OTHER VIEWS - British Madrasahs (Muslim Schools)

"Can madrasahs bridge the education gap?" by Asim Siddiqui, AltMuslim

Excerpt

Studies show that poor educational attainment and professional underachievement are prevalent amongst young British Muslims. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an independent development and social research charity, found that British Muslims are less upwardly mobile than their Hindu, Christian and Jewish counterparts. This trend appears consistent across Europe, where Muslims are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than non-Muslims.

Because Muslims are one of the most insular and least economically advantaged groups in Europe, there is a real need to raise aspirations, increase opportunity and mainstream the involvement of young Muslims in society. Local mosques and madrasahs can help.

Britain has an estimated 1,600 madrasahs, weekend or after-school religious learning centers, most of which are associated with mosques. As many as 200,000 Muslim children of all ethnic backgrounds – aged four to mid-teens – attend these madrasahs. The schools range from offering rote learning of religious texts to interactive places where Islamic teaching and mainstream school subjects are taught in fun and creative ways.

Mosque-based madrasahs remain popular with British Muslim families, as they are often the only places where basic Islamic education is available to children. As such, it makes them a largely untapped market for exposing young students to professional and aspirational development.

Unfortunately, some madrasahs are disconnected from the real world and the potential for children to achieve their full potential goes largely unrealized. A recent Open Society Institute report, ”Muslims in Europe: A Report on 11 EU Cities”, confirmed that teaching methods in many madrasahs, which include rote learning and strict discipline, are often out of tune with contemporary educational thinking and practice, failing to nurture the skills essential for success in the modern workplace.

Another report by the Islamic Foundation’s Policy Research Center showed a need for more ”joined-up thinking” between messages emanating from madrasahs and those from mainstream education providers. The need for greater engagement between mosques and professional sectors is crucial in building confidence and broadening horizons for Muslims in Britain and across Europe.

From my non-Muslim (and non-Christian) point of view, DUH!

If I remember the history of Islam, a very BIG if, when their culture was considered one of the best in the world education DID include non-religious teaching. It was ONLY after the madrasahs became captive of religious zealots that heralded the decline of Islam. I could be very wrong of course.