I here intend to examine the perceptions and practices of the state
and different Islamist groups about the religious education in
contemporary Egypt. Since the 1970s, the rise of Islamism in Egypt
has created strife between the ruling elites and dissidentI slamist
groups to capture the religious discourse and control the religious
socialization in the mass education. This strife has resulted in
the emergence of alternative Islamic educational areas (private
Islamic schools and Al-Azhar schools). In this context, I use
hermeneutic method to analyze the religious educational discourses
and institutions of these two main agents' ruling elitesa nd
Islamist groups. The Mubarak regime in Egypt seeks to
institutionalize a particular state discourse in religious
education in accordance with its own interests. However, the
important thing is the reactions of different Islamist (moderateand
radical) groups to this state discourse and institutionalization.
This study aims to shed light on the conflictual domain of
religious education from the perspective of political sociology. It
can be useful for researchers and scholars who study on Islam, the
Middle East, religious education and Egypt.
M. O. Asik received his BA degree in Sociology in 2003. He completed the M.S. program in Middle East Studies at the Middl eEast Technical University (METU) in 2007. He is currently a PhD student in Sociology and research assistant in the Graduate School of Social Sciences at METU. His interest areas are Islam, Middle East and education.
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