Using the Quran in secular classrooms

05-11-2014 05:11PM #1

I'm a religion teacher in a multi-denominational secondary school and I'm hesitant about how exactly to handle the physical book of the Quran in the classroom. Being non-Muslim myself I do own a Quran because it's important for me as a teacher. Though I teach that everyone should respect the values and beliefs of all religions I do not respect the physical softback Penguin classic Koran the same way any Muslim would.
Part of my lesson plan is to give student a passage of the Quran to look up and read out loud to the class. Is this wrong?

The Quran itself states that non-Muslims should not handle the Quran but I treating the text with the same respect I would give any religious text.

Thoughts?

Mary1998 · 06-11-2014 11:12AM

That is a nice question you ask about handling the Quran. As far as I know, you have no worries with the Penguin book you own as it would be an English translation of the interpretation of the Quran. While you would respect it the same as all your books, it doesn't need extra treatment. I think that's a good idea to have your pupils read it out in class, there is nothing wrong with that. All the best.

confusedquark · 07-11-2014 12:54AM

Orlando Brief Glob wrote: »

I'm a religion teacher in a multi-denominational secondary school and I'm hesitant about how exactly to handle the physical book of the Quran in the classroom. Being non-Muslim myself I do own a Quran because it's important for me as a teacher. Though I teach that everyone should respect the values and beliefs of all religions I do not respect the physical softback Penguin classic Koran the same way any Muslim would.
Part of my lesson plan is to give student a passage of the Quran to look up and read out loud to the class. Is this wrong?

The Quran itself states that non-Muslims should not handle the Quran but I treating the text with the same respect I would give any religious text.

Thoughts?

Salaam/peace. From what I know and what I can gather, there's no problem in you handling an English translation of the Quran, and nor is there any problem in giving a student a passage to look up and read out loud in the class. A Quran with Arabic text included would be considered more sacred, so if you're mainly interested in the translation and interpretation rather than the Arabic itself (which I assume is the case), then it'd be preferable to use an English-only version (not sure if the Penguin one is or not).

Just for your info, you might find the following website of use - http://www.tafheem.net/tafheem.html It gives both the translation, and some extra context about specific verses in the Quran, which helps to understand them better. Feel free to ask any other questions or if need a hand with anything else.

08-11-2014 11:42PM

confusedquark wrote: »

Salaam/peace. From what I know and what I can gather, there's no problem in you handling an English translation of the Quran, and nor is there any problem in giving a student a passage to look up and read out loud in the class. A Quran with Arabic text included would be considered more sacred, so if you're mainly interested in the translation and interpretation rather than the Arabic itself (which I assume is the case), then it'd be preferable to use an English-only version (not sure if the Penguin one is or not).

Just for your info, you might find the following website of use - http://www.tafheem.net/tafheem.html It gives both the translation, and some extra context about specific verses in the Quran, which helps to understand them better. Feel free to ask any other questions or if need a hand with anything else.

Thank you for getting back to me. I asked around and got mixed responses but the general consensus was that the Arabic Quran would be considered more sacred and that I shouldn't worry about using the english translation in class.
And many thanks for the offer to help, I might take you up on that in future.

Best wishes.

confusedquark · 09-11-2014 03:42PM

No probs, take care

donaghs · 12-11-2014 04:50PM

Is this part of the curriculum? How do you teach religion in a multi-denominational school ? (you say secular in the heading which is slightly different?)
Or why teach it at all?
Is it done separately for each religion?
Or a general over-view of all (or as many as can be accommodated) religions.

katydid · 12-11-2014 10:37PM

donaghs wrote: »

Is this part of the curriculum? How do you teach religion in a multi-denominational school ? (you say secular in the heading which is slightly different?)
Or why teach it at all?
Is it done separately for each religion?
Or a general over-view of all (or as many as can be accommodated) religions.

Religion is an exam subject, it can be taught as such in any school. It's got nothing to do with the teaching of religious doctrine. It's about studying what religion is and what different religions believe.

donaghs · 13-11-2014 11:20AM

katydid wrote: »

Religion is an exam subject, it can be taught as such in any school. It's got nothing to do with the teaching of religious doctrine. It's about studying what religion is and what different religions believe.

You'd imagine there must be guidelines and teaching materials then? Especially when it comes to hot topics like the Koran and so on.

Tom Dunne · 13-11-2014 12:48PM

donaghs wrote: »

You'd imagine there must be guidelines and teaching materials then? Especially when it comes to hot topics like the Koran and so on.

How is the Koran any different from the Torah or the Bible, from an educational perspective?

donaghs · 13-11-2014 02:28PM

Tom Dunne wrote: »

How is the Koran any different from the Torah or the Bible, from an educational perspective?

Obviously not, strictly from an educational perspective.

katydid · 13-11-2014 05:45PM

donaghs wrote: »

You'd imagine there must be guidelines and teaching materials then? Especially when it comes to hot topics like the Koran and so on.

You overestimate how much help and guidance teachers are given in these matters. Other than the basic syllabus, you are expected to get on with it and figure it out for yourself, in general :P

Tom Dunne · 13-11-2014 07:20PM

donaghs wrote: »

Obviously not, strictly from an educational perspective.

So I struggle to understand why the Koran is a "hot topic" then.

donaghs · 14-11-2014 10:01AM

Tom Dunne wrote: »

So I struggle to understand why the Koran is a "hot topic" then.

I shouldn't bother taking the bait on this one. Just wanted to find a quote from a reputable source (as opposed to some nutcase website)

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/02/arts/scholars-are-quietly-offering-new-theories-of-the-koran.html

First paragraph:
"To Muslims the Koran is the very word of God, who spoke through the Angel Gabriel to Muhammad: ''This book is not to be doubted,'' the Koran declares unequivocally at its beginning. Scholars and writers in Islamic countries who have ignored that warning have sometimes found themselves the target of death threats and violence, sending a chill through universities around the world."

So, if you are teaching the Koran as the literal word of God, or if you are simply saying this is what these people believe the Koran is, then you are on safe enough ground.
But if you wish to interpret it, dig into the history of it, and so on, you run the risk of what the first paragraph in the article talks about.

I don't expect the analysis in a school to go this deeply, but this an example of a scholar who has to use a pseudonym for Koranic research: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christoph_Luxenberg

Tom Dunne · 14-11-2014 10:22AM

donaghs wrote: »

I shouldn't bother taking the bait on this one. Just wanted to find a quote from a reputable source (as opposed to some nutcase website)

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/02/arts/scholars-are-quietly-offering-new-theories-of-the-koran.html

First paragraph:
"To Muslims the Koran is the very word of God, who spoke through the Angel Gabriel to Muhammad: ''This book is not to be doubted,'' the Koran declares unequivocally at its beginning. Scholars and writers in Islamic countries who have ignored that warning have sometimes found themselves the target of death threats and violence, sending a chill through universities around the world."

There's no baiting going on here, I'm attempting to understand your perspective.

I am not a Muslim, and therefore do not believe that the Koran is the word of God. But if that is what Muslims want to believe, who am I to judge them?

donaghs wrote: »

So, if you are teaching the Koran as the literal word of God, or if you are simply saying this is what these people believe the Koran is, then you are on safe enough ground.
But if you wish to interpret it, dig into the history of it, and so on, you run the risk of what the first paragraph in the article talks about.

So you admit you do not know what context the original poster is teaching the Koran in?

donaghs wrote: »

I don't expect the analysis in a school to go this deeply, but this an example of a scholar who has to use a pseudonym for Koranic research: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christoph_Luxenberg

Wikipedia is not a credible source, so let's not insult anyone's intelligence here by pretending it is.

I am not for a minute denying that there are significant issues around debating the Koran or Muslim doctrine, but I don't think that is relevant to this discussion.

Peregrinus · 19-11-2014 03:47AM

Tom Dunne wrote: »

So I struggle to understand why the Koran is a "hot topic" then.

The point is, I think, that in the Islamic tradition there are physical indications of respect that are associated with handling and using the Quran - for example, nothing is ever to be placed on top of a copy of the Quran - and a person of goodwill who is dealing with the Quran in an educational context (or in any context) will want to be aware of this, and to take care not to handle the book in a way that would disturb or offend Muslims. It's a bit like removing your hat when you enter a church, even if you're not a Christian, or avoiding mention of the Name in conversation with Jews. It's a matter of good manners, sensitivity and respect.

It's not necessarily that the Quran is a "hot topic", so much as that someone who's not a Muslim, and hasn't had a great deal of exposure to Islam, might feel the need for a bit of guidance that they might not require in relation to Christianity or Judaism.

donaghs · 25-11-2014 09:39AM

Tom Dunne wrote: »

There's no baiting going on here, I'm attempting to understand your perspective.

I am not a Muslim, and therefore do not believe that the Koran is the word of God. But if that is what Muslims want to believe, who am I to judge them?

Hi Tom. I don't really follow you here. Who is asking you to judge Muslims for believing the Koran to be the word of God?

Tom Dunne wrote: »

So you admit you do not know what context the original poster is teaching the Koran in?

How do you mean? Was there a context provided? I only know the the OP posted, in two posts, and I responded based on the information provided at the time. I'll paste it below.

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Wikipedia is not a credible source, so let's not insult anyone's intelligence here by pretending it is.

I do find wikipedia an incredibly handy source of info, particularly to get a quick summary. Facts and opinions can be verified elsewhere then. If you google (bing/yahoo/ask etc) the authors name you can find various articles referencing him in the Guardian etc, but for a quick summary of who he is and what he has written and the impact of his writings I couldn't find better than wikipedia.

Tom Dunne wrote: »

I am not for a minute denying that there are significant issues around debating the Koran or Muslim doctrine, but I don't think that is relevant to this discussion.

Fair enough, I thought it might be relevant.

Orlando Brief Glob wrote: »

I'm a religion teacher in a multi-denominational secondary school and I'm hesitant about how exactly to handle the physical book of the Quran in the classroom. Being non-Muslim myself I do own a Quran because it's important for me as a teacher. Though I teach that everyone should respect the values and beliefs of all religions I do not respect the physical softback Penguin classic Koran the same way any Muslim would.
Part of my lesson plan is to give student a passage of the Quran to look up and read out loud to the class. Is this wrong?

The Quran itself states that non-Muslims should not handle the Quran but I treating the text with the same respect I would give any religious text.
Thoughts?

Thank you for getting back to me. I asked around and got mixed responses but the general consensus was that the Arabic Quran would be considered more sacred and that I shouldn't worry about using the english translation in class.
And many thanks for the offer to help, I might take you up on that in future.
Best wishes.

muslimstudent · 29-12-2014 06:44PM

Orlando Brief Glob wrote: »

Thank you for getting back to me. I asked around and got mixed responses but the general consensus was that the Arabic Quran would be considered more sacred and that I shouldn't worry about using the english translation in class.
And many thanks for the offer to help, I might take you up on that in future.

Best wishes.

Good luck with your work.

Do give us a shout if you need help.

Kind regards.

Using the Quran in secular classrooms

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