The Modern State and Religious Education in Arab/Persian Gulf Countries
Abstract
This article discusses the changes that have taken place in religious education over the course of modern state building in Arab countries that border the Arab/Persian Gulf. The article argues that in the pre-modern state period religious education was essentially private, undertaken autonomously by individual religious scholars. However, religious education was not accessible for all segments of the society and had remained at a quite basic level. Over the course of modern state building the state began to undertake religious education and as a result completely destroyed religious education’s historical autonomy. Yet the modern state has also made religious education accessible for all segments of society and offered it at much higher levels than available before.
Keywords
Religious education , Modern state , Religious scholars Ulama , Saudi Arabia ,Gulf states
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