The Madrasa in Asia : Political Activism and Transnational Linkages
Contents: Acknowledgement. Introduction: Behind the walls: re-appraising the role and importance of Madrasas in the world today/Farish A. Noor, Yoginder Sikand and Martin van Bruinessen. 1. Voices for reform in the Indian Madrasas/Yoginder Sikand. 2. Change and stagnation in Islamic education: the Dar al-\'Ulum of Deoband after the split in 1982/Dietrich Reetz. 3. \'Inside and Outside\' in a girls\' Madrasa in New Delhi/Mareike Winkelmann. 4. Between Pakistan and Qom: Shi\'i Women\'s Madrasas and new transnational networks/Mariam Abou Zahab. 5. The uncertain fate of Southeast Asian students in the Madrasas of Pakistan/Farish A. Noor. 6. Muslim education in China: Chinese Madrasas and linkages to Islamic schools abroad/Jackie Armijo. 7. From Pondok to Parliament: the role played by the religious schools of Malaysia in the development of Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS)/Farish A. Noor. 8. Traditionalist and Islamist Pesantrens in contemporary Indonesia/Martin van Bruinessen. 9. The Salafi Madrasas of Indonesia/Noorhaidi Hasan. Contributors. Glossary. Acronyms and Names of organisations, Movements and institutions. Index.
"Since the rise of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, the traditional Islamic schools known as Madrasas have frequently been portrayed as hotbeds of terrorism. For much longer, modernizers have denounced Madrasas as impediments to social progress, although others have praised them for their self-sufficiency and for providing \'authentic\' grassroots education. For numerous poor Muslims in Asia, the Madrasa still constitutes the only accessible form of education. Madrasa reform has been high on the political and social agendas of governments across Asia, but the Madrasa itself remains a little understood institution.
The Madrasa in Asia: Political Activism and Transnational Linkages fills a major gap in understanding the dynamics of Muslim education and activism at the grassroots. The contributors who all have extensive first-hand knowledge of the world of the Madrasa, provide a balanced overview of the social, educational and political roles of Madrasas across Asia, from China and Indonesia to Iran." (jacket)
