Islamic charities and education in the Palestinian Territories

Schools run by Islamic charities are often seen as carriers of militant Islamic ideology and as sites for the recruitment of terrorists. The project set out to investigate this hypothesis and found that it is mistaken in the case of Palestinian society. Islamic private schools are eager to assert the role of Islam in developing Palestinian society, but there is nothing dramatic or sinister about this. In fact, the schools may be seen as important contributions to building a viable civil society in Palestine. However, the struggle between Fatah and Hamas for political power, and international counterterrorism measures has seriously affected a number of Islamic charities and the schools they run. The result is economic problems and a weakening of these institutions in Palestinian society.

The project is based on field work in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as on written Arabic sources. Interviews were conducted with a number of school administrators, teachers and officials from the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education. The field work took place during Spring and Autumn 2009.

The project was financed by the Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Reports

Jacob Høigilt (2010) Raising Extremists? Islamism and education in the Palestinian Territories. Fafo-report 2010:05

Researchers

Akram Atallah
Hani El Dada
Jacob Høigilt