Encyclopedia of Islam

education

  

209  J

---

curricula were designed to inculcate students with 

a sense of patriotism as well as knowledge and 

training needed to find employment in a modern 

society. Nevertheless, the teaching of traditional 

Islamic subjects continued on the elementary 

levels at Quran schools and at select colleges and 

universities, such as 

al

-a

zhar

 in Cairo, Islamic 

University in Medina, and the Shii madrasas in 

Najaf and Qom. Even at these institutions, how-

ever, modern influences were strongly felt. Al-

Azhar University, for example, has added colleges 

of medicine, agriculture, and engineering.

The establishment of modern schools and 

universities by secular governments, missionaries, 

and Muslim reformers has improved the overall 

educational level of people living in the countries 

of the Muslim world. There are now hundreds of 

state-run universities and a growing number of 

private universities, many of them with professors 

who have been educated, at least in part, in Europe 

and North America. Nevertheless, the quality of 

the educational experience varies widely. Many 

schools and universities are overcrowded and lack 

adequate funding for teachers’ salaries, libraries, 

textbooks, audio-visual equipment, computers, 

and building maintenance. Girls have had access 

to modern education since the 19th century but 

often to a lesser extent than boys because of fam-

ily obligations, cultural traditions, and socioeco-

nomic factors.

Some observers have also asserted that schools 

and universities have served as breeding grounds 

for radical Islamic movements. While this may 

be true in certain instances, such as the Islamic 

revolutionary movement led by Ayatollah r

Uhol

-

lah

 k

homeini

 (d. 1989) and some groups inspired 

by Wahhabi doctrines in Saudi-funded madrasas, 

it is probably not as widespread as some have 

proposed. Other factors are likely to be more 

important in the proliferation of such movements. 

On the other hand, it can be argued that modern 

education has also improved the quality of life for 

many, stimulated democratic forces, and fostered a 

cosmopolitan, pluralistic outlook in many Muslim 

countries.

See also a

ligarh

; 

aUthority

; 

books

 

and

 

book

-

making

; d

eoband

; 

literacy

; 

mUFti

; 

murid

; s

hiism

.