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An understanding of Islam needs to be taught on common ground, not left to some ghetto



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Published Date: 03 September 2008
By Malory Nye
ISLAMIC Studies must be made relevant to the needs of a multicultural society and the alarming gulf in understanding on issues of Islam in Scotland closed.
It has become clear that the study of Islam has to be centralised into schools and higher education curricula and taught in ways that meet the demands of our multicultural society.

There is no point teaching such studies in isolation or in an ins...



The full article contains 577 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 02 September 2008 6:50 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Teaching
 
1

truthsleuth,

03/09/2008 00:45:42
How much did she pay for this advert.
2

,

03/09/2008 07:52:03
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
3

,

03/09/2008 08:18:44
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
4

,

03/09/2008 09:49:15
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
5

Puzzler,

Edinburgh 03/09/2008 10:15:40
Sorry Mr Nye. You are wrong on a number of counts.

Children and others should indeed be taught the basics about Islamic belief; as they should about Judaism, Bhuddism, Hinduism and all world religions. It would also be quite nice if they also learned a thing or two about Christianity, given that this is the faith that in one way or another formed Scottish society for good or ill. I trust that your institute will be inviting a series of guest lecturers from the other faith communities in Scotland to address your students. I suggest starting with Judaims as your coreligionists seem to have a few difficulties with that partiucular belief system. Those unfortunate remarks about Jews being "sons of piugs and apes" and so on. (whoops sorry! Of course the jews are the pigs and Christians are the apes - I was forgetting).

As far as being a multi-cultural society is concerned -this is simply false. Scotland must be the whitest place in the UK by a long way. Even in areas of Britain where there are the highest concentrations of ethnic communities they are still only substantial minorities, and these are confined to a few areas of big English cities. The UK does not qualify to call itself a multi-cultural society in any way shape or form, whatever way you rattle the numbers.

Your main priority should be to end the isolation of much of the muslim community, and to end the disgusting bigotry being peddled in mosques of the type revealed by the two recent Dispatches documentaries.

I have just spent the weekend in the company of a number of British born muslims from Bradford. All were under the age of 30 and had never lives anywhere else. Perfectly nice lads, but they had lived their lives like frogs at the bottom of a well. They knew next to nothing of British society, nothing of any religion other than their own and they admitted to having been taught to hate and fear those of other religions at the local mosque; that in fact such people are actually evil - that wou
6

Puzzler,

Edinburgh 03/09/2008 10:17:55
Continued

When they are being taught to hate and fear the very society they live in, it's not difficult to see how unstable individuals among impressionable young men like this can be persuaded to carry out attacks against thsoe they percieve as outsiders.

The priority for you, sir, should be to confront bigiots and fanatics anmong the members of your own religion and cast them out. Start classes at local mosques explaining the beliefs of other religions; point out the areas in which belifs coincide and avoid areas of controversy; preach a philosophy of live and let live; take young muslims on visits to other places of worship, so that they can see that everyone else doesn't have two heads or eat babies in church. In Short set your own house in order before telling the rest of us that we must make a study of your religion.

Take the beam out of your own eye and you will see more clearly to help us remove the speck in ours.
7

ThePeter,

Glasgae 03/09/2008 10:52:13
Prof, you smoking something?

Sorry this is the UK whose basis is Christianity and it's morals and philosophical outlooks even if most people do not have a clue and / or are atheist.

Any immigrant coming in has to "buy in" to this philosophy. If they are not willing to "buy in" and appreciate that they have to join UK society as opposed to UK society joining them, then - LEAVE.

Sure, I think school's should teach that other religions exist and to respect that peoples religous beliefs can be different. However this does not mean that we need intense training in Islam. Instead all Muslim's (and Hindu's, buddhists, etec) in Britian should be taught Christianity to a high level and if they have a problem - then LEAVE.

Simple

8

Unimpressed one,

03/09/2008 12:35:19
Typical Scotsman - banning 'offending' articles when they offend the islamic faith.
9

Calum Crubag,

Dùn Eideann 03/09/2008 12:44:03
#7-Peter in Glesgay.

Christianity just as foreign as Islam. Duh! Don't they both share the same Abrahamic roots with Judaism? Plus, what do we do with white Scottish Muslims? Send them to Glasgow with all the other religious bams?

Aye, teach ABOUT all faiths. But teach kids that these are only 'ideas' and that the world runs on science and reason and not auld stories.

10

thebob,

Dublaireshire 03/09/2008 15:18:44
Well it seems that free speech is already dead in Scotland based on the number of comments removed.

It seems it is impossible to question or criticize this so called religion of peace.
11

radge dug,

03/09/2008 18:55:19
thebob - mibbe aye, mibbe nae. Lets see if i'm shut up too?

Islam is a load of barbaric nonsenseand mumbo jumbo. Like all the other relgions.

Free speech though comes with responsibilty. Islam isn't a race, so to talk about people 'going home' is ridiculous. Should all Christians go back to Jerusalem too?
12

ThePeter,

Glasgae 03/09/2008 19:35:15
Really #9 you do not say...
However our Moral philosophy (big words I appreciate for you) is based on Christian principles. The fact that I would not recognise a word of Arameic (what Jesus would have likely spoken) is irrelvant.
White Scottish Muslims - my argument is not against any non-Christian religion and what I say prev is still original.

And yes, I do know Dun Eideann means Edinburgh - if you are trying to be clever do it in front of the mirror at home instead of wasting our time
13

Calum Crubag,

04/09/2008 12:48:24
And? So our 'moral philosophy' is based on a foreign religion. It's all the same. Does it make a difference what kind of foreign mumbojumbo some people follow?

Dun Eideann. Gle mhath 'ille. Sgriobh barrachd sa Ghaidhlig mas urrainn dhut.
14

Calum Crubag,

04/09/2008 12:50:01
And, as a white Gaelic Scot, I have a problem being taught Christianity. Where will you send me and the thousands of others like me who are fed up with Christianity and other superstitious nonsense?

 

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