Religion in Public School Curricula in the Middle East

The word public refers to all the people or the whole area of a state or nation. In countries where there exists a clear separation between religion and the state, religious content in public school curricula is dictated by laws separating government from religious belief and practice. In contrast, throughout much of the Middle East, religion is woven into the cultural and legal identities of states. As public schools are key institutions formally charged with the socialization of young people into citizenship and national identity, public school curricula in much of the Middle East necessarily include religious content.

This entry describes religion and public schooling in the Middle East. It is organized into two parts. In the first part, a general description and mapping of the ...