system 
          2. There's a lot of work to do.

XIII. What is possible?
     A. LEA's are in many ways best equipped to provide 
          1. What would be required for muslim education 
               a. Intellectual and Financial Resources 
               b. Modern Teaching Methods 
     B. What could they do to solve the problem?
          1. How could the LEA provide education 
               a. For a hypothetical muslim child 
               b. In a hypothetical all-muslim school?  
     C. Curriculum
          1. Is largely suitable - Muslims also need to learn Maths
               a. Science and Languages, Geography, History, Technology etc.
          2. Complete muslim curriculum
               a. Largely overlaps Scottish Office curriculum
               b. Can be taught through it
               c. Cross-curricular trends make that easier
     D. Educational Material
          1. Needed to make curriculum practicable
          2. Study Packs, Project Packs, etc.
          3. LEA's work with community
          4. A Muslim child would have the opportunity to learn
               a. Maths & Science, Geography & History
               b. From a muslim perspective
                    (1) Whose side were you on in the Crusades daddy?
          5. Example of Muslim Education Pack
     E. Muslim Teachers
          1. Next requirement
          2. In the absence of that possibility 
               a. Best alternative is non-muslims 
               b. Well resourced and trained 
          3. Possible access to schools for teachers 
               a. Speaking from a faith viewpoint
                    (1) Perhaps to withdrawal classes
                    (2) Or Muslim Society
     F. Adult Education
          l. LEA's working with community
          2. Helping cultural groups with community schools
               a. In their efforts to integrate
               b. All the aspects of a muslim child's education
          3. Material produced with LEA's usable in community schools
     G. This is not completely beyond the imagination
          1. Strathclyde may or may not have made a start already 
          2. System would work not just for hypothetical all-muslim school 
               a. But also individual muslim in non-muslim class 
          3. Because it is curriculum compatible
               a. Teachers can use as much or as little as they feel suitable
     H. In group projects a muslim child could use Islamic reference material
          1. To identify with his family heritage
          2. And gain in self-respect when seeing
               a. How muslim understandings
               b. Can enrich the knowledge of the group
          3. Of course muslims would not work only from Islamic resources
          4. And these resources would also be available to non-muslim pupils

XIV. Applicability to other Faith Groups
     A. Approach is practicable for all faith minorities 
          1. Including Christian groups
     B. New system of tendering for cooperative ventures 
          1. Between community groups and the LEA's 
          2. Clearly suits this approach
     C. If all Faith groups made efforts in these directions
          1. Education of children in the system would be enriched 
               a. By the multicultural mix of the population 
          2. Ecumenical and Interfaith groups must work together 
               a. To produce cross-curricular Value Packs 
     D. Minorities would be able to integrate
          1. Rather than isolate themselves
          2. For fear of assimilation

XV. Benefits to Society
     A. Peace, Tolerance & Harmony
     B. Values spread across system
     C. Scotland could become a centre of religious knowledge
          1. Akin to the court of Harun ar-Rashid