"Madrasah (Arabic: مدرسة) is the Arabic word for any type of school, secular or religious (of any religion).
The word "madrasah" also exists in many Arabic-influenced languages such as Urdu, Persian, Turkish, Kurdish, Indonesian, Malay and Bosnian. In the Arabic language, the word مدرسة implies no sense other than that which the word school represents in the English language, such as private, public or parochial school, as well as for any primary or secondary school whether Muslim, non-Muslim or secular. While in the US, madrasah is considered as a post-graduate Islamic school, the correct Arabic term for a university, however, is jamiʿah. The Hebrew cognate "midrasha" also connotes the meaning of a place of learning.
A typical Islamic school (madrasah) usually offers two courses of study: a "hifz" course; that is memorisation of the Qur'an (the person who commits the entire Qur'an to memory is called a hafiz); and an 'alim course leading the candidate to become an accepted scholar in the community. A regular curriculum includes courses in Arabic, Tafsir (Qur'anic interpretation), shari'ah (Islamic law), Hadith (recorded sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad), Mantiq (logic), and Muslim History. Depending on the educational demands, some madrasahs also offer additional advanced courses in Arabic literature, English and other foreign languages, as well as science and world history.
People of all ages attend, and many often move on to becoming imams. The certificate of an 'alim' for example, requires approximately twelve years of study. A good number of the huffaz (plural of hafiz) are the product of the madrasahs. The madrasahs also resemble colleges, where people take evening classes and reside in dormitories.
An important function of the madrasahs is to admit orphans and poor children in order to provide them with education and training.
The word "madrasah" also exists in many Arabic-influenced languages such as Urdu, Persian, Turkish, Kurdish, Indonesian, Malay and Bosnian. In the Arabic language, the word مدرسة implies no sense other than that which the word school represents in the English language, such as private, public or parochial school, as well as for any primary or secondary school whether Muslim, non-Muslim or secular. While in the US, madrasah is considered as a post-graduate Islamic school, the correct Arabic term for a university, however, is jamiʿah. The Hebrew cognate "midrasha" also connotes the meaning of a place of learning.
A typical Islamic school (madrasah) usually offers two courses of study: a "hifz" course; that is memorisation of the Qur'an (the person who commits the entire Qur'an to memory is called a hafiz); and an 'alim course leading the candidate to become an accepted scholar in the community. A regular curriculum includes courses in Arabic, Tafsir (Qur'anic interpretation), shari'ah (Islamic law), Hadith (recorded sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad), Mantiq (logic), and Muslim History. Depending on the educational demands, some madrasahs also offer additional advanced courses in Arabic literature, English and other foreign languages, as well as science and world history.People of all ages attend, and many often move on to becoming imams. The certificate of an 'alim' for example, requires approximately twelve years of study. A good number of the huffaz (plural of hafiz) are the product of the madrasahs. The madrasahs also resemble colleges, where people take evening classes and reside in dormitories.
An important function of the madrasahs is to admit orphans and poor children in order to provide them with education and training.
Due to administrative mishandling, radical political indoctrination of students and adopting a more conservative view of the simple teachings of Islam, especially in certain Muslim countries, madrasahs nowadays are frequently deemed as ideological and political training grounds for hatred against the West.
In certain countries, the heavy emphasis on religious teachings to the exclusion of more economically viable subject areas has been criticized. It is important to remember that while these political and ideological biases exist on a school-by-school basis, the word madrasah literally means "school" and does not imply a political affiliation." (emphasis mine) -- Wikipedia
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How can we learn from Madrasahs (which we can incorporate into our local christian education)?
- Democratisation of education
- Decentralisation of institutions of learning
- Education in mediums that are meaningful and effective at the grassroot level
- Education for the poor and underprivileged
- Promoting life-long education and intellectual pursuit amongst lay people
- Flexible, alternative approaches to learning from the conventional formal education
- Community-based, church/mosque centred education
- Ecumenical / interdenominational approach to education, exploring the whole spectrum of religious interpretation
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