Introduction
Education, whether formal or informal, is an important aspect of every society. Each society has its cherished cultural norms, which pass from one generation to another through education of young members of the society by older members of this society.
As such, education should not destroy positive cultural practices. Instead, it should enhance positive aspects of culture. Unfortunately, education differs from one society to the other with some considering their education systems as superior to other’s and propagating foreign cultures to recipients of such imported education.
The United Arab Emirates region boasts of several foreign schools, that teach the foreign curriculum. However, such schools do not enhance the local Islamic and Arabic culture leading to concerns of Islamic scholars and authorities as well. This essay seeks to reflect on the effect of foreign schools on Islamic and Arabic culture in the United Arab Emirates.
Foreign Schools
Foreign schools in the United Arab Emirates admit students but completely exclude Islamic and Arabic cultural aspects from their curriculum. To make such education more relevant in the United Arab Emirates, designers of foreign education systems should take into consideration the prevailing culture and its importance in the lives of certain region inhabitants.
So, a foreign education system should integrate cultural studies so that students identify with such a system more and more (Ahmed, 2013). Failure to incorporate Islamic and Arabic culture in foreign-based school programs leads to a loss of national identity, which refers to a sense of belonging to a certain political jurisdiction. The lack of national identity leads to a decrease in patriotism and can even hamper economic growth and development (Ahmed, 2013).
Every culture instills values in members, and thus, foreign education in the United Arab Emirates should seek to enhance such cultural values in students who hail from the area instead of trying to instill foreign cultural values. If schools engage in intellectual imperialism, they become breeding grounds for rebels in society (Ahmed, 2013).
Young people educated in such systems may look down upon their elders and despise them, which can be called a recipe for chaos in society. Coherence arising from members of all ages in a society guards against a situation where societies break down and lag in all aspects.
Islamic and Arabic cultures have produced various individuals who students can emulate in terms of behavior and approach to life. Such individuals become vivid examples to Muslim students studying in foreign schools in the United Arab Emirates. For instance, Sheikh Zayed is a critical example of an Islamic leader who exhibited leadership skills and sobriety to issues of life (Ahmed, 2013). Therefore, students need to imitate such an individual in their future endeavors.
Islamic law is all rounded, and as such, students should be well versed in Sharia as well as integrate its precepts into such areas as management and leadership. Otherwise, a failure to teach such an important aspect of Islamic culture, which contains history and religion, is detrimental to future policymakers in the United Arab Emirates (Ahmed, 2013).
Sharia assists policymakers to adopt localized strategies instead of relying on foreign concepts of strategy. Also, the knowledge of Sharia leads to eradication of corrupt practices in workplaces.
Young People
Language is an important aspect of any cultural heritage. It is through language that teachers of cultural values propagate beliefs and customs. Also, language contributes to a feeling of belonging and solidarity (Racism no way, 2013). There are issues that a foreign language cannot effectively deliver.
In this regard, young people in the United Arab Emirates should be encouraged to learn and uphold Arabic as a cultural language to enable them to preserve Islamic culture and traditions. Young people present the future of any society and bringing them with a deep understanding of cultural values ensures the survival of society in all aspects and most importantly, the aspect of history and religion (Racism no way, 2013).
Islamic Scholars
Islamic and Arabic culture propagates working ethics and various leadership strategies, including conflict resolution. The latter is very significant in every society and workplace. For instance, Bedouin traditions explicitly show how leadership values assist a society. However, students should not study Islamic culture and traditions exclusively. Such studies should integrate with other foreign studies to instill a better foundation for such students. Integration assists a student to espouse different viewpoints in life (Ahmed, 2013).
With this in mind, indigenous scholars in the United Arab Emirates should come up with proper strategies for propagating Islamic culture and traditions. A suitable starting point would involve deep research on Islam and Arabic culture with the aim of enlightening young people who in turn will perpetuate it to future generations (Ahmed, 2013).
Secondly, such scholars should avail any necessary work on Islamic and Arabic culture for reference purposes in foreign schools located in the United Arab Emirates. This ensures that students access information on culture during their leisure time as well. Also, such materials would enlighten students on the fact that most Western traditions have roots in Arabic culture (Ahmed, 2013).
References
Ahmed, A. (2013).Islamic and Arab culture lost in UAE’s foreign schools.
Racism no way. (2013). The importance of culture, language and identity. Web.