1st Edition

British Pakistani Boys, Education and the Role of Religion In the Land of the Trojan Horse

By Karamat Iqbal Copyright 2019
    222 Pages
    by Routledge

    222 Pages
    by Routledge

    British Pakistani children are the second largest ethnic group in UK schools, yet little of their education and wider needs have been researched. British Pakistani Boys, Education and the Role of Religion seeks to rectify this, by investigating the educational achievement of British Pakistani boys and the importance of education both in the Pakistani community and in the wider religion of Islam.

    The book draws on research undertaken by the author in three British state secondary schools, to respond to the national policy on the education of ethnic minority children. It considers the meaning of education for Pakistanis, where religion plays an integral role, the gaps in education as well as the issue of representation - in governance and in the teaching workforce. The author concludes by discussing the possibility of responsive education better meeting the needs of Pakistani children by integrating Islamic religious education and education of the world.

    British Pakistani Boys, Education and the Role of Religion will be vital reading for academics and both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of Education and Sociology and specifically those studying inclusion, equality and diversity, or Asian, Muslim or Pakistani education. It would also appeal to education practitioners, policy makers and community activists.

    Chapter 1: Introduction

    Chapter 2: In the Land of the Trojan Horse

    Chapter 3: A Note on the Research

    Chapter 4: Meaning and Importance of Education for Pakistanis

    Chapter 5: The Gaps in Education

    Chapter 6: A Diverse Teaching Workforce

    Chapter 7: Teacher Understanding of Pakistani Pupils

    Chapter 8: Culturally Responsive Education for Pakistani Students

    Biography

    Dr Karamat Iqbal is an Education and Diversity Consultant and Director of the Jericho Foundation.

    "This is a must read book. Iqbal's empirical evidence not only examines British Pakistani Boys but interrogates issues concerning mono and multi faith environments, gender issues and the realities of monoculture within the possibilities of multiculture. A key and important text for education and the wider social sciences for both undergraduate and postgraduate students."

    Richard Race, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Roehampton.

    "Iqbal opens the door on the complex connections between ethnicity, religiosity and education. Drawing on both his insider's knowledge and research expertise, he fleshes out how Pakistani and Muslim identities have been accepted, ignored and critiqued in Birmingham’s schools over recent decades; he thereby places recent controversies, such as the Trojan Horse Affair, within a nuanced account of the shifts in national and local policy and practice. This book will be invaluable for anyone - whether academic or professional, and whether in the UK or beyond - interested in these increasingly problematised debates across education."

    Nigel Fancourt, Associate Professor, University of Oxford.           

    "This book makes a timely contribution in questioning the received wisdom of ‘toxic Pakistani masculinity’ which often dominates most popular discourses on Muslim boys in schools. Iqbal deserves praise for writing this highly accessible, theoretically informed and empirically rich study. Moreover, Iqbal’s framing of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy takes the reader beyond simple theory and analysis by providing some useful policy recommendations." 

    Dr Shamim Miah, Senior Lecturer, University of Huddersfield, author of Muslim Schooling and Question of Self-Segregation and more recently, Muslims, Schooling and Security: Trojan Horse, Prevent and Racial Politics.