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ABC News
12 hours ago
- ABC News
Rethinking religious education within the lived realities of pluralism in the Middle East: A reply to Paul Heck - ABC Religion & Ethics
Paul Heck's recent article on religious pluralism and education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) provides a valuable diagnosis of regional gaps in religious education. He identifies the disinterest and polemicism that characterise much current discourse among faculty and students. Yet the academic landscape is far from monolithic: universities across the MENA region employ diverse, context-sensitive approaches to pluralism and inter-religious relations, each reflecting its institutional mission, language of instruction and local realities. Recognising this plurality of pedagogies is essential to advancing Heck's call for religious synergy — affirming one's own faith while acknowledging that others are also guided by God. As a historian and historian of religions who has taught students for nearly six years in Qatar, and online at Dar al-Kalima University in Palestine, and with international cohorts from Muslim, Western, African and Asian backgrounds, my perspective on religious pluralism and inter-religious engagement is shaped by sustained, first-hand engagement with diverse student bodies and local contexts. This experience informs my approach, which emphasises historical nuance, interdisciplinarity and the lived realities of pluralism in the Middle East. In my experience, interdisciplinary teaching of pluralism and interfaith relations — incorporating historical, social, political and theological perspectives — was welcomed by both students and faculty. When we engaged with multiple viewpoints and learned to analyse and critique them with intellectual rigour and empathy, students not only excelled academically but also demonstrated a remarkable capacity for critical thinking and mutual understanding across lines of difference. Pluralism — beyond theology and identity Heck warns that ignorance breeds hostility: 'If you want others to study your religion as you understand it … you have to study the religions of others as they understand them.' Building on Heck's understanding of religious pluralism as both a 'theological and social reality', we might further emphasise that pluralism encompasses complex social, philosophical and intellectual dimensions that extend beyond interfaith dialogue within a theological framework. Hussam al-Obaidi, for example, situates religious pluralism within philosophy of religion, distinguishing doctrinal debates from the lived reality of diversity. Mohammad Hashim Kamali's Qurʾānic hermeneutics differentiates plurality (diversity as fact) from pluralism (ethical engagement and legal recognition of difference), exemplified by the Constitution of Medina's inclusive ummah — which included the allied Jewish tribes as equal partners in a multi-religious civic community, each group retaining religious and legal autonomy yet bound by mutual obligations. Eric Geoffroy, moreover, demonstrates that Islam's scripture and history affirm pluralism, highlighting Qurʾānic verses such as 49:13 and 5:48, which emphasise diversity and mutual recognition as part of the divine plan. Crucially, the discourse on pluralism in Islamic education is enriched by Muslim voices from beyond the Arab Middle East. Kamali (Afghan) and Geoffroy (French Muslim) exemplify how global perspectives — rooted in diverse cultural, intellectual and historical contexts — expand and deepen understandings of pluralism within the Islamic tradition. The classroom as laboratory for critical inquiry While Heck is right to identifies disinterest and polemicism in current discourse among faculty and students, the classroom functions as a laboratory for critical inquiry where diverse pedagogical approaches can facilitate the co-creation of learning spaces in which objections rooted in both tradition and practice are subjected to rigorous scholarly analysis. This analysis is grounded in phenomenological methodologies that bracket ultimate truth claims while examining how religious traditions understand themselves. Contemporary MENA universities illustrate tailored pluralism curricula rather than a single template. Consider the following examples. Georgetown University in Qatar THEO-3920 'Religious Pluralism in the Middle East and the Islamic World' introduces students to the study and practice of religious diversity in the Middle East and the broader Islamic world, while also exploring pluralism in a range of global contexts. The course adopts an interdisciplinary approach — drawing on history, theology, sociology, politics and anthropology — to examine how religious pluralism has been constructed, experienced and contested across different societies and time periods. Students analyse pluralism from classical Islamic and Middle Eastern contexts to the present, consider foundational texts, formative historical developments and modern challenges, and engage with global case studies from regions such as south-east Asia, Africa and Europe. Comparative analysis, critical engagement with different models of diversity, and applied learning through historical documents, media and interview-based case studies are central features. THEO-3920 is taught variously by instructors whose backgrounds — ranging from historical and case-study methods to phenomenological, mystical and interdisciplinary analyses — shape the course's emphasis and pedagogical style. Saint Joseph University in Beirut The Institute of Muslim-Christian Studies, which was established in 1977, offers an interdisciplinary postgraduate degree in Christian-Muslim Relations (with both Arabic and French tracks), combining comparative methodology, conflict-transformation practicum and community-based research, exemplifying Lebanon's confessional mosaic of pluralism education. Both models attest to the fact that pluralism education in the MENA is non-monolithic: each institution crafts its curriculum to align with its identity, language policy and community needs. Curricular reform and public engagement in Iraq The evolving landscape of Iraqi higher education offers a compelling, if complex, case for how universities can serve as catalysts for pluralism in societies marked by histories of sectarian violence and mono-religious curricula. While Iraq's public education system has long privileged a singular religious narrative, recent years have witnessed a discernible, if uneven, shift in both curricular content and institutional ethos. Initiatives such as the Institute for the Study of Religious Diversity in Baghdad — which has developed new courses on minority faiths in collaboration with community scholars — signal a move toward curricular inclusivity that was previously unthinkable. At the University of Kufa, the UNESCO Chair for Interreligious Dialogue has not only produced research and organised symposia on Sunni-Shiite relations and the rights of non-Muslims, but it has also foregrounded the Qurʾānic and historical resources within Islam that support pluralism and coexistence. Likewise, the University of Karbala's College of Education for Human Sciences has foregrounded the ethical and scriptural dimensions of religious pluralism, situating these debates within both classical and contemporary Islamic thought. Notably, these reforms are not simply top-down mandates but are emerging from sustained engagement between faculty, minority communities and civil society — often in response to student demand for more relevant, inclusive approaches to the study of religion. Such developments, while still nascent and at times uneven, illustrate the potential for universities to move beyond mere rhetorical commitment to pluralism, instead embedding it in the lived academic and civic experience. In this sense, Iraq's universities are not only responding to Paul Heck's call for a more robust engagement with religious difference, but they are also advancing the regional conversation by demonstrating how curricular reform and public scholarship can begin to reshape societal attitudes toward diversity and coexistence. A significant example of team-taught or collaboratively designed interfaith courses in Iraq is the Institute for the Study of Religious Diversity's curriculum, which was developed with input from both Muslim and minority community scholars and is now piloted in Islamic sciences faculties and seminaries. This initiative not only incorporates multiple faith perspectives in course content but also models collaborative pedagogy by drawing on the expertise of diverse instructors and community representatives. Classrooms as microcosms of pluralism Classrooms reflect not only ethnic and cultural diversity but also religious diversity, particularly at Georgetown University in Qatar, where students from over seventy nationalities practice diverse faiths — including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism — creating naturally occurring interfaith learning environments through daily academic dialogue. At St Joseph University in Beirut, while the number of nationalities is lower, the student body remains notably international and multilingual, contributing to a vibrant, pluralistic campus culture. Notably, Palestinian universities such as Bethlehem University and Dar al-Kalima University have emerged as regional leaders in collaborative and team-taught interfaith education. Bethlehem University's Department of Religious Studies emphasises ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, often bringing together Christian and Muslim students under the guidance of faculty from diverse backgrounds, and employing dialogical, cross-disciplinary teaching methods. Dar al-Kalima University has developed a regional inter-religious dialogue curriculum designed for collaborative, co-taught delivery, with explicit recommendations and practice of faculty from different religious backgrounds leading courses together. These pedagogies, now increasingly common in the Middle East, demonstrate that team-taught interfaith courses are not merely theoretical ideals but are being realised across the region in both Palestinian and Iraqi institutions. From generalisations to nuanced particularities Heck's call to move beyond generic critiques aligns with these varied approaches. In Lebanon and Palestine, community-specific curricula reflect historical confessional arrangements rather than a unified program. Jordan's post-Amman Message reforms embed respect for 'People of the Book' in state textbooks and sponsor civil society dialogue initiatives. In the Gulf, Bahrain's legal guarantees of worship co-exist with Qatar's designated Religious Complex and more constrained pluralism elsewhere. Acknowledging this patchwork of pluralisms enables targeted pedagogical strategies — embedding comparative modules in theology, law or the humanities — rather than prescribing a single standalone course. Advancing religious synergy Paul Heck's notion of religious synergy — affirming one's own truth claims while recognising divine guidance in others — finds concrete expression across these diverse institutional models. At Georgetown University in Qatar, THEO-3920 cultivates what Diana Eck describes as pluralism — not mere diversity or tolerance, but the active, engaged encounter of commitments and the seeking of understanding across lines of difference. This approach encourages students to maintain their own convictional integrity while developing 'epistemic humility', a stance that acknowledges the limitations of human understanding and remains open to learning from religious others. Meanwhile, St Joseph University's postgraduate program fosters what can be termed intercultural mediation — the capacity to bridge differences through dialogue rather than elimination of those differences, thereby preparing graduates to serve as mediators in Lebanon's complex confessional landscape. These pedagogical approaches align with Keith Ward's understanding that religious diversity should be seen as 'a challenge to fuller understanding in our many ways of pursuing the search for a supreme objective Good'). Building on this foundation, a team-taught 'Theologies of Belief' course — co-led by Muslim and Christian faculty members — could further advance the rigorous mutual inquiry Heck advocates. Such collaborative teaching models, already realised at institutions like Bethlehem University, Dar al-Kalima University and through the Institute for the Study of Religious Diversity in Iraq, enable students to explore how each tradition understands divine guidance, religious authority and human flourishing while witnessing scholarly dialogue in practice. Together, these varied approaches operationalise the synergy Heck envisions without erasing doctrinal conviction, creating what interfaith educator Michael Atkinson describes as spaces where 'bridging difference does not lie in making religious comparisons but rather in accepting religious ambiguity in pursuit of truth'. Building on these institutional and curricular innovations, it is clear that the future of pluralism in higher education depends not merely on the presence of such courses, but on a genuine prioritisation of their historical and interdisciplinary value. The study of religious pluralism draws its strength from a deep engagement with history — not as an abstract backdrop, but as a living record of encounters, negotiations and sometimes ruptures that have shaped the present landscape of belief and coexistence. Likewise, interdisciplinarity is not simply a methodological add-on; it is essential to understanding pluralism as it operates across theological, social, legal and political domains. It is precisely this historically informed and interdisciplinary commitment that risks being sidelined if universities allow market trends to dictate curricular priorities. The displacement of courses on pluralism, inter-religious relations and religious studies in favour of offerings that merely fill perceived niches would not only marginalise these fields but also erode the university's ability to foster the kind of critical, contextually aware citizenship that our pluralistic societies demand. Religious studies — and more broadly, the rigorous, cross-disciplinary study of pluralism — can no longer be consigned to the academic periphery. They must be recognised as central to the university's mission to equip students to navigate, interpret and help shape the complexities of an increasingly interconnected and diverse world. Religious pluralism in the MENA region is inherently non-monolithic. Effective curricula must leverage existing institutional strengths — Islamic tradition (texts and history), Jesuit social justice, phenomenological methods, confessional heritage, ethical jurisprudence —while collaboratively embedding pluralist insights across faculties. By mapping and learning from these varied approaches, policymakers and educators can transform disinterest and susceptibility into dynamic, humble pluralism that equips students for genuine inter-religious coexistence and civic engagement. Josef Meri is a Senior Fellow and faculty member in the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He is an historian of interfaith relations in the Middle East and of religions, specialising in pluralism, interfaith relations, Arab autobiography, identity and belonging.
SBS Australia
21 hours ago
- SBS Australia
AFP restrains more than $1 million from alleged illicit vape sales
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- SBS Australia
NITV News: 15 July, 2025
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
