Nationalism, Islamic political activism, and religious education in the Arab region

Abstract

Terrorist events around the world, specifically since 9/11, have consolidated the perception of ‘a militant Islam’ and Islamic ‘militancy’ (Pew, 2003). Coupled with the media coverage of the Israel–Palestine conflict, the image of Muslims in the media in general (Said, 1997 [1981]; Hover, 2004) and images of Arab Muslims more particularly, are presented as intimidating. This sense of intimidation has led many politicians, religious leaders, scholars and educational professionals to raise concerns over the ways formal schooling in Muslim societies inculcates values in students, particularly in relation to Islamic education. Like schools in many other countries, ‘religious education’ (tarbiya diniyya), sometimes also referred to as ‘moral education’, is a component of school curricula across the Arab region. It is generally perceived to be the main content area responsible for inculcating cultural values among pupils, though this curricular component does not have a monopoly over the realm of values (Doumato and Starrett, 2007). This chapter focuses on the sociopolitical underpinnings of religious education in the Arab region, and how curricula are constructed within schools. The chapter also comparatively examines the emphases placed on religious studies in the curricular organization of public schools in Arab and other countries.