Religious education in Africa a double-edged sword

With the rise of armed conflicts and radicalisation which appear to emanate from religion, African universities should join the religious education (RE) movement to enhance knowledge and mutual understanding of religions, and to build sustainable peaceful relationships as well as combat extremism.

But there are concerns that religious education could be used as a propaganda tool for promoting state-approved religious views that might harm students’ religious identity and attitudes.

Denise Cush, professor of religion and education at Bath Spa University in the UK, explained that RE is the study of a diverse range of religions and non-religious world views rather than confessional religious education in one faith.

Expanding on this explanation, Muhammed Haron, a professor of religious studies at the University of Botswana, told University World News that, “African universities should be made to realise that, while they are not churches, mosques or synagogues, they act on behalf of and in the interest of their communities – those that they serve.”

“Indeed, religious education is critical in an African context since African societies – as [the Kenyan philosopher John] Mbiti said decades ago – are notoriously religious,” said Haron, co-editor of the 2016 book Muslim Institutions of Higher Education in Postcolonial Africa.

Africa’s armed conflicts

During the past year, Africa experienced about 20% of the total number of violence events worldwide, including religious clashes that resulted in approximately 32% of the total number of fatalities across the world, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project’s global violence mapping platform.

These numbers do not include the recent Islamic State attacks in Mozambique, which demonstrates the growing terror threat and religious armed conflict, the Soufan Center said in an article on its website.

The numbers have led to 10 African countries, ranking among the top 20 countries worldwide with terrorist activity, according to the 2020 global terrorism index.

Status of religious education

Religious education is almost non-existent in African universities for many reasons, Haron said. African universities are discouraging religious education as the humanities and certain sections of social sciences have been sidelined.

“Instead of giving their support, much focus is given to science and technology at the expense of the humanities and education that remain two critical areas of focus within the tertiary sector,” Haron explained.

“Funding goes to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics rather than humanities and education.”

Yusef Waghid, professor of philosophy of education in the department of education policy studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said: “Considering that religion constitutes an aspect of human living, it seems defensible to reconsider religion in the light of evolving human encounters at African institutions of higher learning and teaching.”

Religious education is significant

Robert Jackson, emeritus professor of religion and education at the Centre for Education Studies of the University of Warwick, UK, told University World News that religious education should promote knowledge and understanding of religions “which is a worthwhile part of a liberal education covering all areas of human knowledge and experience”.

“It is also valuable in building peaceful relationships between those with different personal commitments,” Jackson said.

Echoing these sentiments, Cush said: “Where the university curriculum is broader, it would seem very important to include religious education of the ‘pluralist sort’ to reach as many students as possible, especially in countries where religious education does not happen in schools.”

These views are in line with the American Academy of Religion’s religious literacy guidelines.

The guidelines recommend that religious literacy should be a general education curricular objective of American colleges and universities to “foster the skills and knowledge that enable graduates to participate – in informed ways – in civic and community life; to work effectively and collaboratively in diverse contexts; to think reflectively about commitments to themselves and others; and to cultivate self-awareness”.

A double-edged sword?

“Religious education can assist in transforming future generation mindsets; it can demonstrate to what degree some religious leaders – with their myopic agendas – have hijacked religion; and this is to be found in all religious traditions,” Haron pointed out.

However, Samir Khalaf Abd-El-Aal, research professor at the National Research Centre in Cairo, Egypt, said introducing religious education at African universities could be a “double-edged sword”.

“Besides its positive impacts, there are fears that religious education could be taught at universities in a biased, un-neutral, unbalanced and confusing way,” Abd-El-Aal said.

Using it as a propaganda tool for promoting state-approved religious ideologies and views which might have a harmful impact on the formation of a student’s religious identity and attitude could be a cause of concern and tension in religious communities, he pointed out.

Introducing religious education in universities

Jackson said there is a lot of research about teaching religious education impartially. “And there are plenty of examples of high-quality work by teachers with a variety of religious and non-religious personal views, but with a professional commitment to the promotion of knowledge and understanding,” he said.

“Some universities in Southern Africa already offer such a form of religious education in their teacher training courses, and the expertise from such departments would be helpful in developing the subject further across the African continent,” he pointed out.

Jackson said broadly based courses in religious studies or study of religions in universities provide the academic grounding required prior to teacher training.

Waghid said: “Perhaps a re-imagined curriculum integrating religious education as an ethic of deliberative human living as opposed to dogmatism can become more relevant to people.

“Religious education should become a scholarly endeavour rather than a way of repressing humans, such as can be witnessed in many parts of Africa,” he pointed out.

Most graduates recruited into terrorism studied engineering, science, and medicine. Almost none are social science or arts graduates, according to a British Council report exploring whether there are links between the sort of education that young men and women receive, and their susceptibility to radicalisation.

Joining forces

Haron suggested that African universities join forces with the African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR) to establish an African institute for religious education similar to the Institute for Religion and Education at the University of Northern Iowa in the US.

Such an institute should focus on the appropriate treatment of religious education in universities and higher education institutions in the areas of teaching, research, curriculum, and policy, Haron explained.

It could be located at one of the African universities and liaise with participating institutions about the content of the religious education programme and its curricula. Employing teaching staff from the region could also be considered, he said.

“The staff should also prescribe relevant and appropriate texts that cover all religions [in the region] reasonably well without any prejudice reflected in the texts.

“Importantly, they should work on texts that are Afrocentred rather than Eurocentred,” Haron emphasised. Short and long religious education programmes as well as training for religious educators should be included.

“Universities should disseminate the relevant ingredients and information of religious traditions in such a way that learners or students fully appreciate the value of all traditions even if one belongs to only one, and adopt an unbiased approach,” he said. This would contribute to a better understanding of religious education.