Re-appropriation of religion in Educational Reform in the Middle East

Education reform in the Muslim Middle East is the crossroad of globalization, rapid economic development, socio-political changes and religious ideologies. The diverse pattern of the reforms is the reflection of the complexity across the region; affected by domestic factors and the nature and extent of the linkage to the global forces. Despite differences, reforms share four common interlinked features across the region: 1. Socio-economic development and civil society; 2. Governance; 3. Cultural (traditional/religious) factors and political climate; and 4. International factors. Albeit variations in all countries under study: ‘religion’ and `tradition' have been re-appropriated within education; the need for reform has come through `domestic actors' endorsed by ‘external actors’ and/or mutual interactions; a slow process of democratization has compelled the reforms; emergence of a middle-class has contributed to the changes in the educational landscape, and lastly there is synchronization between domestic and international actors to inhibit or enhance the chance for reforms along with larger international practices such as EFA (Education for All), MDG (Millennium Development Goals) and LLL (Lifelong Learning).
This paper is based on the preliminary findings of a larger comparative study on the recent educational reforms in nine countries across the Middle East, using interviews and policy analysis at both national and cross-national levels.