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Kottayam : Muslims are targeted as a minority that is mistrusted by the larger majority and generalized for acts of violence and terrorism conducted by a very few, according to two scholars.
Yasmeen Qadri, Valencia Community College, Florida and Laurinda Louise Lott of University of Central Florida, United States, were speaking at a three-day International Conference on Higher Education (ICMGU-2010) organized by Mahatma Gandhi University here today.
Prof Qadri and Ms Lott, as part of their Islamic faith, shared what peace and social justice meant to them as Muslims, and extended the concept to what it meant to them as American citizens of the 21st century.
They said that the developments since September 11 would shed light on the paradigm shift where the Muslim Americans who were once seen as 'marginalized immigrants' might now be seen as 'responsible citizens engaged in promoting peace and social justice.' The time has come to educate the students, both Americans and Muslim-Americans about the truth about Islam and Democracy, and that democracy in the United States should mean the same to all Americans, regardless of their religion, ethnicity and cultural background.
Speaking on 'curriculum and linguistic justice for peace in Mauritius,' Dr. Sheila Bunwaree, Professor, University of Mauritius, argued that if Mauritian education continues to exclude and marginalize large segments of youth, particularly the children of African descent as is the case now, the country's social cohesion will be increasingly at risk and peace will be threatened. ''Peace is not about the absence of conflict but rather the presence of justice as preferred by Martin Luther King.'' But if an education system despite its being accessible remains inequitable, the chances for justice remain very slim, she said.
Prof Michael Tharakan, Vice Chancellor, Kannur University, Prof.
Jeevan Kumar, Chair, Centre for Gandhian Studies, University of Bangalore, Dr JBG Tilak, Professor, National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA), New Delhi and other prominent persons addressed the conference. Around 250 delegates, Resource Persons and Special Invitees including around 30 scholars from abroad attended the conference.
The conference was organized jointly with Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC), The Department of Higher Education Government of Kerala, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA), National Council for Education Research and Training(NCERT), State Council for Educational Research and Training, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) New Delhi and UNESCO.
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Prof Qadri and Ms Lott, as part of their Islamic faith, shared what peace and social justice meant to them as Muslims, and extended the concept to what it meant to them as American citizens of the 21st century.
They said that the developments since September 11 would shed light on the paradigm shift where the Muslim Americans who were once seen as 'marginalized immigrants' might now be seen as 'responsible citizens engaged in promoting peace and social justice.' The time has come to educate the students, both Americans and Muslim-Americans about the truth about Islam and Democracy, and that democracy in the United States should mean the same to all Americans, regardless of their religion, ethnicity and cultural background.
Speaking on 'curriculum and linguistic justice for peace in Mauritius,' Dr. Sheila Bunwaree, Professor, University of Mauritius, argued that if Mauritian education continues to exclude and marginalize large segments of youth, particularly the children of African descent as is the case now, the country's social cohesion will be increasingly at risk and peace will be threatened. ''Peace is not about the absence of conflict but rather the presence of justice as preferred by Martin Luther King.'' But if an education system despite its being accessible remains inequitable, the chances for justice remain very slim, she said.
Prof Michael Tharakan, Vice Chancellor, Kannur University, Prof.
Jeevan Kumar, Chair, Centre for Gandhian Studies, University of Bangalore, Dr JBG Tilak, Professor, National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA), New Delhi and other prominent persons addressed the conference. Around 250 delegates, Resource Persons and Special Invitees including around 30 scholars from abroad attended the conference.
The conference was organized jointly with Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC), The Department of Higher Education Government of Kerala, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA), National Council for Education Research and Training(NCERT), State Council for Educational Research and Training, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) New Delhi and UNESCO.
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