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In recent years, madrassahs and their education systems in many developing countries - and specifically in Pakistan - have attracted much attention from researchers and policymakers at the local and international level. The main focus has been on the reform of madrassahs, their political activism and, more specifically, studies which attempted to investigate their alleged links with militancy. Moreover, madrassah education has been questioned for its relevance to the contemporary needs of individuals and societies. However, despite focusing on many dimensions of madrassahs, few studies have tried to understand madrassah education within the economic, socio-religious and cultural context of Pakistan. A number of publications have reached generalised conclusions about the madrassah education system in Pakistan. Inspired by this, and by adopting qualitative research methods, this study focused on two main research questions:(a) Why do people prefer a madrassah education and what type of factors shape their preference? (b) What are the socio-economic impacts of a madrassah education on individuals and at community level? Researcher conducted a field study of more than six months in the Chach (Attock) region of Pakistan. Different students, parents, madrassah teachers and key informants were interviewed to collect required informations. The findings of the study revealed that different economic backgrounds, parental religious interests, individuals¿ personal religious interests, and social norms and cultural values shape preferences for a madrassah education. Moreover, this study also revealed that there exist various socio-economic impacts of a madrassah education on individuals and at community level. However, a madrassah education has often caused conflict in communities. The study shows that while a madrassah education creates barriers to achieving modern skills and incomes, its social benefits are valuable for those living within socio-cultural constraints in rural areas. Specifically, it enhances the social status and agency of women. The study also shows that madrassah education is an opportunity for those who otherwise would have no other option to study. This study concludes that there is a need to re-think madrassah education within the economic, social, cultural and religious context of Pakistan. This study has practical implications for practitioners, madrassahs and researchers, and it also suggests further research related to madrassah education.

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Teachers and parents make considerable sacrifices to affiliate themselves with Islamic schools. As they commit to Islamic education, they acquire certain expectations that they want their school to fulfill. The purpose of this study was to explore the academic, social, and cultural expectations of five teachers and five parents in an Islamic School on the West Coast in order understand how these expectations could be fulfilled in other Islamic schools across the United States. The main research questions of this study were: What are the academic, social, and cultural expectations that parents and teachers have of their Islamic schools? To what extent are Islamic schools meeting the expectations of parents and teachers? Qualitative, phenomenological research methods were used for the design of this study along with a purposeful sampling of teachers and parents, triangulation of data sources, and a thorough coding process. Findings from the study supported that teachers and parents expected children to be knowledgeable about Islam in its broadest and deepest interpretations. Additionally, teachers and parents expected children to apply their knowledge of Islam in their everyday lives. Lastly, the degree that expectations were met depended on the support that teachers and parents received from their school community. When teachers and parents felt encouraged by school stakeholders, their expectations were generally fulfilled. Conversely, when teachers and parents felt that their needs were overlooked by school stakeholders, their expectations tended to remain unmet. Conclusions from the study explored ways to bridge the gap between met and unmet expectations of teachers and parents. Implications invited teachers and parents to move beyond expectations toward transformative educational experiences for children in Islamic schools.

As the number of Islamic institutions increases in America, the need for greater understanding of the Muslim community, and the challenges faced by this minority, increases as well. This project seeks to provide such knowledge by exploring one of these rapidly growing institutions founded and funded by Muslims, private Islamic schools. Absent from media and literature is an understanding of Islamic schools and the experiences of youth as their attendees. This project addresses this gap through an ethnographic focus on female students at one Islamic school. Data was collected via interviews, focus groups, observation, and participant observation. This student-centered approach provides qualitative insight on the perspectives of Muslim girls on identity, schooling, and community in order to foster greater understanding of the mission, social function, and practices of Islamic schools.

Diss. av båda författarna Stockholm : Stockholms universitet, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Impressions and perceptions about Islām, particularly in a world where much of what is known about Islām has emerged from after the tragic devastation of the Twin Towers in New York, are creating huge challenges for Muslims wherever they may find themselves. Women as the more visible believers in Islām are, what I believe, at the forefront of the growing skepticism surrounding Islām. And central to the modern day debates and suspicious regard meted out to Muslim women today is her hijāb (head-scarf). Ironically, it would appear that the same amount of detail and attention that Islamic scholars have devoted to the role of women in Islām and how they are expected to conduct themselves is now at the centre of the modern day debates and suspicious regard. Yet, the debates seldom move beyond what is obviously visible, and so little is known about what has given shape to Muslim women’s being, and how their understanding of Islām has led them to practise their religion in a particular way. This dissertation is premised on the assertion that in order to understand the role of Muslim women in a cosmopolitan society, you need to understand Islām and Islamic education. It sets out to examine and explore as to whether there is commensurability or not between Muslim women and the notion of cosmopolitanism, and what then the implications would be for democratic citizenship education and Islamic education. One of the main findings of the dissertation is that the intent to understand Muslim women’s education and the rationales of their educational contexts and practices opens itself to a plurality of interpretations that reflects the pluralism of understanding constitutive of the practices of Islam both within and outside of cosmopolitanism. Another is that inasmusch as Muslim women have been influenced by living and interacting in a cosmopolitan society, cosmopolitanism has been shaped and shifted by Muslim women. By examining the concepts of knowledge and education in Islām, and exploring the gaps between interpretations of Islam and Qur’anic exegesis, I hope to demystify many of the (mis)perceptions associated with Muslim women, and ultimately with Islām. And finally, by examining how Islamic education can inform a renewed cosmopolitanism, and by looking at how democratic citizenship education can shape a renewed Islamic education, the eventual purpose of this dissertation is to find a way towards peaceful co-existence.

<p>Afghanistan has a long history of Islamic education while Western type of education (<i>maktab</i>) is of more recent date. The latter type of education has expanded rapidly recently. However, girls’ enrolment remains low, around 35 per cent.</p><p>The present study examines children’s, particularly girls’, participation in the two educational systems. Throughout history three conflicting issues are apparent in Afghan education: state control over Islamic education, the role of Islam in education, and girls’ participation. A case study approach has been adopted providing an analysis of how history and the present globalisation processes affect current education, and how students, parents and teachers in two villages perceive the changes. The focus has been on capturing the meaning attached to education.</p><p>The findings indicate high expectations on education as a vehicle to peace, enhanced morals and living standards. The traditional <i>madrasas</i> have declined, other forms of Islamic education have emerged. The Mosque schools are neglected by education authorities but highly esteemed by villagers. Concerns are expressed with the amount of time in maktab and with the quality of learning. The Islamic concept of <i>farz</i> (obligation, responsibility) puts both types of education in high demand.</p><p>Dilemmas are associated with choosing between Islamic and Western type of education, applying <i>farz</i> to girls’ education and the encounter between Islam and globalisation. Two folk theories, one on globalisation and another on <i>farz</i> in education, were formulated as a basis for the further analysis. Worries are articulated about preserving Islamic values and ethics. Although ‘globalisation’ is a never heard of concept, villagers know some of its features, e.g. secularisation, individualism and consumerism, and fear these may lead to a weakened Islamic identity.</p><p>Girls’ education is generally accepted. Albeit some consider a few years enough, most consider girls’ right to education to be identical to boys’, on certain conditions. Besides security, a female teacher is the most important. However, findings from the village with a long established girl school with female teachers indicate that this is not the crucial factor. In Islamic education, girls will continuously be excluded from advanced Islamic studies since female mullahs do not exist.</p><p>Apparently, the real obstacles for girls’ education are the strictly segregated gender roles in Afghan society. Therefore, a new interpretation of <i>farz</i> is emerging, a ‘glocalised’ version. This is likely to be a decisive factor for giving girls equal access to education in both educational systems.</p>