Middle East Region is home to more than 400 million people, representing 5% of world population, and boasts a workforce of 103 million scattered across 22 countries (Lord, 2016). Sixty five percent of the populations are young aged 25 or under, which puts growing stress on educational, health and social systems. Over the last decade, most Middle…

Despite increasingly egalitarian attitudes toward women in the Middle East and North Africa, nations in this region continue to rank among the lowest in measures of gender equality. Using survey data, we examine the relationship between educational attainment and support for women. We find that increased educational attainment is predictive of…

School nurses play a vital role in the promotion of sexual health. However, there is very limited evidence of how school nurses experience this topic in an Islamic cultural setting. Using an exploratory qualitative design, 13 in-depth interviews were conducted with Egyptian school nurses. Data were subject to thematic analysis. Four themes emerged…

This dissertation examines the transmission of Islamic legal knowledge in modern Egypt. It is based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in Cairo among formally trained Islamic scholars. With governmental permission, I was able to attend classes at both al-Azhar's Faculty of Shari'ah and Cairo University's Dar al-'Ulum. I also participated in…

One aspect of the call for democracy in the recent Arab region uprisings is the issue of women's rights and gender equality. Three cultural and ideological forces have continued to shape the gender discourse in Arab Muslim-majority societies. They are: "Islamic" teaching and local traditions concerning women's roles in a given society;…

The debate about Islam and science extends to a debate about the relationship between Islam and science education. In this paper, I explore Egyptian teachers' views of the relationship between science and religion within the Islamic context. Teachers' key vision of the relationship between science and religion was that "religion comes first…

This single-subject case study explored one teacher's religious conversion to Islam and her workplace relationships in the United States and Egypt. Key findings of the study suggested that social context of schools influenced workplace relationships. As a Muslim-American teacher working in the American public schools, she was uncomfortable…

This research investigates the role of experience in relation to teachers' beliefs and practices. The study adopted a social-cultural constructivist perspective using an interpretive approach. The research was guided by teachers' interpretations of their experiences related to teaching science through Science-Technology-Society (STS) issues. These…

Examines the history and tendency of Islamic education, discussing how, after 1,000 years of intellectual leadership, the Islamic world has not retained its dominance, and examining the educational institutions that both spawned and doomed the Eastern intellectual revolution. The article addresses: the role of knowledge in Islam; emphasis on…

Described are the efforts being made in Arab countries, primarily in Egypt, to stimulate scientific and technological development. (SL)

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.…

Female illiteracy and the overall educational status of women in Islamic societies are the two main themes of this collection of conference papers. The papers include: THe Eradication of Female Illiteracy in Kirghizia: the Historical Situation (1920-1930) (I. S. Boldzhurova); Women's Education in Kirghiszstan (R. Achylova); Literacy and Education…

Examines major influences on the life of Abdallah Nadim, a 19th century Egyptian social reformer who experimented throughout his life with educating the nation. Reviews his life history, discussing the educational terrain of 1890s Egypt with a focus on girls' education, and noting specific articles authored by Nadim on Muslim youth and European…

To the Moslem, Islam is more than a religion to be practiced one day a week or in a few rituals; it is a detailed way of life. Behavior is comprehensively legislated for Moslems. Their major obligation is to know and follow the "five pillars" of Islamic law. The impact of religion on business is substantiated in research. Some attitudes…

Notes the need for a comprehensive indexed guide to information on Muslim, Arab, and Egyptian library and information services, and presents selected bibliographical sources of this literature published between 1969 and 1985. Topics covered include library services, automation, cooperation, and collections, and the history of libraries, schools,…