RELIGION

TEXTBOOK
6553 Unit No. 3
ZIA ARIF
AWAN
 ▶ Religion is a vital part of humanity, history and culture, so why it
has to be passed to the next generations. The right of religion is
a fundamental right and a community (ethnic or religion) has
the right to transmit its religion and believes to its next generation.
If totams and taboos are a part of religion or a themselves are
called a religion is a separate question but the civic right
pressurizes to develop and design religion textbooks separately.
Most of our people do not differentiate between religious
literature of teaching or preaching and the religion textbooks.
Both are two different things. This point of difference is to be
explained elaborated next.

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Awan
 RELIGIOUS RIGHTS AND
TEXTBOOKS
▶ The first textbook in the sub-continent was a religious book ever published
for the Christian missionaries to preach and teach. Ethics and Islamic
Studies were the basic subjects even in the British period of the sub-
continent. After Independence Islamiat is a compulsory subject in
Pakistan. The non-Muslims can take an alternate subject “Ethics”.
“Islamiat” is now divided into “For Sunny” and “For Shia” students.

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 Cont….

▶ These religion textbooks are basically reading material and never designed
to improve learning or inculc ate basic understanding to the students.
▶ Islam, its values, teaching and points of view are observed in the
other social subjects. Islamization of these subjects in Pakistan was done by
the orders of General Zia ul Haque.
▶ We shall discuss here only the text books on Islamiat and about the right
of religion textbooks.
▶ If there is a right of religion then there is also a right of the citizens
that the religion textbooks be well designed and developed, so that these
may become more effective and attractive than mere reading material
or history based informative literature.

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Awan
 Textbook
Controversy
▶ The religious right in school is not only an issue of our countires, it is also
discussed and moved in the west. The famous move or controversy is
called the Texas Controversy. The Right has long looked to public school
textbooks as a way of promoting its political agenda. Current right-wing
strategies in the U.S. to influence textbook development have their origins
in the 1960s, when Texasbased activists Mel and Norma Gabler first led a
nationwide effort to purge public R 134 school texts of what they viewed
as the "mental child abuse" of liberal ideas. The Gablers were among the
first to recognize just how influential textbooks can be. As they put it,
"Textbooks mold nations because they determine how a nation voes,
what it becomes, and where it goes."

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 Review
Criteria
In the review following eight criteria were employed:

1. Authority The sense of history portrayed is modern, accurate, and linked to

authoritative research. Historical conclusions are supported with valid
evidence; the textbook generalizations, therefore, may be traced readily to
historical evidence. Historical methods are described accurately and
understand the purposes of historical analysis and the reasons for studying
history.

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 Interpretation

▶ A framework for knowing the history of the American people

emphasizes both an accepted, substantial knowledge base and an
openness to new and different interpretation. Historical knowledge is
neither eliminated, muted, nor given undue emphasis in response to
parochial pressure.
Significant topics that might be controversial or difficult to understand are
treated sensitively and accurately.

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 Significance

▶ Basic concepts and major turning points. events, and people are treated
in sufficient depth to enable students to develop an understanding of
their 136 significance and a realistic portrayal of the time. The book is
more than a storehouse of facts; it stimulates students to envision ideas
and issues.

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 Context

▶ Terms, practices, ideas, and quotations are embedded clearly in the

historical contexts of place and time; presentation is avoided. Students
are enabled to see the complexity of real situations and the importance
of context; the particulars are not reduced to instances of the general.
Whether the text presents history in chronological order or explores
themes and events by studying their historical roots and consequences
and present-day analogies, the student is always oriented in time.
Further, the meanings and judgments of the present are not imposed
unfairly on events of the past.

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 Representativenes
s
▶ Pluralism, equity and a full sense of identity are apparent in the textbooks;
stereotypes and simplism are avoided. The history presented to students
acknowledges the experiences and contributions of representative
individuals and groups. It offers a positive but not romanticized sense of
personal and collective roots. Both famous and ordinary people are
presented.

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 Perspective

▶ The text engages students in exploring what it means and has meant to
be a citizen. It reveals how our freedoms have been extended and
narrowed, jeopardized and strengthened; how people have acted in
the larger world; and how our sense of ourselves has evolved and is
seen and experienced differently by different individuals and groups.
Origins and consequences of major events and topics in history are
presented evenly and without undue glorification and condemnation.
Multiple perspectives, presented in the narrative and through primary
sources, emphasize both continuity and change over time. History is
offered as a human.

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 Engagement

▶ The textbooks study tasks (e.g., activities, e.g; lions, projects) engage
students intellectually and emotionally. They reveal a genuine intent that
students think with facts, think about interpretations, and enter into the
worlds of others. Critical reading, thinking, and writing are stressed. The
variety of activities provided encourages students to hi-come engaged
with the historical content: they are not seen as evidence of "dumbing
down" the textbook.

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 Appropriateness

▶ The text is well written, It is stimulating. interesting and challenging; it is not

boring. The textbook acknowledges the visual importance of the overall
message through appropriate and meaningful design, use of color, and
illustrations. The book takes both the student and teacher seriously as
thoughtful persons. Reading, activities, approaches, and suggestions
make the textbook appropriate for students with a range of cognitive
abilities in classrooms with quite different support resources.

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 Question of Religion
Inculcation
▶ The point was raised early with a question. Where is religion in
these textbooks?

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 Christian
Textbooks
▶ Christian Protestant fundamentalists, who believe that the only way to find
salvation is to accept God's word as revealed in the Bible, often display
an arrogant attitude toward other religions in the world. Rather than
approaching the subject of religious differences from the point of view of,
"This is what we believe," fundamentalists declare "Your religion is in error.”
Three major school textbook publishers that favor fundamentalist
Christian philosophy; namely A. Beka Press, Bob Jones University Press,
and School of Tomorrow/Accelerated Christian Education.

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 Religion Textbooks in
India
▶ Under the Constitution, India is a secular state and, like the United States,
endorses no one religion. The country, however, is overwhelmingly Hindu.
The Indian government's 2001 census, the most-recent data available,
shows Hindus make up 82 percent of the country's population; Muslims
follow with 12.12 percent; and Christians with 2.34 percent.
▶ The numbers--even relatively small percentages--are significant because
of India's population--1 billion people. Changes in textbooks prescribed
by the National Council for Educational Research and Training, the
federal- level body that controls education in thousands of schools
across the country in 2004, are a ca se in point.

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 Islam and the
Textbooks
▶ The conclusion first: No textbook an Islam fits to the standards of textbook
designing. The Islamic textbooks are a reading material rather than a
pedagogica l apparatus. Same is the condition of the contents.
America n Muslim organizations have been working hard these past few
years to present Islam as a peaceful, tolerant religion.

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 EVALUATION AND RATING
RELIGION
TEXTBOO
K
▶ The difference between a religious literature of teaching and a religion
textbook is not known to the most of the people. Every citizen has a right
to believe in any religions and practice according to this, so the ethnic
communities try to prepare religious teaching material for their next
generation. As for as the religion textbook is concerned it must be
treated by two aspects:
▶ 1. The content should based upon the common practices.
▶ 2. The presentation should be according to the principles of textbook
development and designing.

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 Agenda for
Reforms
▶ There must be some criteria to reform the religion textbook to develop
them up to the standards of textbook designing. The American and Arab
muslim associations are trying to prepare an agenda to reform but most
of them are apologetic. They are revising only to delete the pomages of
holy war or sex discrimination type topics and not for their designing

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 THE GOALS OF ISLAMIC
STUDIES
▶ To achieve the above goal, the following Aims have been
formulated:
▶ Fundamental beliefs of Islam
▶ Concept of ibadah (worship)
▶ Concept of al-din (religion)
▶ Social system of Islam
▶ Moral system of Islam
▶ Politica l system of Islam
▶ Economic system of Islam
▶ Spiritual system of Islam

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 Cont..

▶ 2. To cultivate in the pupil a reverence for, and a love for Allah, Creator of
the Universe. 3. To acquaint the pupil with the basic teachings of Islam as
laid down in the Holy Qur'aan and exemplified in the life and conduct
of Muhammad (sollallahu 'alayhi was-sallam). 4. To develop within the
pupil the qualities which make for a well-alanced Muslim. 5. To teach the
pupil selected Ahadeeth in order to get him to direct his own conduct.
5. To teach the pupil the daily practices with regard to worship and
general conduct as befits a Muslim. 6. To teach the pupil practices with
regard to personal hygiene. 8. To make the pupil aware that he is part of
a greater Muslim community. 9. To acquaint the pupils with the
contributions made by Muslims to human progress

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 GENERAL
AIMS
▶ The syllabus is intended to:
▶ 1. Promote an enquiring, critical and sympathetic approach to the study
of Islam, especially its individual and corporate expression the
contemporary world;
▶ 2. Introduce pupils to the challenging and varied nature of Islam and to
the ways in which this is reflected in experience, belief and practice;
▶ 3. Help pupils to identify and explore questions about the meaning of life
and
to consider such questions in relation to Muslim traditions;
▶ 4. Encourage pupils to reflect on Muslim responses to moral issues; and
▶ 5. Enable candidates to recognize and appreciate the contribution of Islam
in the formation of patterns of belief and behavior.

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 A Model Religious
Textbook
▶ The basic characteristic of a religion textbook is athat it should be
“teachable” and not compulsorily “Readable”. The secondary
characteristic is this that it should be “illustrated” and not compulsorily
“decorated”. The third characteristic is this that it should be designed on
the standards of a social science textbook.

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Awan
 Any
Question?
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Awan
 Thank
You
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Awan