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University for Peace PEACE EDUCATION: ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES CURRICULUM/TEACHING MODULE Programme Principal: Prof. Dr. Amr Abdalla Ph.D. Vice Rector University for Peace Project Director: Mr. Narinder Kakar Director Asia and the Pacific Programme University for Peace Consultant & Module Editor: Ms. Sara Saeed Khan Niazi Editorial Committee: Mr. Narinder Kakar Ms. Sara Saeed Khan Niazi Asia and the Pacific Programme i Copyright University for Peace, 2009 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from copyright owners and publisher of this manual. Pictures of children and adults used in the cover are original photos by Sara Khan, Gerardo Romero and Alex Rivera respectively. Cover design and graphics by Kyran Naz. ISBN: 978-9977-925-60-8 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University for Peace. Printed by: Printing Avenue House Sadar Bazar, Rawalpindi-Pakistan Ph: +92-51-5125696 E-mail: [email protected] : [email protected] ii The mission of the University for Peace is to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace with the aim of promoting among all human beings a spirit of understanding, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples, and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and progress in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations. Charter of the University for Peace, Article 2, approved by the UN General Assembly by Resolution A/RES/35/55 EDUCATION University for Peace OR Asia and the Pacific Programme iii iv CONTENTS FOREWORD…….... ..........................................................................................................................VII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................. IX LECTURERS’ GUIDE ...................................................................................................................... XI CURRICULUM OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................... XIII INTRODUCTION……….. ................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER I: METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................11 CHAPTER II: BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PEACE AND CONFLICT ............................23 CHAPTER III: ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES AND VALUES: PEACE CONTENT AND PEACE POTENTIALS ...................................................................................53 CHAPTER IV: PEACEFUL APPROACHES TO CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN MUSLIM CONTEXTS ....................................................................................69 CHAPTER V: IDENTITY & DIVERSITY IN ISLAM ........................................................86 CHAPTER VI: HUMAN RIGHTS IN ISLAM .......................................................................114 CHAPTER VII: WOMEN, GENDER, PEACE EDUCATION AND ISLAM ...........136 CHAPTER VIII: DEVELOPMENT, THE ENVIRONMENT AND ISLAM .............147 CHAPTER IX: MEDIA AND PEACE EDUCATION: DECONSTRUCTING AND RECONSTRUCTING MUSLIM AND ISLAM IN THE MEDIA .................................................................................................................................164 CHAPTER X: ISLAM, POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE ..............................................182 FURTHER READINGS ...................................................................................................................202 WORKS CITED……….. ..................................................................................................................211 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE AUTHORS ........................................................217 v vi FOREWORD The curriculum/teaching module “Peace Education: Islamic Perspectives” is one of several publications by the University for Peace (UPEACE) that aims to further its commitment to sharing knowledge in the pursuit of peacebuilding worldwide. It represents the collective effort of scholars, academics, and professionals with knowledge of Islam and experience in conducting peace education and peace and conflict studies with a view to making available as widely as possible a cutting-edge, user-friendly curriculum on peace education from Islamic perspectives. It is intended both for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and is applicable to both formal and nonformal systems of education. Following consultative missions launched by UPEACE to countries such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, among others, it became obvious that there was clear need for the development of peace education courses and materials based on Islamic perspectives. This need applies to both formal and nonformal education, and to the formulation of national policies and approaches at the community level. These consultative and curriculum development processes, supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), culminated in the development of UPEACE’s Programme on Education for Peace in Asia and the Pacific and its subsequent proposal for a program of action. The goal of the overall project for the development and implementation of peace education curricula from Islamic perspectives was to provide peace education informed by Islamic sources to a variety of Muslim communities and related segments worldwide. Through this curriculum/teaching module, an attempt has been made to develop a framework for an “Islamically informed” peace education curriculum. In this process, UPEACE engaged experts in the areas of peace education and Islamic studies representing majority and minority Muslim communities, and formed a team of experts in Islamic peace education (Global Resource Team) to support the expansion of curriculum implementation. UPEACE’s commitment to spreading knowledge about nonviolence and the peaceful resolution and transformation of conflict permeates all its academic and regional activities. These principles and values guided the development of this curriculum, while emphasizing UPEACE’s commitment to mainstreaming gender, human rights, multiculturalism, and participatory/interactive education. UPEACE hopes that this curriculum with its teaching modules will contribute to advancing and spreading peaceful approaches informed by Islamic perspectives in higher education and civil society settings. Amr Abdalla, Ph.D. Professor and Vice-Rector University for Peace vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The compilation of the lessons was made possible through the contributions of participants of the two workshops held with the aim of developing the curriculum for a module course on Peace Education with Islamic Perspectives. We would like to acknowledge with appreciation their contributions. We would also like to acknowledge the generous financial support provided by the Canadian authorities through the Toronto Centre of the University for Peace, and to the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), which enabled UPEACE to conduct the workshops and to produce the curriculum/teaching module. We extend our gratitude and appreciation to Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, and its president Dr. Mohammed Abu Nimer, for the scholarly and educational support they provided to the development of this curriculum, especially their leadership with the design and implementation of the first workshop. A number of UPEACE faculty and staff made valuable contributions. Prof. Dr. Amr Abdalla, Vice Rector guided the process of developing the framework for the workshop and the whole project. Mr. Narinder Kakar, Director of the Asia and the Pacific Programme guided the organization and conduct of the two workshops and also the process for the compilation and editing of the curriculum/teaching module. Dr. Fayen D’Evie, Director of the Toronto Centre provided support for the first workshop and Ms. Dinoo Mathew, Project Coordinator for the Asia and the Pacific Programme supported organization and conduct of the second workshop. Ms. Allison Antenello for her efforts to ensure all chapters and lesson plans were received in time from the authors. Ms. Sara Khan has been instrumental in compiling the curriculum/teaching module and in its editing. ix x * LECTURERS’ GUIDE ASSUMPTIONS: Since this is a curriculum/teaching framework—rather than course material to be handed out to students—lecturers may want to reproduce some of the material presented. In doing so, please keep in mind the doctrine of fair use under copyright law for such distribution and norms of attribution. As with any teaching materials, this model reflects the knowledge, background, teaching antecedents, and convictions of those preparing it. Lecturers using this material are free to change the sequence, topics, references, or resources found here and may introduce their own sources. This framework assumes a 12-week term (one module per week) and is geared toward graduate level university students, teachers, madrassas and civil society participants. Although the lesson plan covers one module per week, it can be modified to fit other purposes. The activities, case studies, evaluation, and reflection stages are designed to promote an interactive learning process and help students become more engaged in reading, reflection,