This essay argues that the history of the international system has revolved around a moving frontier of cultural exclusivity. It is one of a series of working papers commissioned by the World Models Project in its effort to stimulate research, education, dialogue, and political action aimed at contributing to a movement for a just world order.…

Six articles provide an overview of the problems of early marriage and/or adolescent pregnancy in both developed and developing nations. The first article reveals that social factors outweigh the biological in the reproduction process and reports that each year over 15 million babies are born to girls under 20, who become mothers too soon to…

On May 3-4, 2003, the Foreign Policy Research Institute held its tenth History Institute for Teachers. Forty-two teachers from fourteen states participated in a weekend of lectures and seminars, featuring seven outstanding scholars. Although Muslims define themselves and the Christian West in terms of religion, Western countries view relations…

This booklet consists of four lesson plans to be used with students in preschool through grade 9. The first lesson, for preschool children with special needs, is titled "Introduction to Islamic Customs and Practices." It introduces new vocabulary and concepts while focusing on Islamic customs and practices. The second lesson, "Islam…

Discusses the modern historical view of the Columbian voyages that recognizes both the positive and negative consequences of the contact. Describes the voyages as a boon to scientific knowledge, a key step in the development of world trade, and an ecological disaster. Acknowledges the role of India, Islam, and Iberian Jews. (DK)

Rates of primary enrollment, female primary enrollment, private school enrollment, and literacy during 1960-92 were analyzed for 39 sub-Saharan African countries. Throughout the period, strongly Christian countries had higher enrollment and literacy rates than strongly Islamic countries, regardless of economic level, type of state, or colonial…

Examines media reports about the expulsion of a girl from a Montreal (Quebec, Canada) high school for wearing the "hijab" (Islamic head covering or garment). Shows, using psychoanalytic concepts, how the media images created a sense of self for Montreal's Francophone and Anglophone communities. Explores the question of tolerance and the…

The question posed by the "Canadian Journal of Environmental Education" volume 11, "where is the place for religion in environmental education?" is rephrased in this essay to become, "where is the place for a religious view of the order of nature in environmental education?" Relying on the writings of Seyyed Hossein…

A deafening counterpoint arose from the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina on 29 August 2005, and within that counterpoint race and music undeniably became the dominant voices. The devastation of New Orleans, however, was no more a "catastrophe of biblical proportions," as many with power have piously claimed, than the…

In Dutch primary schools, Islamic religious education is presented in three ways. First, in public schools, parents may ask the municipality to create a facility for religious education (to be given by a local imam, for example) on school premises. Municipalities may also subsidize the teacher's salary. Islamic religious education (up to three…

As people embark on a new globalized world, the old formal system of education in the Arab world is facing challenges and dilemmas. How can the new system preserve their Islamic and Arabic culture, while incorporating strategies for a new globalized world? This article tries to answer some of these questions by focusing on Morocco as a case study.…

In the Netherlands, the constitutional freedom of education offers the opportunity for the growing number of Muslims to establish state-funded Islamic schools. At the moment there are 46 Islamic primary schools; a number of schools are in the process of being established and there is still a need for an additional 120 such schools. Right from the…

In 1995, the International Consultative Forum on Education for All commissioned case studies in developing countries as part of a mid-decade review of progress in expanding access to basic education. This paper examines the situation in Somalia, where civil war has completely destroyed the infrastructure of education. Part 1 summarizes Somalia's…

Provides a secondary teaching unit on the Islamic religious faith and government. Maintains that students must understand the totality of Islam in order to make sense of recent events in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, and the Sudan. Included are complete teaching instructions and necessary handouts. (JDH)

This volume deals with Islamic conceptualization of knowledge, various types of Islamic education; and educational strategies among selected groups of Muslims in Islamized countries (Pakistan, Iran, Morocco, Senegal, and so on) as well as countries in Europe where Muslims form important minorities. The first chapter gives an overview of Islamic…