Islamization and Religious Education

Abstract

The final indicator of Islamization of government is the government’s support for religious education. Three types of government support are analyzed: religious education in public schools, (public) religious schools, and assistance to private religious education. In the first part, the initial rejection and subsequent wholehearted acceptance of religious education in public schools and Imam-atip schools by the Turkish elite is examined. In the case of Pakistan, the growth of religious education from a few hours at elementary level to being mandatory up to graduation level is analyzed. The chapter also discusses the growth of madrassas in the 1980s and 1990s, and the decade-long, largely unsuccessful attempts of the governments to control them.