מעמדם של לימודי דת האסלאם במכללה אקדמית לחינוך ובבתי הספר בישראל כיום

Abstract

In the present study we investigated the worldview associated with the "Islamic
orientation" present at an important Muslim teachers’ training institution in Israel.

study answers the question "What is the Islamic worldview being taught to pre-service
teachers of Islamic religious studies?”
The study followed a qualitative research approach and belongs to the policy analysis
genre. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The
study found that the Islamic worldview being taught at the Al-Qasemi College of
Education, the only institution in Israel that trains Islamic religion teachers is a liberal
and modern one. The adoption of a curriculum according to the "principles guiding
teacher training in institutions of higher education in Israel" has led to significant
changes both in the structure and the conduct of the Department of Islamic Religion
Studies. These changes included a reduction in the curriculum of the Department of
Islamic Religion Studies: the number of courses was reduced, other courses were
combined, the number of students in the classrooms was increased, experts in
pedagogy and modern educational content were consulted, the objective of field
training was changed, and the functions of the "preacher" and "Imam" was
marginalized in favor of the role of the "teacher."
Faculty composition changed after the college renounced the services of some of the
founding faculty, especially those coming from the Palestinian National Authority (the
West Bank). The academic staff was encouraged to continue their graduate studies. The
faculty was reeducated in "pluralistic" and "tolerant" discourse and encouraged to adopt
Western academic approaches in all its aspects, for example, preparing syllabi in two
languages and reading lists in three languages, familiarizing themselves with
innovative teaching methods, using audio-visual equipment, and adopting a Western
orientation toward research and publications.
The study also found that graduates of the College, both “new” and “old”, adopted the
dominant approach and applied this modern-liberal orientation in their school teaching.
As a result, they present a balanced worldview of most of the dominant streams in
Islam and retain an apolitical stance. This is the result of a reality in which the teaching
of Islamic religion in Israel is not supported by the state, the Arab leadership or the
population of parents and teachers is consequently marginalized.