Explores the thesis that Islam is closely linked to urban ways of life and values, and encourages the growth of cities and towns. Provides accounts from history to support this thesis. Includes information concerning Islamic influences on architecture, and uses the story of the pilgrimage of an African believer to illustrate the point. (KO)

Maya K. David reports an interesting view of reading in Malaysia through the eyes of graduate student Mohd Nazri bin Hamid (2003), who conducted an exploratory study about the culture of reading in an academy of Islamic studies. The purposes of Nazri's investigation were (a) to examine undergraduate students' reading habits, (b) to offer a…

In a brief essay originally presented as part of a panel discussion with Christian and Muslim teachers of Islam in the university setting, the author describes the distinctive characteristics of the Islamic Studies Program at Luther Seminary (St. Paul, Minnesota). While the program allows Islamic studies "majors" to earn a degree (M.A. or M.Th.)…

In the course of exploring critiques of globalisation, this essay will focus on two postures--each with its range of arguments--that have emerged as alternatives to globalisation, namely, the delinking position and the subverting position. The first argues for standing "outside" of globalisation and its educational cultures and apparatuses. It…

Education and schooling in Bulgaria bear the potential to address the challenges that arise from poverty, unemployment, demographic developments, social polarising, migration, and fractured identities. This paper briefly reviews four recent and ongoing projects illustrative of a wide scope of intercultural education programmes, currently initiated…

Indonesia's post-1998 transition to democracy has presented Muslim educators with the opportunity to take part in shaping the future of Indonesian democracy in ways that are consistent with Muslim social, political, and educational aspirations. One of the key vehicles for doing so is civic education. For Muslim educators in the Islamic higher…

This paper discusses the basic tenets of Islam and the Islamic view of nature that were influential in the development of science in the so-called "Golden Age of Islam". These findings have been the catalyst for present day Muslim scholars, who have emphasized the importance of Islamic science, as the means of understanding Western…

This paper, intended as lecture material for university students or as background material for teachers of social studies and world history, assumes that students already have some knowledge about the origins, practices, and beliefs of Islam, but that they have no prior background about Indonesia or its history. The paper describes the diversity…

Suggesting that more study and understanding of Islam vis-a-vis the West could open more effective channels in intercultural communication, this paper addresses Islamic world views and values as they undergird the communication process. Although generalizations about Islam are difficult to make, the paper states that Islam is the second largest…

India, a huge land with the second largest population in the world, socially and economically poor, and culturally and linguistically diverse, became the largest democracy in the world on November 26, 1949 with the adoption of the Indian Constitution. The goals of that constitution are: (1) the achievement of national unity and stability; (2) the…

This research examines the role of Islam in the process of nation-building in Nigeria in terms of its reaction to the implementation of Universal Primary Education, a scheme which forms an integral part of the Nigerian Government's strategy for development, national integration and nation-building. U.P.E. with its appearance of "western"…

Presents a review of Muslim education in India between the years 1008 and 1757. Generates seven conclusions about education in this period. Among them, that education was inseparable from religion, that almost all rulers were authors who encouraged mass education, and that problem solving, discovery, and other "modern" educational…

This slide exercise is intended to communicate information about the three major monotheistic religions of the Middle East: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The exercise focuses on beliefs, events, symbols, institutions, and practices important to the three religions, but the main purpose is to impress upon students the many things that these…

This publication explores issues related to Africa. It examines the U.S. response to the Barbary pirate states (Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli) in the early 19th century; the current AIDS crisis in Africa; and 14th century Mali and other Islamic lands through the eyes of Ibn Battuta, who traveled throughout the Muslim world. Each article…

This book features objects of the Mesopotamian, the Egyptian, and Islamic cultures. In exploring important contributions in ancient art, the book presents visuals that are interpretations of authentic artifacts, usually in museum collections, or illustrations from archaeological publications and articles. Historical items (n=55+) have been adapted…