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

Published on Tuesday 2 September 2008 19:43

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 insular atmosphere, as that merely continues to peddle the "us and them" attitudes I would like to see disappear. Unfortunately, it is still the case that most British non-Muslims – including many in Scotland – do not understand what makes Muslims "tick", so it is important that people find out.

Education is the key here. The director of the English Higher Education Funding Council has stated that the designation of Islamic studies in UK higher education is a subject of "strategic importance" and should not be seen in any "negative light".

The majority of Britons face the challenge that 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 the "others"; they are part of the fabric of British society. As part of this, improving education among minorities, particularly British Muslims, is essential. The current education structures are letting down Muslims who were born and brought up in Britain.

The favoured option so far – of Muslim schools and colleges, set up and run by Muslims, for Muslims, is not the answer to these difficult questions. The agenda needs to be much more challenging than that.

Multiculturalism is not about separatism, ghettoisation or balkanisation. It is a recognition of both diversity and the need for common ground, mutual respect and cultural engagement.

At the Institute, a research-led higher education establishment with courses validated by Aberdeen University, we focus on the promotion of intelligent debate and understanding of Islam and its role in the contemporary world.

I am pleased to say that our approach has sparked a considerable momentum within UK higher education for the development of the subject.

Both on the public and political level, what is done within this field is of concern to many far beyond the Institute.

Much of what is debated by academics in seminars and classrooms also crops up in daily debates in the media, in streets, pubs and living rooms.

Understanding Islam matters, even if it sometimes appears that no-one understands.

Our aim at the Al-Maktoum Institute is to continue educating the next generation of scholars, nationally and internationally, in the study of Islam and Muslims to face the challenges and opportunities of a diverse and multicultural 21st century. We are committed to diverse thinking for today's world.

The Institute has a graduation roll of 64 from over 20 different countries across the world in its first six years of existence and it has also hosted more than 200 female students from the United Arab Emirates through summer schools and short academic programmes.

Given the political turmoil worldwide and the ever-present fears of extremism and terrorism, promoting intelligent debate and understanding of Islam and the role of Muslims in the contemporary world is increasingly vital.

&#149 Professor Malory Nye is the principal of the Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Dundee.