A school at mosque in the structure of muslim religious education: status and evaluation

Abstract

The Islamic revival naturally raised the issue of Muslim education in the post-Soviet space. The growth and strengthening of the ideology of radical Islamism in the public consciousness, the designation of the dominance of adherence to religious precepts in everyday life as opposed to secular laws, destructive actions under the slogan of protecting the "purity" of the faith necessitated the dissemination of religious knowledge that would not threaten the secular foundations of the Russian state. Therefore, the development of Muslim religious education in the territories of the historical spread of Islam acquired special significance, for it was intended to give those wishing to receive religious education such knowledge that would not preach inter-religious intolerance and would not spread radical ideas in Russian society. Empirical data indicate that the surveyed population positively assesses the quality of education in the mosque school, arguing that they receive good knowledge of the basics of Islam, have the opportunity to learn how to read the sacred text, as well as certain ritual actions that are quite significant for the respondents in their everyday life. As a secular education, religious education also has disadvantages, and to improve the state of Islamic education, according to the interviewed experts, it is necessary to hold national conferences, round tables, which will discuss issues of teacher training, to organize training courses of teachers of maktabs, ensure a school at the mosque unified educational and methodical literature.