Examining the Theme of ‘Tolerance’ in UAE Islamic Education
Mariam Alhashemi and Naved Bakali
Previously, Tabah Futures Initiative (TFI) has examined the topic of Islamic Education in the UAE. Since that time, the TFI team, in partnership with external researchers, has further investigated themes related to Islamic Education in the UAE, with the focus this time on tolerance. As we prepare to release a report of the findings in the Fall/Autumn, below is a short discussion of what to expect.
The theme of tolerance is an increasingly important value that has been promoted greatly in a number of nations which have large expatriate communities. As the UAE is a nation composed of more that 200 nationalities, tolerance is a value that is essential for the cohesiveness of society. As many often assume religious education can be overly dogmatic and divisive, we were curious to investigate if the theme of tolerance formed a meaningful component in the Islamic Education curriculum in the UAE. In order to investigate this issue we engaged in a three phase study. First we examined Islamic Education textbooks (grades 10–12), secondly we engaged in classroom observations of Islamic Education classes in both public and private schools in the UAE, and finally we interviewed Islamic Education teachers to ask their views and perceptions about the theme of tolerance in Islamic Education based on their experiences.
Islamic Education textbooks in the UAE at the senior levels discussed the theme of tolerance in some depth. In both grades 10 and 12 the theme of tolerance represents an entire chapter of the textbooks, while in grade 11 related themes of tolerance were addressed. These related themes included intolerance, extremism, and religious pluralism. The theme of tolerance was addressed through providing examples from the sirah (prophetic biography) , the hadith literature (prophetic sayings), as well as references to important figures in Islamic history. As such, the theme of tolerance in Islamic Education textbooks in the UAE was conceptualised as an authentic Islamic value and not simply a way to deal with diversity in light of an increasingly globalised world. With regards to intolerance, this theme was often linked to the notion of extremism. In other words, intolerance was a gateway that could potentially lead to having extremist views. As such, one can infer that the notion of tolerance can be seen as a way of potentially curbing extremist views and ideas in the Islamic Education curriculum.
When speaking to teachers of the Islamic Education program, they further impressed the importance of the theme of tolerance within the Islamic Education curricula in the UAE. All teachers we interviewed, in both the private and public sectors felt that the theme of tolerance was addressed through the Islamic Education curricula in the UAE. A number of teachers who have taught in other countries in the region felt that the UAE did a particularly good job in addressing the theme of tolerance through the Islamic Education program. Teachers also felt that their students, for the most part were very receptive towards learning about tolerance in their Islamic Education classes. One of the concerns raised by the teachers we interviewed was that a number of them felt that they needed professional development to better address these themes in their Islamic Education classes. The theme of tolerance is a relatively new topic in the Islamic Education curriculum. As such, there is a lack of resources available for teachers to teach about this topic beyond what is available to them in the textbooks.
With regards to how much tolerance was promoted within the classroom setting, we found that this really varied according to school culture. Schools that were more heterogenous in their student bodies and promoted international curricula, tended to display higher levels of tolerance in their classrooms, with regards to the types of issues addressed and discussed in their classes. Classrooms that were more homogenous with regards to their student populations did discuss and promote the theme of tolerance at some level, however, not to the same degree as heterogenous classroom environments. Therefore, our observations indicate that school culture and the make-up of the student body can have an impact on the extent to which tolerance is promoted in a given school.
The full report of our findings will be released soon. For more information, email us at: futuresinitiative@tabahfoundation.org.
