Skip to main content.
Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news
ReligionNewsBlog

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:
A Random Image
Islam:

Muslim ‘anti terror’ lessons

The Times, UK
Sep. 2, 2007
Diseph Gadher
www.timesonline.co.uk

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 19296 • Posted: Sunday September 2, 2007  

Click here... More articles on this topic: Islam

New citizenship lessons have been proposed to prevent Muslim pupils from becoming suicide bombers and increase their participation in British society.

Young Muslims will be asked to consider the impact of the 7/7 bombings on their victims; encouraged to report terrorist plots to the police; and women advised not to wear the full Islamic veil to “avoid confrontation”.

Drawing on the Koran to counter extremist ideology, pupils will be taught to channel any anger against British foreign policy into legitimate forms of protest, such as the ballot box.

The curriculum is already being used in up to 200 Islamic schools, or madrasahs, as well as some mainstream state schools, mainly in West Yorkshire. Now, the government, which has part funded the initiative, wants to see it rolled out nationally in madrasahs and schools, though there are no plans to make it compulsory.

Officials estimate that about 100,000 Muslim children attend madrasahs or religious classes at mosques each day, normally after school or at the weekend. But the instruction they receive has traditionally focused on reciting the Koran and learning Arabic.

The new citizenship classes have been introduced by the Bradford Council of Mosques, which has trained about 50 imams in the “Nasiha” (good advice) curriculum.

Sajid Hussain, an Oxford-educated secondary school teacher, has devised more than 30 lesson plans that can be downloaded from the internet. They are aimed at pupils aged 10-17.

Hussain claimed radical preachers had tried to drive “a wedge between a Muslim person’s faith and society”. The lessons, he believes, will enable youngsters to challenge extremist views by using evidence in the Koran.

“It’s okay saying Islam teaches against suicide bombings, but we need to know why,” he said. “It’s very important that young Muslims understand that their faith is not divisive.”

A lesson on the “sacredness of life and property” aims to teach pupils “that it is unlawful to make oneself into a suicide bomb and kill others in a country where Muslims have given a religious promise to respect its laws”.

Sources at the Department of Communities and Local Government, which has been monitoring the programme, confirmed that it wanted it to be used nationally.


What You Can Do From Here

Read More Articles On These Topics
more cult news articlemore religion news Categories: Islam
more religion news aboutmore Religion News Blog articles about
Share, Blog, or Email This Article
Subscribe
Read Another Article
Find Related Information
cult research search enginecountercult information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults
Find Related Books


Most Popular Today


Share This Article

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:





Counter Cult Search

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.


Apologetics Search

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.

Home
Latest Headlines
RSS news feed [?]
Headlines by Email
News Trackers
Free content for your site
About RNB
Privacy Policy
Contact RNB
Link to RNB
Advertise on RNB
Apologetics Index
Cult FAQ
Apologetics Search Engine
CounterCult Search Engine