This is an excerpt from one of Tariq Masood’s speeches. Its translated more or less meaning. My notes are in brackets.
Knowledge that you are getting in universities this is secular education. This is also important. Islam doesn’t negate this. But if this knowledge is making you heedless of Allah then this ‘knowledge’ will be means of you going to hell. In Islam, its valuable to obtain knowledge whether its of this world or hereafter. I hope I can explain the value of (secular) education through incident of Prophet Yusuf. When King of Egypt called Yusuf (as), upon giving the correct interpretation of the dream. Yusuf (as) realized that King is pleased with him and wants to grant him position.
(“And when King spoke to him, he said, “Indeed, you are today established [in position] and trusted.” (12:54))
Yusuf (as) could have said build a mosque. Think about it? King was Non-Muslim. He could have said I am Prophet of Allah, prayers will be held at the mosque and remembrance of Allah will be established. Make for me madrasah (seminary of Islamic education). He could have said that. Rather he asked to be made Minister of Finance. Knowledge of finance, economics, management this is secular knowledge. This is not divine knowledge. But Yusuf (as) is asking to be made Minister of Finance. Why?
“I am truly reliable and adept.” (12:55)
Minister of Finance has two requirements which are hard to find :
(1) The individual should possess this knowledge. How much should be stored and how much should be given out. So that there is no shortage of resources in the country and economy is strong. Isn’t Budget of the country announced on this basis? Any small shop owner will not be able to do this. Not anyone can just advise the government that you should store this much, import this and export this. For this economics is studied and you have to be strong economist. Allah made Yusuf (as) proficient in knowledge of economics so he could rule and become Minister of Finance.
(2) Second requirement is he be someone who protects the treasury (reliable and not corrupt). It shouldn’t be that to protect treasury you need to employ more people to prevent treasurer (from stealing). My friend has store that contains goat feed (corn, oats, barley). He employed an individual to look after it so no one steals anything. Employee used to snack now and then finishing half bag every week. In order to prevent him from snacking he had to then hire another individual to watch over him giv
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For the majority of my life, I had been home educated by my mother and father. Unlike my cousins or my friends, I never attended primary or secondary school. I did everything, including GCSEs, from home.
As a consequence, I lacked much of the experience of secular, Western society that the majority of my friends did. The little I knew came from the consumption of media, hearing experiences from others or the short time I spent in an Art GCSE class.
So it would be an understatement to say that I felt a massive culture shock when I started college.
Unlike most schools, my sixth form was largely middle class, based in a higher income area compared to my friends. It did not have as strong of a Muslim base as other places did, which explained the obvious detachment of many young Muslims from their religion, simply taking it as part of their culture.
I seemed alien even to other Muslims within my year, as my education and upbringing was vastly different from their typical British state school life. I was one of a few external students entering this sixth form.
Of course, this would result in many discussions and debates, many of which were on controversial topics. Women’s rights, religion, terrorism, morals, ethics, culture, and all the rest of it.
But due to the nature of my upbringing, I was definitely questioned more than others, due to the nature in which I condemned Western society, and rejected its fundamental principles as flawed.
One particular discussion which I recall resulted in a complete uproar from one of my classes, whereby I stated that Muslims were morally superior to every other ideology. Even my poor teacher had to do a double take, thinking I may have been misinterpreted (only to sadly realise that I was in fact completely serious.)
In terms of how I approached such discussions, I learned quickly to pick my battles. Rather than answering every question regardless of the intent, I’d say “It depends.” It depended if they wished to actually hear a long answer, or were just wasting my time. Thus, it was easier to find those who were indeed sincere and those who weren’t.
Undoubtedly however, the most hotly debated topic was women’s rights and feminism.
For years, these students had been brainwashed through hours of curricular and extracurricular classes on liberty, freedoms, feminism, and all the mantras that came with it. Like any products of a modern liberal state, they were institutionalised, yet considered themselves educated.
Most
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hi r/Judaism Redditers!
My name is Naftuli Moster.
It's an honor to be invited to do an AMA here.
I am the founder and executive director of Yaffed (Young Advocates for Fair Education).
Yaffed is a non-profit committed to improving secular education in ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic Yeshivas across the state. Since 1894 New York State has required all non-public schools to provide an education that is "at least substantially equivalent" to that of public schools. The law goes on to list the subjects that must be taught, including English, math, science, social studies, etc.
In most Hasidic boys' schools very little of that is actually taught. On average a Hasidic elementary or middle school boy receives a maximum of 90 minutes of secular education a day, only 4 days a week, only in subjects English and arithmetic, and taught by an unqualified teacher (a graduate of the same system). Hasidic high school boys receive no secular education at all. ZERO. No English, no math, no science, no social studies. Nothing.
This system is so entrenched, that without government enforcement, it won't magically change. It's not the kind of thing people can simply change from within, especially since there are consequences just for speaking out. And parents don't have a choice to send their kids elsewhere because it is expected that they send their kids to the Yeshiva of the Hasidic sect they are part of.
New York State is currently considering new regulations which, if enforced, would dramatically improve the situation for tens of thousands of children.
Please ask me anything!
p.s. right now we are seeking nominations for the first annual Haredi Changemaker award. Please nominate your favorite changemakers!
Is Modern Secular Education Ultimately in the Best Interest of Muslim Women?
The west sets up an environment (modern socio-political and economic system).
It tells us that in order to excel in this environment we need to go through certain processes to obtain a piece of paper (modern secular education + degree/qualifications).
But there’s a catch (for Muslims):
The process is such that the likelihood is by the time you have obtained that piece of paper you’ve gone through a proverbial spiritual meat-grinder at the end of which what remains of your Imaan is shredded into pieces of different lengths and sizes.
Few come out with their Imaan still relatively intact; while vast majority come out with their Imaan shredded in too many places to count with the gaps in between glued together with secular ‘filling’, ie modern Secular-Liberal sensibilities with which those “problematic” aspects of one’s Imaan were replaced which clashed with Secular-Liberal values taught in the university.
Now to determine if this end result is worth putting one’s daughter’s Imaan (and therefore her akhira) into jeopardy through this spiritual meat-grinder one has to do a cost-benefit analysis which brother Daniel already did so I won’t repeat it here and for those who want to check it out they can in his post at the following link:
In order to do a cost-benefit analysis in this context one needs to first determine what is the ultimate end-goal of our mere 60-70 years existence on this planet, ie what is the purpose that we are here and where will we eventually go (basically the reason behind our analysis)?
I’m sure as Muslims many of us already know the answer but just as a friendly reminder (I’ll try to keep it as short as possible):
- Our purpose is to serve Allah (swt) through His worship [Quran, 51:56]
- Our ultimate goal is to reach Jannah, In sha Allah
- The only road-map to achieve the above is through the Quran and Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (saw)
- All of the above entails having a strong Imaan and preserving all those aspects which contribute to this, ie the Six Pillars of Imaan (Faith): [https://madrasatelquran.com/the-six-pillars-of-faith-iman-in-islam/](https://madrasatelquran.com/the-six-pil
The Times of Central Asia -- Uzbek CR President Mirziyoyev Issues Decree Forcing Religious Institutions to Provide "Parallel Secular Education"
[Jan 1st 2024]
(TASHKENT) Creeping concerns of political Islam thanks to an emboldened and state sanctioned Taliban to the south in neighboring Mughalistan is forcing Confederal Republics within the Karakum Confederal Union (KCU) to re-evaluate their relationship with Islam.
Freed from the grip of the atheist Soviet Union, Central Asian states had embraced the Islamic cultural revival as a means of underlining their indigenous culture and independence. However, particularly in former Uzbekistan where struggles with outlawed Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir and Tajikistan where a civil war saw the government victorious against a coalition of liberal and Islamist forces, sensitivities are high.
"Both the people and governments of the region continue to be interested in re-exploring their Islamic past," remarked sociology professor Bahadur Yusupov. "But outside interpretations and religious cultures have scared the secular political circles who have ruled since independence that radical Islam will take over from the Arab Gulf or conservative nations to the south."
Seeking to encourage more modern Islamic education, Uzbek CR President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has issued a decree set to take full effect in 2027 but will begin implementation next academic year, dictating a new curriculum be designed at all religious academic institutions.
Islamic and other religious schools will be forced to provide what the government calls, "parallel secular education" within their curriculum. What this means in practice is that, for age-level equivalent schools, if for example a madrasa is educating students of university age, they must provide university education in non-Islamic topics under the same standards in order to keep their doors open.
Justified publicly as a move to keep education standards high, it remains to be see if Uzbek religious figures embrace the change or if simmering discontent emerges.
https://preview.redd.it/uls61oksaeh51.jpg?width=123&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ddbb641593a2b0cd97595c172abfe9fd08d273ec
In rolling out Alberta Education's new vision and curriculum for K-12, it seems that Education Minister, Adriana LaGrange, wanted to convey the impression that this work had been created with genuine intellectual capital, educational inclusiveness, progressive thinking and consensus-based decision making. However, upon closer examination, and putting aside the usual political platitudes, the appearance is deceiving. What the new vision and curriculum truly represents is the imposition of right-wing ideology, via Catholicism, on the public and secular education system.
That being so, this insidious bit of policy-making most likely originated in the Office of The Premier, Jason Kenney - then contracted out to a 'friendly' advisory panel (with prescribed outcomes) - to be unleashed by the Education Minister upon a largely unsuspecting public in 2021.
Certainly, the new vision poses a threat to the well-being of public (secular) education. Many people believe that state education should be secular - there is the need for separation between religion and state. For public schools, they are required to be strictly neutral in matters of religion. Conversely, there is faith-based schooling.
Alberta runs a school system that offers ten options for school plurality and choice, nine of which provide some form of faith-based schooling. It is a pragmatic version of a “pluriform school system.” Particularly attractive about this system is that it offers faith-based schools a way to get public tax dollars to support their private curriculum. It is here where Kenney has overtly demonstrated his right-wing bias.
First, about Jason Kenney. He is a staunch Catholic. He went to high school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, at the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, a private Catholic high school, of which his father was president. Kenney also attended St. Michaels University School in Victoria, British Columbia. He concluded his academic studies at the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit university in California, but failed to complete the coursework. Incidentally, the Jesuits are a formal religious order of the Catholic Church. Over the centuries, the Jesuits have been vigorous in propagating their faith - particularly in the founding of missionaries, schools, colleges and seminaries worldwide.
In last fall's provincial budget, the Kenney governme
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Also, did some schools decide against transitioning, and if so, what happened to them?
Thank you!
This is an excerpt from one of Tariq Masood’s speeches. Its translated more or less meaning. My notes are in brackets.
Knowledge that you are getting in universities this is secular education. This is also important. Islam doesn’t negate this. But if this knowledge is making you heedless of Allah then this ‘knowledge’ will be means of you going to hell. In Islam, its valuable to obtain knowledge whether its of this world or hereafter. I hope I can explain the value of (secular) education through incident of Prophet Yusuf. When King of Egypt called Yusuf (as), upon giving the correct interpretation of the dream. Yusuf (as) realized that King is pleased with him and wants to grant him position.
(“And when King spoke to him, he said, “Indeed, you are today established [in position] and trusted.” (12:54))
Yusuf (as) could have said build a mosque. Think about it? King was Non-Muslim. He could have said I am Prophet of Allah, prayers will be held at the mosque and remembrance of Allah will be established. Make for me madrasah (seminary of Islamic education). He could have said that. Rather he asked to be made Minister of Finance. Knowledge of finance, economics, management this is secular knowledge. This is not divine knowledge. But Yusuf (as) is asking to be made Minister of Finance. Why?
“I am truly reliable and adept.” (12:55)
Minister of Finance has two requirements which are hard to find :
(1) The individual should possess this knowledge. How much should be stored and how much should be given out. So that there is no shortage of resources in the country and economy is strong. Isn’t Budget of the country announced on this basis? Any small shop owner will not be able to do this. Not anyone can just advise the government that you should store this much, import this and export this. For this economics is studied and you have to be strong economist. Allah made Yusuf (as) proficient in knowledge of economics so he could rule and become Minister of Finance.
(2) Second requirement is he be someone who protects the treasury (reliable and not corrupt). It shouldn’t be that to protect treasury you need to employ more people to prevent treasurer (from stealing). My friend has store that contains goat feed (corn, oats, barley). He employed an individual to look after it so no one steals anything. Employee used to snack now and then finishing half bag every week. In order to prevent him from snacking he had to then hire another individual to watch over him giv
... keep reading on reddit ➡For the majority of my life, I had been home educated by my mother and father. Unlike my cousins or my friends, I never attended primary or secondary school. I did everything, including GCSEs, from home.
As a consequence, I lacked much of the experience of secular, Western society that the majority of my friends did. The little I knew came from the consumption of media, hearing experiences from others or the short time I spent in an Art GCSE class.
So it would be an understatement to say that I felt a massive culture shock when I started college.
Unlike most schools, my sixth form was largely middle class, based in a higher income area compared to my friends. It did not have as strong of a Muslim base as other places did, which explained the obvious detachment of many young Muslims from their religion, simply taking it as part of their culture.
I seemed alien even to other Muslims within my year, as my education and upbringing was vastly different from their typical British state school life. I was one of a few external students entering this sixth form.
Of course, this would result in many discussions and debates, many of which were on controversial topics. Women’s rights, religion, terrorism, morals, ethics, culture, and all the rest of it.
But due to the nature of my upbringing, I was definitely questioned more than others, due to the nature in which I condemned Western society, and rejected its fundamental principles as flawed.
One particular discussion which I recall resulted in a complete uproar from one of my classes, whereby I stated that Muslims were morally superior to every other ideology. Even my poor teacher had to do a double take, thinking I may have been misinterpreted (only to sadly realise that I was in fact completely serious.)
In terms of how I approached such discussions, I learned quickly to pick my battles. Rather than answering every question regardless of the intent, I’d say “It depends.” It depended if they wished to actually hear a long answer, or were just wasting my time. Thus, it was easier to find those who were indeed sincere and those who weren’t.
Undoubtedly however, the most hotly debated topic was women’s rights and feminism.
For years, these students had been brainwashed through hours of curricular and extracurricular classes on liberty, freedoms, feminism, and all the mantras that came with it. Like any products of a modern liberal state, they were institutionalised, yet considered themselves educated.
Most
... keep reading on reddit ➡