Use of islamic, islamicized and national curriculum in a muslim faith school in England: Findings from an ethnographic study

Abstract

This chapter presents findings from an ethnographic research conducted in a secondary Muslim faith school for girls in England. The Muslim school is different from madrassas in providing mainstream formal education to pupils with an addition of a few Islamic subjects. The chapter starts with a brief discussion of the socio-cultural context within which Muslim schools have emerged in Britain and the controversies around their existence, which primarily relate to the integration of Muslim minority children in Britain. The chapter then analyses how the girls (11-14 years) are ‘socialized’ through three different types of curriculum i.e. ‘Islamic’, ‘National’ and ‘Islamicised’ used in the studied school. The paper argues that teaching through these forms of curriculum aims to help the young Muslims develop a British Muslim identity which is compatible with their religion and prepare them to integrate in the society. It informs the contested debates around the role of Muslim faith schools and highlights the teaching and learning processes through which the young Muslims are socialized. Such processes are largely ignored in the debates surrounding the education and integration of Muslim minority children in Britain.