With its imperial past, nationalist tradition, past westernization attempts, inverse orientalism toward populations from the East, and current neo-Ottomanist policies, Turkey presents an interesting case in which to examine the ideologies underlying its education system. Turkish schools began receiving a large number of Syrian refugees following…

This article examines "government-registered medersas" in Mali and suggests that their appeal and expansion are due to their unique and innovative integration of Western and Islamic educational epistemologies (not simply subjects). Registered medersas respond to parental demands for the early introduction of "secular"…

This article investigates Iraqi schooling during the 1990s under Ba'thist rule and after the regime's fall in 2003 and compares the treatment of Islam in the curriculum. I focus on the degree to which Iraqi textbooks under Saddam Hussein contained a Sunni bias and the changes introduced immediately after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq in 2003. To…

In this article, the author describes three distinct but interrelated currents in the process of Islamization: the evolution of the "integrated" madrasah, the growth of the Jema'at al Tabligh as a form of nonformal Islamic education for adults, and the effort by the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao…

Lebanon's violent past and sectarian strife have made the country's name synonymous with violence and disunity. Yet the discourse of at least one Lebanese religious institution can complicate the simplistic narrative about a country of warring religious groups with no national sentiments. The writings produced by the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic…

This article uses established data sources, as well as data collected by the authors themselves for a broader study on education enrollment in Pakistan, to examine the size and importance of the religious education sector in Pakistan. Methodologically, this study analyzes madrasa enrollment in a school-choice framework that is well known to…

In this article, the authors examine the role of education in the maintenance of social cohesion and the formation of new identities amid the economic decline and political volatility of six new nations: Azerbaijan, in the southern Caucasus, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. The authors first…

This article is dedicated to shedding light on a spectrum of issues in educational thought in Islam, which may--due to their universal relevance--be of interest not only to specialists but also to a wider readership. It also provides an idea of the educational views and philosophies advocated by some great medieval Muslim thinkers which offer…

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.…

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…

Analyzes the themes of 16 recent Iranian textbooks to profile the ideal Islamic person as seen by Iranian revolutionaries. Suggests that revolutionary values taught in the schools are consistent with those of other Iranian socializing agencies. Contains 25 references. (SV)

Examines literacy education in Iran, including educational objectives, content, student characteristics, teacher selection, textbooks, and obstacles to success. Concludes that Iranian literacy education is limited to reading, writing, and arithmetic, with no additional training aimed at functional literacy; and serves principally as a…

Among 381 university students surveyed in Cairo, Egypt, most considered the national educational system to be too "Westernized," approved of a religious education requirement at the university level (where none now exists), indicated a lack of academic freedom, and desired a more Islamic orientation for their education. However, opinions…

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…

Since the events of September 11, 2001, Islamic institutions of learning have received much attention. Indonesia's "pesantren" (Islamic boarding schools) have been increasingly described as fostering radicalism and violent militancy, particularly in light of purported links between a few of the country's "pesantren" and some of…