Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh, Deputy Director of the University’s National Centre for Excellence in Islamic Studies (NCEIS), says a recent study found Australian years 7-12 students saw Muslims as unclean and prone to violence, views he says were consolidated by the the ripple effects of the September 11 attacks and the consequent media coverage of the ‘war on terror’.

"The use of outdated history textbooks that refer to Islam only in the context of the Crusades has not helped the situation either," he says, "and as a result prejudice continues to be felt in the classroom today".

This concern led Professor Akbarzadeh to initiate an ambitious educational project aimed at teachers who bear the greatest responsibility in instilling a culture of tolerance and mutual understanding in the classroom. The new resource - Learning from One Another: Bringing Muslim Perspectives into Australian Schools - was written by the Dr Eeqbal Hassim and Jennet Cole-Adams, and is published by the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies in collaboration with the Australian Curriculum Studies Association with funding from The Myer Foundation. 

The book provides teachers with lesson plans, worksheets and information on the cultural practices and attitudes of Muslims as well as details about the Islamic world’s contributions to mathematics, philosophy and architecture.  It also offers teachers very practical suggestions about how to respect Muslim cultural beliefs while still engaging students in school activities, such as inviting fasting Muslim students to help with the organisation and administration of PE classes rather than active athletic participation, or English tasks that suggest replacing words like "fanatical" with "devout", or "Sharia" with "Islamic Law" and then give consideration to the difference in tone that results.

Professor Akbarzadeh says that Islam has for too long been identified with terrorism and social problems, a simplistic view that reinforces stereo-types. 

"In reality, Muslims are like followers of any other religion. There are good ones and bad ones. The collective punishment of all Muslims based on the behaviour of a few makes as much sense as blaming all Irish Catholics for the terrorist acts of the IRA."

He says the role of Muslim scholars in developing algebra, astronomy, medicine and chemistry, the role of the Muslim world as a repository of knowledge during the Dark Ages in Europe, and the contemporary contribution of Muslim citizens of Australia would be very suitable topics for the school curriculum.

"The task of bringing balance and judgement to the classroom is a grave responsibility, one that deserves a concerted effort to alleviate the pressure on teachers," he says. "Common humanity rests on mutual respect and understanding, core values that are essential for our multicultural classrooms. Teachers have the task of nurturing these values in future generations, and we hope this resource is a modest step to assist teachers in their formative responsibility."

LAUNCH:  Learning from One Another: Bringing Muslim Perspectives into Australian Schools will be launched by Sid Myer, Convenor of the Beyond Australia Committee of The Myer Foundation and Chairman of Asialink Friday 14 May at 4.15pm in the Yasuko Hiraoka Myer Room, Sidney Myer Asia Centre at The University of Melbourne.  Media are welcome to attend.