Book Reviews

In many states the role of religion and religious communities is controversial. While this is particularly true of predominantly Muslim countries, it also holds for Europe. The controversy revolves not least around the issue of religious instruction. What is the legal basis of religious instruction, in which institutions does it take place, who draws up the curricula, who trains the teachers, and what is its impact? Do states seek to instrumentalise it to strengthen their legitimacy; do societal forces use it to influence government policies? Does it trigger, deepen or reduce conflict? These questions are examined in case studies of Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Lebanon, Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey and the UK. A comparison of the case studies reveals commonalities in the pattern of problems and conflicts, but also gaps in the state of our knowledge, and, hence, the need for further research.

Education Integration Challenges: the Case of Australian Muslims is a publication which compliments an earlier book by the same author Dr. Abe Ata entitled:  Us and Them: Christian Muslim relations and cultural Harmony in Australia (David Lovell Publishing, 2010). This new book additionally show results from a national survey which was conducted by the author for the Government during 2005-2009.These results comprise attitudes of 3000 senior students at 52 Catholic schools and colleges to Muslims in Australia.  The results are also found in the authors latest book "Catholics and Catholicism in Contemporary Australia: educational challenges and achievements" (Australian Academic Press, 2012). 2013 book flyer muslims df Back cover Comments

The Krio of West Africa - Islam, Culture, Creolization and Colonianism in the Nineteenth Century is a book by Gibril R. Cole. While presenting results from the first sustained historical research after the end of Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war, it appeals to those with interested in the history of Islam in West Africa, the British empire, the Black Atlantic, the Yoruban diaspora, and the slave trade and its aftermath.

This book by Iren Ozgur is about the Imam-Hatip schools in the wider network of social, cultural and professional Islamic organizations that have expanded in Turkey over the last 40 years >>

This book examines the management of religion in Indonesia. It discusses how Christianity has developed in Indonesia, how the state, though Muslim in outlook and culture, is nevertheless formally secular, and how the principal Christian church, the Java Christian Church, has adapted its practices to fit local circumstances.

This book addresses multicultural education from a new and unique perspective, linking critical pedagogy and theory, and social justice to transformative leadership. It then uses these concepts to increase understanding of educational philosophy, curriculum and instruction, policy-making, and school-community relations.

This teaching guide is published by Gallup Press and is the product of the Gallup World Poll's massive, multi-year research study where tens of thousands of interviews where conducted amongst residents of 35 countries, primarily Muslim. Here attached is a summary of all the chapters of the book: Who_Speaks_for_Islam_Teaching_Guide[1]

David Brigg's review of Places of Faith: A Road Trip Across America’s Landscape (OUP, 2012) by Christopher Scheitle and Roger Finke underscores the linkage between knowledge about each other's religions and the lessening of prejudice, as well as the similarities and differences between faith communities in the USA.

One of the major issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is history. A long-awaited innovative historical treatment has been the dual histories -- juxtaposed literally -- in Side By Side: Parallel Histories of Israel and Palestine by Sami Adwan, Dan Bar-on, and Eyal Naveh of PRIME.

Charles C. Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum, reviews the late philosopher Warren Nord's book, Does God Make a Difference?: Taking Religion Seriously in Our Schools and Universities , published October 2010 by Oxford University Press.