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The image of Arab Muslim's culture in the History textbooks in United Kingdom
London. May 8, 2008
Meeting's report Prepared by Prof. Mustafa El Halougi and Prof. Mahmoud Al-Kholi
The roundtable was organized by Egyptian Culture and Education bureau
in London and the commission of study of the image of Arabic Islamic
culture in school textbooks all over the world.
The meeting was attended by:
Prof. Maysa Farid counsellor Egyptian Cultural in London.
- Dr. Albar De Souza UK National Commission for UNESCO
- Prof. Mohamed Abu Laylah, Faculty of Languages and Translation, Al
Azhar University and member of the commission.
- Prof. Mustafa El Halougi , Faculty of Languages and Translation, Al
Azhar University and assistant Secretary of the commission of study...
- Prof. Mahmoud Al-Kholi, Cultural Attaché in London.
- Mrs. Anne Breivik responsible for the English schools in UK National
Commission for UNESCO
- Mrs. Yvette Thomas, UK National Commission for UNESCO
- Mrs. Naira Anton, Education officer, Council for Arab -British
Understanding
- A group of teachers in UK
- Representative of Egyptian Community in UK
Apologized for not attending Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdul Halim Chief of
department of Islamic Studies in SOAS and Prof. Dr. Michael Riley,
University of Bath spa , also apologized the representative of British
Ministry of Education and Jean Pierre Titz, Chief of History in the
European Council, Education Sector, Mrs Ibtisam Ushi of the Arabic
British Organization. They asked for the report of the meeting and a
copy of the study.
Prof. Maysa Farid welcomed attendees and then talked about the
commission of study of the image of Arabic Islamic culture in school
textbooks all over the world in Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education
and praised the importance of understanding , the cooperation among the
peoples and the importance of the students knowledge of culture and
then introduced the researchers who presented the study.
Prof. Mohammed Abu-Leila thanked the organizers and attendees and
demanded to rectify the image of Islam in textbooks in the framework of
dialogue and understanding between civilizations. As he warned of the
dangerous of ignoring the other. He said that this study will help us in
providing the right image for our culture. And he focused on the miss
introducing of the Muslim women in textbooks using citations to some of
these books.
The Muslim women is respected in the Quran which
address the men and women without discrimination and used some of the
Quranic verses that mention the both with the word human . And added
that the Koran is equal between men and women in the responsibility,
rights and duties. In the same time Islam is interested in family when
considered the man as father, a husband and a brother. As considered at
the same time women as a wife a mother and a sister. Without any
preference for men on women.
He said that Islam holds man
responsibility for spending on his wife and to his family and so-called
custodianship which the Koran does not consider this responsibility as
preference. And when the Quran gave women inherit half the share of
men share, this does not mean they are less than men, but that was
compared to shoulder the responsibility of the husband or brother
spending on his sister or on his wife. Muslim women has a full right to
retain her funds and control it. He draw the attendees attention that
Islam gave special attention to one's inheritance and his/her right to
control it and not allowed to any Muslim to recommend all his fundhand in order not to deprive relatives of this compassion and that unlike
some Western laws that allow a person to recommend his funds for a
project.
He added saying that polygamy is allowed under some conditions and
the only Quranic verse on the subject says, "But if you fear that you will
not be Just, marry only one." And pointed out that many Muslim women
were scientists and educated, and his called to compare the status of
women before Islam- were considered as chattel- , and after Islam she
became equal to men in rights and duties, as referred to the suffering of
women in the world. Then he concluded by saying that he as a Muslim
respects his mother who took care about him, and discusses with his wife
in home issues and life.
Prof. Mustafa Elhalougi thanked the organizers of the meeting as thanked
attendees for their good cooperation, then he presented the objectives of
the study which meant by correcting the image of the other's religion and
culture, through studies and dialogue and delivery of studies to education
officials and school publishing houses.
As he emphasized the
importance of teaching peace in schools to prepare students to be open to
others in accordance with the principle of tolerance here, which means
knowledge and mutual respect for the cultures to coexist in peace.
He said students must learn in textbooks distinction between
knowledge and belief. Such he addressed the objectives of the study on
the image of Arab and Islamic culture in the USA textbooks to correct
the errors that distort the image of Arab- Islamic culture. And he pointed
out that the textbooks provide bright image of Islamic civilization. He
said that the reasons for this progress is due to the principles of
civilization, which are freedom, brotherhood, equality and cooperation,
tolerance and peace and reliance on reason , science and work. All these
principles
are
mentioned
in
the
Koran.
He presented also the negative image of Islam which existed in the
British
textbooks through out some of the conceptions such as:
- Jihad which provides in most of the books as a holy war to spread or to
defend Islam.
- Islam as orders and prohibitions.
- Prophet Muhammad as a war man
- Status of Women in Islam.
The researcher , here wondered , saying: Is it conceivable that a
civilization flourished based on the principles of religion and it’s
principles incompatible with the principles of civilization? And
demanded the authors of textbooks to distinguish between the principles
of religion and the behavior of extremists belonging to this religion or use
religion for personal or political aims . The researcher attributed the
errors to prejudiced misconceptions about Islam or not to rely on trusted
sources, or jihad from the perspective of military or neglect textual
contexts or historical, or geographical or social or political of any
historical text or Quranic verse. the researcher dealt with one of the ex.
Common mistakes and introduced the definition of jihad in Arabic and
in the Quran and then the wrong definition in some textbooks that link
jihad in Islam to terrorism.
The greatest Jihad in Islam is self-defense to be a useful citizen to your
society and your community, whether this community Muslim or non.
Quranic verses states that the fighting to defend and not to attack "and
fought in the name of God those who fight against you and do not
transgress God loves not aggressors" No. 2 verse 190. And stated verse
No. 256 in the same Sura, which prevents Muslims from forcing others to
convert to Islam "no compulsion in religion." He said that the verses
which ordered Muslims to fight on cases regarding defense or protection
of waiting for an attack from the enemy or betray the peace agreement
signed with Muslims, just as happened with the polytheists of Mecca. He
said that this kind of jihad in Islam, known as the smaller jihad. And he
provided some quotations from the textbooks that claim that jihad as holy
war to spread Islam and linking Islam to terrorism and talked about the
close relationship between Islam and peace and that peace is one of the
names of God in Islam, which is - like Christianity and Judaism -
innocent of the violence. And pointed out that some school publishers in
France and in Greece corrected the erroneous definition of jihad in
textbooks in recent editions following the completion of studies and
discussions with education officials in those states. And asked attendees
to ask the education officials to correct errors. As called attendees that
the study does not diminish the efficiency and integrity of the authors of
textbooks but this dialogue enriches our cultures. And exposure to the
causes of errors due to understanding the Quranic verses out of context or
rely on the wrong translation of the text or prejudgment or because of
incorrect or incomplete and away from historical context , or because of
the media campaign against Muslim extremists and confusion between
Islam and extremism.
As he pointed out that UNESCO , the European Council , the Arab
League , ISESCO and the Swedish Institute in Alexandria, are now
preparing a guide for correcting errors in European and Arabic textbooks.
And warned attendees of the consequences of mistakes. He added that
some Muslim students, especially those who leave school before the
termination of the study and live on the margins of society may be
exposed to fall easily into the hands of extremists and when they learn in
school erroneous concept of jihad: holy war to spread or to defend Islam .
He said that the world is waging a war against terrorism that kills
thousands of innocent people, for that the school must teach the culture of
peace and provide the right image to the other and to the other's culture
and
religion.
The discussion has shown the agreements of the participants on the
need to correct misconceptions and provide the Quranic verses or texts
on their contexts . Prof. Maysa Farid posed a question: What is the
image of Arabs and Muslims in English history textbooks? Participants
agreed with the researchers in the fact that the image is distorted in some
textbooks. Said one of the ladies: How can we correct these conceptions?
One of the researchers answered: That should be through the dialogue
and delivery the studies to those responsible for education and school
publishers and give them detailed information about errors which lead to
present Quranic verses out of their contexts or/and rely on faulty
translation or giving prejudgment which dominate Europe since Crusade
or because of the history of Ottoman Empire in Europe, or colonial
history or because of the media campaign against Muslims extremists,
and confusion between Islam and extremism.
A teacher said that the textbook do no talk about women in Islamic
history, but talking about women in Islam and is usually said to be behind
the men. A teacher added that in England the British judges Muslim
women of her clothes and way of dealing with their sons. One of the
teachers intervenes saying: There is confusion between culture and Islam
and to this misunderstanding happens. One of the researchers explained
that some of the textbooks do not distinguish between Islam and the
behavior of some Muslims. One participants said that the British do not
differentiate between Arabs and the Muslims. A teachers added there is
need to teach cultures in the Islamic countries and not only Islam as a
culture on the basic view of the multiplicity of cultures in Islamic
countries . One Egyptian living in England said that there is introducing
week for all nations during the school year. Therefore the Muslims
residing in England have to define their own cultures and religion
because the British are not to be blamed for their misunderstanding, but
the Muslims should shoe themselves in the right way and they have
integrate into society while retaining their creed. One participant
wondered: Why Muslims teachers do not take actions when they see
some errors in textbooks? Then he answered the question saying: The
people in charge of education and school publishers will respond to
them. One of the participants suggested to print brochure by the correct
concepts and to send them to schools and teachers and put them on the
market. One of the participants alerted to the importance of informing
teachers. A teacher demanded that the school publishers to consult
specialists in Islamic studies about the Islamic information listed in their
books. One teacher said to the attendees that the British authorities
asked Saudi Arabia many years ago to correct some specific British
information in the Saudi Arabia books and Saudi Arabia corrected it.
Why British is not asked to do the same? One of the ladies suggested to
focus on correcting the books and especially the most prevalent. One of
the teachers added that reading about the Arabs and Muslims is
increasing after September 11. One of the participant said that Islam in
Egypt is different from Islam in Bangladesh and added one of the ladies:
Other religions must be respected as well. A teacher pointed out that
schools teach some right concepts since the last ten years and the school
libraries have many Islamic books and it is allowed to wear veils and that
British congratulate Muslims in the Muslims holidays and in Ramadan,
the British sympathize with the children of young Muslims in Ramadan
from hunger, but parents must make it clear that the child has food with
him in his bag and can eat, but he wants to fast. The researchers said that
the Islam is one and that Muslims believe in the pillars of Islam and faith
and it must be distinguish between Islam and Islamic cultures which
were influenced by cultural heritage of each country which had existed
before Islam. And also must be differentiated between Islam and
jurisprudential schools, which vary among the branches only. The
researches and attendees asked
Dr. Albar De Souza UK National
Commission for UNESCO , Mrs. Anne Breivik responsible for the
English schools in UK National Commission for UNESCO , Mrs.
Yvette Thomas UK National Commission for UNESCO and Mrs.
Naira Anton, Education officer, Council for Arab -British Understanding
delivery the research to officials of the education and school publishers
and follow correction of errors that distort the image of Arab Islamic
culture in the textbooks in UK for coexistence in peace. One of the
representatives of National Commission for UNESCO said that the
National Commission is not able to change school curricula. The
researchers responded : we ask the National Commission for UNESCO
delivery the English studies to those responsible for education and
school publishers and to follow the correction of mistakes through
dialogue with officials and not to change curriculum because the problem
lies in some textbooks which compromise the providing of the
curriculum. And finally Prof. Maysa Farid thanked the participants in
the meeting.
After the meeting Prof. El Halougi phoned Prof. Dr. Mohamed AbdulHalim Chief of department of Islamic Studies in SOAS who apologized
for not attending due to his participation in the conference held in Italy.
He also emailed Dr. Michael Riley, University of Bath spa and member
of The commission of study of the image of Arabic Islamic culture in
school textbooks all over the world , that also apologized for not
attending due to his participation in the UNESCO meeting in Paris. Dr. El
Halougi asked professors Abdul- Halim and Riley to cooperate by
contacting the officials in charge of education and the school publishers
and also to send the research to them. Dr. Abdul-Halim in cooperation
with the Egyptian Cultural bureau , promised to act. And Dr. Riley
promised to send the research to the official in charge of education and to
the one of the school publishing houses.