Religious education, communal identity and national politics in the Muslim world

Abstract

This article discusses models for religious education in school in (parts of) the Muslim world and the implied relation between self and other, confessional and national identity. The question of how current models and discussions respond to globalized issues in education is also discussed. The last part of the article identifies triggering factors behind some recent attempts at establishing more inclusive ways of teaching about religion and ethics in school.

Notes

* Faculty of Theology, University of Oslo, Boks 1023, Blindern 0315 Oslo, Norway. Email: [email protected]

CMIP reports: www.edume.org/reports/report1.htm, MEMRI reports: www.memri.org/

See http://www.gei.de/deutsch/projekte/israel.shtml

IPCRI 2003; Adwan & Firer, 2002, Brown, 2001a, 2002, Reiss, 2001b, 2003; Moughrabi, 2001; Nordbruch, 2002.

‘Education in Palestine’ (www.pna.net/reports/edu_in_pal.htm)

17% of primary school pupils, 41% in junior secondary school and 53% in senior secondary school Ministry of Education, 2002).

The Lebanese Association for Educational Studies (www.laes.org/frameset/education.htm).

Lebanon.com News (www.lebanon.com/news/local/1997/4/3.htm).

Ministry of Education, Damascus May 2002.

Catholic World News 9 May 1997 (www.cwnews.com/Browse/1997/09/5750.htm).

Conversations in 2002 with members of the Ministry of Education's committee for Christian education.

As stated in the preamble of the Indonesian constitution (inic.utexas.edu/asnic/countries/indonesia/ConstIndonesia.html).

See for instance Al‐tarbiya al‐diniyya al‐'islamiyya, Fourth Grade, Part One (2002–2003), p. 33.

Al‐tarbiya al‐diniyya al‐'islamiyya, Fourth Grade, Part Two (2002–2003), p. 4.

Al‐qiyam wa‐l‐akhlaq (2001–2002), Grades One–Three. Cf. al‐Dab', 2002, 5ff.

Al‐qiyam wa‐l‐akhlaq (2001–2002), Second Grade, Part Two, p. 1. Cf. Pink, 2003.

See www.usembassy.egnet.net/library/backlog/civedcon.htm

See www.oslocoalition.org/html/project_school_education/index.html

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Oddbjørn Leirvik *

* Faculty of Theology, University of Oslo, Boks 1023, Blindern 0315 Oslo, Norway. Email: [email protected]