Statutory requirements for compulsory Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in the UK is generating concern among many religious communities and reigniting debates about the purpose of School Based Sexuality Education (SBSE). Among the communities voicing their dissent are members of the British Islamic community. Quranic scripture deems…

In this chapter, we report on the experiences of learning English and identity negotiation of 14 Syrian adult Muslim refugees, both male and female and a variety of ages, recently arrived in the UK and enrolled at an ESOL college. Drawing on a range of data sources, we explore how the Syrian informants' religious identities acted both as a…

This paper explores the experiences of eight Muslim women academics (MWA) within a range of sciences and humanities disciplines. The data draws from my doctoral study which examined the experiences of men and women Muslim academics at UK universities. Findings from in-depth interviews with participants highlight the intersectionality of…

Using content analysis, this study investigated the coverage of the Trojan Horse news story aiming to ascertain whether its representation by the British press emphasized "Islamist extremism" over "poor school governance". The sample coverage was extracted from five national newspapers and ranged from 9 June (the date of…

This paper is the first attempt to explore digital literacy in the specific context of the Palestinian refugee community in the Middle East by looking at the cultural specificity of digital literacy theorising and practice, by analysing current digital education policy in the countries hosting the Palestinian refugee community and by documenting…

Following Aristotle's description of youth and brief discussion about indoctrination and parrhesia, the article historicizes Socrates' trial as the intersection of philosophy, education and a teacher's influence on youth. It explores the historic-political context and how contemporary Athenians might have viewed Socrates and his student's actions,…

The historical variety, richness and complexity of Islamic educational tradition raise questions concerning the underlying reasons for this diversity. It therefore becomes important to explore the debates that British Islamic schools draw upon to understand their educational aims as well as any future directions that they may take. This paper has…

Muslims live in a "modern" world where subjects such as the English language, mathematics, sciences, and information and communication technology (ICT) are highly valued and enthusiastically transmitted in schools. How some Islamic schools attempt to equip their students with "modern knowledge" while remaining faithful to their…

Drawing upon Islamic epistemology to confront the challenges of a postcolonial world, some European Muslims are rejecting existing educational provision, seeking to formulate culturally-coherent pedagogy. This paper contributes to the debate on Islamic schools in Britain through the findings of a qualitative study of a British Muslim community…

This article describes the process for training Palestinians in Gaza on developing e-learning courses using WebCT. The training was delivered at a distance using information and communications technologies. The project used a problem-based approach to introduce e learning concepts and practice for the pedagogy of online content, learning theory,…

Muslim schools are a growing phenomenon across the world. Muslim diaspora resulting from multiple factors including political, religious and economic enhanced the need among Muslims to maintain and develop their faith identity. Marginalisation of Muslims, in whatever forms and for whatever reasons, particularly in Muslim minority and/or secular…

In a climate of Islamophobic racism, where media racism saturates our TV screens and newspapers, where racism on the streets, on campus, in our community become everyday realities, I ask, what can we--teachers, lecturers and educationalists--do in the work of anti-racism in education? This article examines classroom debates on Islamophobia by…

This article reports a conference held at the University of Edinburgh on December 4, 2006. The "Islam on Campus" conference had considered a range of issues related to the future of Islamic Studies. It considered whether Islamic Studies should be considered a discipline or a subject area, whether its methods were essentially textual or…

September 11, 2001 generated diverse responses from around the world, but for many subjects located in "the West," an enduring perception surfaced in the aftermath of the attacks: that 9/11 revealed the fragility of the "Western Self" as a secure identity. In a move towards self-scrutiny post 9/11, it is not only the presence…

The nature of English citizenship, the need for cohesion in society, and the place of faith community schools, particularly Muslim schools, are issues of import in contemporary English society. When these three issues come together, in an examination of the nature of an English Islam, they raise questions that have implications for the nature of…