Contents

Chapter Six :

Educational Institutions

There are in our modern world many organizations that are specialized in education and other related matters such as science and culture. Some of these institutions, like UNESCO, for instance, are concerned with these matters at a global level; whereas others, like ALECSO and ISESCO, for example, have limited the range of their activities to a regional level. In what follows, we attempt to review the relations between these organizations and Islamic education.

6.1. UNESCO

This organization was created after the Second World War by Western countries on the assumption that it would contribute to the consolidation of world peace by promoting human understanding through scientific and cultural cooperation between nations. They claimed that, in order to achieve this goal, they would rely on education as a means to influence the course of human thought. The UNESCO Charter includes a famous statement to the effect that war originated in Man's thought, and it was , therefore, necessary to build in this system of thought a fortress for peace.

Over a period of forty years, Unesco has done a tremendous amount of work in the domains of education, culture, and science, by helping member states develop their own specific educational and cultural systems, and creating an international bureau of education for the purpose of collecting and storing information concerning human experiences in the domains of education, culture and science. Also, the organization has created many centres, in every continent, for the purpose of providing expert advice in the domains which fall within the range of its activities.

The general guiding lines and principles of UNESCO are based on laic philosophy, which explains the organization's neutral attitude towards religious issues. However, during a period of ten years, and under the leadership of a Muslim Director General, namely Mr. Mukhtar Mbu, the organization willingly decided to recognize the right of peoples to preserve their cultural identity. In this regard, the organization contributed largely to drawing the world's attention to Islamic cultural heritage and to the importance of Islamic civilization. In addition, the organization participated in a number of studies aiming to reform educational systems in many Islamic countries, in accordance with religious directives, and in full cooperation with regional organizations such as the Arab League's Organization for Education, Culture, and Science (ALECSO).

6.2. ALECSO

This pan-Arab organization was created in 1970s for the purpose of consolidating and sustaining the various aspects of Arab civilization, and developing its different mechanisms to the highest degree possible.

This organization has undertaken many significant actions in those domains which fall within its scope of competence. For example, it devised an educational strategy for the Arab world and carried out specialized studies within the domain of teaching methods. Moreover, given the fact that theoretical studies do not yield concrete results in the short term, the organization decided to create pedagogical centres specialized in the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language and in combating illiteracy. These centres produced very good results.

In the domain of culture, ALECSO has been very active, not only in theorizing on the unity of Arab culture, but also in formulating proposals for what it called “cultural security”, which consists in fortifying the constituent factors of the Arab mind and sustaining its creative potential. Also, the organization carried out a general survey of cultural organizations and potentialities available in the Arab world. In addition, it founded a number of centres, specialized in Islamic cultural heritage. Among its most distinguished institutions, we can mention the Bureau of Coordination of Arabization and a system for developing Islamic culture and the Arabic language.

Although the aims of this organization coincide with Islamic objectives in the domains of education and learning, its activities are nevertheless focused on Arab countries, the sole members of the organization. Thus, since the activities carried out by ALECSO in Muslim countries were not considered to be sufficient, it was deemed necessary to create another organization that would be concerned with education, science and culture at the level of the entire Islamic world. This was how ISESCO came into being.

6.3. ISESCO

At a certain point in time, Muslims became aware of the fact that educational institutions in general, universal as well as regional, were concerned to promote knowledge only in the domain of worldly matters. They realized that religious education was inexistant because of the influence of laic movements and the attempt to make of the school a neutral space, in accordance with the European philosophy that had dominated the world of education for nearly two centuries. They also understood that progress in the domain of education and knowledge had contributed to the consolidation of civilizational and moral standards that were not committed to Islamic values. This state of affairs triggered a series of reactions, the most significant of which was the convening of the First World Conference on Islamic Education in Mecca, in 1977.

Among the recommendations of this conference was the creation of an international Islamic organization for education, science, and culture. Saudi Arabia encouraged this initiative by creating The International Bureau for Islamic Education, and also by providing considerable support for the cultural bodies of the Islamic Conference Organization.

The idea of an Islamic organization for education, science and culture was constantly discussed by the leaders of Islamic states in their meetings, until they decided in Fez, in 1979, to found ISESCO.

Three years later, the founding conference was convened and the organization started its activities according to a set of principles, including the following (cf. the Preamble to the Organization's Charter) :

* Consideration of the promotion of education, science and culture as a necessary condition for achieving mutual acquaintance and understanding, friendship and brotherhood, and for the consolidation of peace.

* The desire to diffuse educational, scientific, technological, cultural, and human values, as well as Islamic values, while attempting, at the same time, to meet the great challenges of the modern era.

* Attempt to preserve the cultural unity and the linguistic characteristics of the peoples of Islamic world, on a give-and-take basis, so as to give all these peoples the opportunity to contribute to the establishment of a fruitful and fair dialogue between all cultures in order to build a universal civilization that respects the cultural identity of all peoples.

Concerning the Organization's objectives, they are as follows :

1- Consolidation of cooperation between member states in the domains of education, science, and culture.

2- Promotion of cooperation between member states in the domains of education, science and culture; development of applied science and utilisation of advanced technology within the framework of the Islamic system of values and ideals ; and preservation of the features and characteristics of Islamic civilization.

3- Consolidation of mutual understanding between peoples and contribution to the establishment of peace and security in the world by different means, especially through education, science, and culture.

4- Coordination between the Organization and the specialized bodies of the Islamic Conference Organization in the domains of education, science and culture, on the one hand, and between member states of the Arab Organization (ALECSO), on the other, in order to strengthen Islamic solidarity and cultural complementarity of the Islamic world.

5- To make of the Islamic culture the cultural axis of educational programmes at all stages and levels of education.

6- To support true and authentic Islamic culture and to protect the independence of Islamic thought against factors of cultural invasion, distortion, and deformation.

7- To find ways of protecting the Muslim personality and identity of the Muslims who live in non-Muslim countries.

It is obvious that the Islamic Organization (ISESCO) has tried to reconcile UNESCO's universal principles with the requirements of Islamic guidance in the domains of education, science and culture. Indeed, the Organization did its best in designing practical programmes to facilitate the teaching of religion, especially in non-Arabophone countries. Thus, within the framework of its first plan, the Organization devised programmes which targeted the teaching of Arabic and Islamic culture by preparing special textbooks for this purpose, and by training competent teachers, in addition to encouraging national programmes that aim to achieve these same objectives. The following are among the most important programmes of the Organization :

1- Publication of five school textbooks meant to familiarize the reader with Islam.The first of these books treats matters of faith, religious observances, and rules of good conduct concerning both the individual and the community. The second book explains the five foundations/pillars of Islam. The third is devoted to the biography of the Messenger (PBUH). The fourth treats of Islamic morals. And the fifth is about the expansion of Islam over the centuries.

2- Consolidation and encouragement of Quranic schools, and improvement of educational programmes and pedagogical methods in institutions of religious education.

3. Training of teachers specialized in Islamic culture and in the teaching of Arabic to non-Arabophones, and providing them with appropriate pedagogical means for this task, and also to provide assistance for those countries which are planning to devise and implement similar programmes in this domain. Also, the Organization has been concerned to make sure that elements of Islamic culture provide the basis for educational programmes. Thus, to facilitate familiarity with Islamic culture, the Organization has distributed books among non-Arab Muslim states, published Islamic sources relevant to this culture, and corrected many errors and misconceptions about Islam, which are found in world encyclopaedias.

Concerning scientific programmes, the Organization's main focus has been on the promotion of the teaching of scientific disciplines and the consolidation of scientific research in member states, with an attempt to establish a link between such programmes and the relevant Islamic issues.

Although ISESCO was created under rather stringent circumstances, and in spite of the fact that only a few years have passed since its creation, its overall performance has been more than satisfactory and resuscitating of great hopes for the future. Indeed, ISESCO is an organization that stirs the conscience of the Islamic Umma by making it aware of the seriousness of the challenges that it has to face in the domain of education. It is also hoped that the Organization will crystallise Islamic educational thought and give it new impetus by presenting practical proposals concerning the necessary changes that Islamic countries need to make in their educational systems in order to make them more efficient, so that they can provide adequate training to the new generations to enable them to develop their countries without losing their Islamic authenticity.

For this reason, the Organization's activities in the domain of education are based on model samples that can easily be adopted and implemented by any Islamic country. Also, the Organization provides assistance to the countries that seek to adapt patterns of Islamic education to their specific conditions. In this regard, it should be noted that the personal efforts of ISESCO's Director General, as well as his international academic status, have been crucial for the successful takeoff of this young Organization.

6.4. The League of the Islamic World

Besides international and regional organizations, which are founded by governments, there are also non-governmental organizations that play a significant role in the domain of Islamic education. One of the most important and most active of these non-governmental organizations is The League of the Islamic World. Founded twenty five years ago, this organization has had the merit of partaking in a wide range of activities such as propagating the Islamic Call (Da’wa), providing support for Islamic centres and associations, helping in the renovation or reconstruction of mosques and schools, supporting Muslim minorities, providing urgent aid to victims of natural disasters, and siding with Muslims in defending their rights, as in occupied Palestine, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. In the domain of education, the Organization's Charter, (especially in articles 12, 13 and 14) provides for the following : (a) Encouragement and promotion of Islamic publications; (b) Diffusion of Islamic education; ( c) Diffusion of the language of the Qur’an ; and (d) Offering scholarships to Muslim students, especially those whose parents reside in non-Muslim countries.

Furthermore, in collaboration with King Abdul-Aziz University of Saudi Arabia, the League called for the first international conference on Islamic education, thereby initiating a new way of thinking, which consists in seeking to resolve Muslims' problems through Islamic education. In fact, it was during this conference, which was convened in Mecca in 1977 (AH 1397), that the proposal to create an Islamic organization for education, science and culture, was formally presented.

The conference was concerned to define the basic principles and general objectives and concepts of the Islamic education. It also sought to establish a complete and consistent strategy for the application of such principles and realization of the defined objectives. In addition, the conference tried to find ways of increasing fruitful cooperation between the various bodies and organizations working within the field of education, as well as unifying their approaches and views, indicating that “The objective of Islamic education is to teach the principle that true worship is owed to God Alone, to ensure that this principle is applied by Man in his life, at the individual level, community level, as well as at the level of the entire humanity, and to make sure that all the activities undertaken by Man are geared towards developing the world in accordance with the revealed law of God”.

Furthermore, the Conference recommended that due importance be given to the study of Islamic theology, the Arabic language and Islamic culture, without neglecting the importance of the behaviour part in the Muslim teacher. In addition, the Conference dealt with a number of issues and problems concerning information, the media, and Muslim minorities.

Other conferences on Islamic education followed. Thus, during the second conference, the League presented an Islamic conception of what an ideal educational system should be like. Basically, the proposal emphasized the necessity to build an educational and cultural system which is unified in its bases and spirit, with the participation of all Muslims. During its last conference, the League prepared a strategy for the publication and classification of the various decisions and recommendations made in the previous conferences, together with the publication of abstracts of the many papers that were presented at different conferences. For this purpose, the League suggested setting up a number of committees to take care of the academic aspects of the projects.

It is worth pointing out that the League of the Islamic World, which has established Islamic cultural centres in many parts of the world, has also contributed to the creation of a number of Islamic institutions such as the Fiqh Academy, the Supreme Council for Mosques, and the Islamic Aid Organization. All these organizations work in close collaboration with the League's Secretariat General in order to propagate the Islamic Call, to consolidate Islamic cultural centres, and to achieve solidarity among the members of the Islamic Umma.

6.5. Education Bureau for the Gulf Countries

This pedagogical institution, which includes the Gulf states which are members of the Cooperation Council and the Republic of Iraq, was founded ten years ago for the purpose of promoting education in member states, and coordinating their educational programmes and actions in this domain.

This institution has carried out a number of specialized studies within the domain of educational research and has published a journal specialized in educational matters, treating of highly relevant issues that concern education both in the past and in the present. This institution also has had the merit of creating an academy of science, which aims at establishing a permanent balance between scientific and moral requirements for the qualification of students in that region. In addition to its regional role, this institution also contributes, in general, to the consolidation of Arabic and Islamic cooperation.

Publications of the Islamic Educational‭, ‬Scientific and Cultural Organization‭