This article consists of two parts. The first part provides an overview of Muslim Americans and the role of Islam in their lives. The second part of the article includes a classroom exercise about how to teach Islam and Muslim Americans. The main vehicle for this exercise is a PBS documentary titled "Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet." The exercise…

Sexuality and sex education cannot be divorced from the moral values of the societies within which we must negotiate our sexual identities and relationships. Rather than pandering to the moral panic that is too often associated with the provision of sex education in non-secular societies where religion is more visibly active in shaping sexual…

This paper attempts to set the record straight with regard to the following assumptions: (1) the Africans of the antiquities of Ethiopia and Egypt were black people; and (2) the same black people developed the foundation that provides the basis for the so-called major Western religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There are two parts to…

Investigated attitudes toward death of 680 Senegalese boys and girls and their families. The main attitude of respondents and their parents, described as resigned and highly moralizing, was assumed to be the result of a four-century-old Islamization which supersedes the serener attitudes of the traditional society. (JAC)

Discusses the concept of biocentrism, the Islamic approach to environmental ethics comprising the relationships between humans and their natural environment. Supports the concept with examples from the Koran and presents implications for environmental education. (MDH)

Uses the concept of the Muslim "ummat" (community) to identify effective leadership patterns. Discusses ways in which transformational leadership is exemplified in the ummat and presents implications for adult educators working with African Americans. (SK)

The research methods of hermeneutics and semiotics were used to analyse maps of the Holy Land. The main conclusion of this study is how those methods could help us to read and understand maps. Other issues of concern are which religious elements actually appear and their form of representation in the range of maps. Narratives identified on the…

The "pondok pesantren" education is a "traditional" form of Muslim education in Indonesia. This boarding school system can be traced back to the 18th century or further. However, it was not until 1930 that the "pesantren" officially admitted female students, beginning with the Pesantren Denanyar of Jombang. The…

We can note a varied use and attitudes to song and music in Islam. In the classroom of Sana--a primary school teacher of Islamic religious education (IRE) in a Muslim school in Sweden--music is an important but not uncontested part of IRE. The music not only supports themes discussed in the classroom but also gives variation to the education. A…

This article reveals the differences between the character Kunta Kinte and the historical record concerning African males in the preslavery period. Kunta's non-African behaviors include displays of blind anger and rage, prudishness, and actions unknown in his Mandinka culture. These represent the many misrepresentations and ambiguities in Alex…

This paper reports on a preliminary analysis of teacher training and higher education enrollment patterns in eleven Islamic countries. The effect of the Islamic fundamentalist movement on teacher education is discussed. (Author/MT)

Law is central to Islamic civilization. The classical law (the Shari'a) is the standard by which political action is measured. The history of the Shari'a and how it has influenced the world view and the cultural identity of Arab countries are examined. (RM)

One of the most important, crucial and urgent issues which concerns not just one nation or one religion or ideology, but is a concern of all peoples of the world, is education for peace and justice. The destiny and future of humanity depends on these two concepts: peace and justice. However, it seems that many countries today, including Muslim…

Globalization has brought more and more peoples and societies around the world into contact with "international" standards of law, commerce, and communication. That process has also enabled a number of formerly underdeveloped societies to experience extraordinary patterns of economic growth, especially in the last third of the twentieth…

This paper reports on a study that examines how a group of teachers at a Victorian Islamic College deliberated on how to develop an appropriate sexual health education curriculum for their Muslim students. Teachers found themselves challenged by the current restrictive curriculum structures, policies and practices at their school. They also found…