Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue

<strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>: <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on <strong>the</strong> State of Dialogue
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Education <strong>and</strong> Intercultural Underst<strong>and</strong>ing
universal human values <strong>and</strong> a question with
implications for international harmony <strong>and</strong>
peace… We should not underestimate <strong>the</strong>
resentment <strong>and</strong> sense of injustice felt by
members of one of <strong>the</strong> world’s great religions,
cultures <strong>and</strong> civilizations.”
Subsequent efforts to address <strong>Islam</strong>ophobia
included a December 2006 consultation of
leading American Muslims <strong>and</strong> US officials,
organized by <strong>the</strong> Saban Center for Middle
East Policy at <strong>the</strong> Brookings Institution.
The consultation was designed to better
define <strong>the</strong> nature of <strong>the</strong> problem <strong>and</strong> explore
effective ways to address it. Among o<strong>the</strong>r
initiatives on <strong>Islam</strong>ophobia are <strong>the</strong> advocacy
work of global Muslim organizations like <strong>Islam</strong>ic
Relief.
Educational Reform
Aseriesofeducational<strong>and</strong>curricularreform
efforts designed to close <strong>the</strong>se knowledge gaps
<strong>and</strong> promote greater mutual underst<strong>and</strong>ing
have been initiated over <strong>the</strong> past several years.
These programs have sought to streng<strong>the</strong>n
<strong>the</strong> overall quality of education, to link curricula
to <strong>the</strong> promotion of civic values, <strong>and</strong> to promote
social inclusion <strong>and</strong> economic opportunity.
In May 2007, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Al Maktoum, Vice-President <strong>and</strong> Prime Minister
of <strong>the</strong> United Arab Emirates, announced a
US$ 10 billion gift designed to make a leap
forward in knowledge <strong>and</strong> education, with a
focus on <strong>the</strong> Arab world. A dedicated foundation
will promote sustained investment in education
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> development of knowledge in <strong>the</strong>
Middle East, “to open doors for forthcoming
generations of leaders of <strong>the</strong> region to shape
<strong>the</strong>ir future by equipping <strong>the</strong>m with world-class
knowledge <strong>and</strong> education.” The foundation is
expected to address “<strong>the</strong> illiteracy that is still
rampant in <strong>the</strong> region’s communities” <strong>and</strong> to
help create a knowledge-based society.
Several international organizations have stepped
up <strong>the</strong>ir efforts in support of education in Arab
<strong>and</strong> Muslim majority countries, including <strong>the</strong>
World Bank <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Islam</strong>ic Development
Bank. Bothorganizationsputparticular
emphasis on access to education but issues
of quality <strong>and</strong> relevance are increasingly central.
The World Bank has worked for over two years
on an intensive study of educational policy <strong>and</strong>
performance in <strong>the</strong> Middle East region, slated
for publication in early 2008. The international
Education for All programme directs considerable
financing towards Muslim countries that are
among <strong>the</strong> world’s poorest, including Mali,
Niger <strong>and</strong> Bangladesh. The need to improve
education for girls is a special concern. On a
visit to Morocco in <strong>the</strong> context of a UNICEF
education programme, Queen Rania of Jordan
suggested that education is “a ‘social vaccine’
for girls. It immunizes against untimely death,
poverty <strong>and</strong> unemployment, <strong>and</strong> helps <strong>the</strong>m
build healthy, hopeful futures.”
Much international attention has focused on
<strong>Islam</strong>ic institutions in general <strong>and</strong> what are
termed madrasas in particular. In practice,
educational institutions run by Muslim authorities
vary widely in quality <strong>and</strong> curriculum, ranging
from outst<strong>and</strong>ing institutions in Malaysia <strong>and</strong>
essentially pre-school or parallel religious training
in East Africa, to poorly resourced, overstretched
institutions in Pakistan <strong>and</strong> parts of Morocco.
While knowledge of what goes on in <strong>Islam</strong>ic
schools is limited, <strong>the</strong>y are widely viewed in
<strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> as homes to hatred <strong>and</strong> extremism
<strong>and</strong> incubators of terrorism.
One of <strong>the</strong> few efforts to engage Muslim
educational authorities with an eye to helping
<strong>the</strong>m reform <strong>and</strong> improve <strong>the</strong>ir schools is <strong>the</strong>
Washington, DC based International Center