U.K.: MOSLEM SCHOOLS WILL CAUSE FURTHER DIVISIONS

Muslim schools not an answer, says study
By Grant Smith, education reporter

ACADEMICS FROM a leading Islamic institute in Dundee have warned that the creation of Muslim schools will only cause further divisions in British society.

Professor Abd al-Fattah El-Awaisi and Professor Malory Nye, from the Al-Maktoum Institute, called for a radical overhaul of the education system to halt the “mutual incomprehension” between most Britons and the Muslim community.

They said, “There are some deeply embedded issues within our society regarding Islam and Muslims of stereotyping, hostility, Islamophobia and misunderstanding.

“There needs to be an appreciation that Muslims are no longer ‘others’—they are part of the fabric of British society. It is also clear most British non-Muslims do not ‘get’ Islam and they do not understand what makes Muslims tick.

“Many British communities, including British Muslims, have failed to understand each other and have failed to engage effectively in multicultural Britain. There is mutual incomprehension and that can only be addressed by education.”

Professors El-Awaisi and Nye spent two years carrying out a detailed study of the way Islamic studies are taught. They reported their findings in London yesterday.

They found Muslim establishments focusing on their own political links and agendas to serve their own needs, rather than those of a multicultural Britain.

Also, more homegrown imams were needed to preach in mosques rather than bringing in people from overseas, Professor El-Awaisi said.

“If they don’t understand British culture and they don’t speak the language, then they are not going to preach multiculturalism, they will preach a different culture.”

That had the potential to set some people down the road to “radicalism, fundamentalism and extremism.”

The professors also argue that too many mainstream universities and colleges have an outdated view of Islam and need to broaden the scope of their work to include the place of the 1.5 million Muslims in Britain.

Professor El-Awaisi said, “The only way forward is not through separation and isolation, but through multicultural education. It’s not through establishing Muslim schools.”

He added, “It is only through multicultural education we can work to eliminate extremism and fundamentalism.”

The study has made a series of recommendations to the Government to set priorities for teaching and research.

The professors’ report received praise from Dundee West MP Jim McGovern, who attended its launch in the Houses of Parliament.

Mr McGovern used a parliamentary motion to compliment the pair on their work.

Pertinent Links:

1) Muslim schools not an answer, says study