Latest news
Curriculum for Cohesion contributes to the British-ness debate at the Historical Association, Cambridge
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
14 December. Dr. Matthew Wilkinson, Director, co-presented a session of the Historical Association, Cambridge with its President, Dr. Sean Lang, and delivered a talk entitled ‘British Values: what are they? Are they real? Can you teach them?’
Matthew’s talk examined the political background and philosophical grounds for the Duty to teach British Values in schools from a critical realist perspective. Matthew suggested that only a ‘concrete universal’ approach which highlighted the universality of values such as democracy and rule of law, as well as the concrete historical specificity of the British contribution to those values could be intellectually coherent and avoid mindless parochialism.
Sean spoke about the historical changeability of all values, including ‘British’ ones, and cautioned defining the nation against a prescribed set of fixed values. He also compared and contrasted the British and French conceptions of national values.
Questions from the floor were intelligent, pertinent and interesting.
Curriculum for Cohesion delivers pioneering critical terrorism-awareness training at a school in the East End of London
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
4 December. Dr. Matthew Wilkinson, Director of Curriculum for Cohesion, and Max Hill QC, Academic Advisor for Curriculum for Cohesion, jointly delivered a pioneering session to encourage c.100 sixth formers to think deeply and critically about terrorism entitled, “What is terrorism? How do we prevent it?”
The talk put the current global concerns with violent Islamist terrorism in deep inter-cultural and historical perspective by informing students about ancient and modern contexts in which different types of terrorism – that is the use or threat of use of violence against civilians to achieve political, religious and ideological aims – have occurred and thrived. Students were encouraged to spot universal characteristics of terrorism and to distinguish between terrorists and political freedom fighters.
Max then went through clear, legal understandings of what does and does not constitute terrorism in UK Law and challenged students to apply these understandings to hypothetical situations.
Matthew ended by explaining how violent Islamist extremism perverts traditional Islamic doctrine and mainstream Muslim accounts of the Divine and human worlds.
The talk was gratefully received by students and the headmaster and his staff and its importance was highlighted by the terrorist knife attack close by in Leytonstone two days afterwards.
Curriculum for Cohesion is present and presents at the SOAS – Nohoudh Muslim Integration Conference 2015
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
5 – 6 November. Dr. Matthew Wilkinson, Director, Mr. Mohammed Amin, Chair of Committee of Donors, and Mrs. Lucy Wilkinson, Project Director, attended the SOAS – Nohoudh Muslim Integration Conference 2015: Engaging with the Discourse.
Matthew gave a presentation, entitled ‘Our Way of Being British: A Philosophical Basis for Muslim Integration’ showing how the philosophy of Islamic Critical Realism can enable young Muslims to chart an authentically Muslim and British Middle Way between reductionist assimilationism and the homeostasis of multiculturalism by sifting the essential from the peripheral elements of the Islamic faith.
Matthew’s talk was immensely well-received and provoked considerable interest in the full account of Islamic Critical Realism made in his book ‘A Fresh Look at Islam in a Multi-faith World: a philosophy for success through education.’
Curriculum for Cohesion deplores the terrorist attacks in Paris
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
17 November 2015. The murderous acts in Paris of Friday 13 November constitute the most barbaric terrorist outrage by any legal and human reckoning. Such deeds are outlawed by European state law, international law, Shari’a law which condemns in absolute terms those who cause corruption and sow fear in the land, as well as by the natural laws of basic human compassion and decency.
It is almost beyond comprehension that people who claim to act on Qur’anic authority can think that unarmed civilian diners and concert-goers can be the legitimate targets of a justified Islamic armed attack. It shows how deeply the violent ‘Us’ v. ‘Them’ Islamist world view is embedded in the minds of DAESH extremists and causes them to see the rest of the world as sub-human.
National governments, including the British government, are rightly focussing on the need to increase the quality and quantity of security measures taken to protect their peoples from further acts of terrorism in the short term.
Curriculum for Cohesion is focussing on developing the type of education that enables young people and professionals to manage and be enhanced by religious plurality and cultural diversity, as well as enabling them intellectually and practically to tackle the deep-seated ideological falsehoods, absent opportunities and geo-political tensions that lie at the heart of violent Islamist extremism and other types of extremist ideology.
May God the Exalted grant the souls of those departed and their families and friends His peace. Amin.
Curriculum for Cohesion contributes to the Serious Crime Seminar
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
17 September 2015. Dr. Matthew Wilkinson delivered a talk entitled,’Complementary partners or competing alternatives? English Law, Islamic Shari’a and Serious Crime’ to c.100 judges at the Serious Crime Seminar under the auspices of the Judicial College. The talk addressed the issues of the factors involved in ‘Muslim’ criminality in terms of noxious absences and malign presences in the lives of some young British Muslims, whether the types of crime that appear to be related to Islam and Islamic values are in fact related or not and began a discussion of how the principles (maqasid) of the Islamic shari’a are related to the principles of English Common Law. The talk prompted a lively discussion about legal theory and practice amongst senior judges and has led to a number of other significant opportunities for our work.
Dr. Matthew Wilkinson addresses researchers on the Penology Masters at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
15 July 2015. Dr. Matthew Wilkinson addressed c.50 Masters researchers who were also senior prison officers and civil servants under the auspices of the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge on the topic Complementary partners or competing alternatives? English Law, Islamic Shari’a and Serious Crime.
The talk identified the noxious absences and malign presences that combine to generate vulnerability to crime in a minority of young British Muslims and showed how an appeal to the shared core principles and jurisprudential features of English Law and the Islamic Shari’a can call young Muslims to a creative tradition of lawfulness in Islam.
The talk stimulated a timely and much-needed discussion about the relationship of the Islamic Shari’a to the principles and institutions of English Law.
Curriculum for Cohesion contributes to the History PGCE at the UCL Institute of Education
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
15 June 2015. Dr. Matthew Wilkinson addressed and led a workshop for PGCE History teacher-trainees on the course convened by Alison Kitson at the UCL Institute of Education.
The title of the session was History Education and Muslim Youth:promoting success by removing absence . It showed how the engagement of young Muslims with school History can be improved by removal of the ‘absent curriculum’ and by the natural incorporation of the Muslim contribution to humanity’s progress at appropriate curricular moments. It also suggested that this absenting of the absent curriculum will be conducive to greater ontological and epistemological wholeness for young people in History classrooms and improve the quality and adequacy of historical knowledge for all.
The 50 trainees were unanimous in their feedback that the session will be of great theoretical and practical utility for their teaching practice. It is a great privilege for us to serve the next generation of our country’s History teachers.
Curriculum for Cohesion contributes again to the History PGCE, University of Cambridge
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
10 June 2015. Dr. Matthew Wilkinson addressed and led a workshop for PGCE History teacher-trainees on the course convened by Christine Counsell at the University of Cambridge.
The title of the session was History Education and Muslim Youth:promoting success by removing absence . It showed how the engagement of young Muslims with school History can be improved by removal of the ‘absent curriculum’ and by the natural incorporation of the Muslim contribution to humanity’s progress at appropriate curricular moments. It also suggested that this absenting of the absent curriculum will be conducive to greater ontological and epistemological wholeness for young people in History classrooms and improve the quality and adequacy of historical knowledge for all.
Dr. Matthew Wilkinson addresses BBC Radio Producers about their reporting on Islam
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
On 11 June and 18 June Dr.Matthew Wilkinson addressed c. 45 local BBC Radio producers and presenters in Newcastle and Bristol respectively under the auspices of the BBC College of Journalism about Issues in reporting on Islam, Islamism and Violent Extremism and the role
of the media in creating a narrative for change.
The talks deployed the analytical framework being developed by Curriculum for Cohesion to show comprehensively how Islam, Islamism and Violent Extremism can be effectively and authentically distinguished from each other and then suggested how a responsible and sensitive reporting of Islam can reflect these distinctions and move the debate about the role of Islam and Muslims in British life forward beyond the terrorist narrative.
The talks were regarded of most timely and practical utility by media professionals who recognise the need for deeper national reflection and improvement of their reporting of Islam-related issues. Curriculum for Cohesion is making an evidenced, critical contribution to this urgent national debate.
Dr.Matthew Wilkinson addresses the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK, University of Cardiff
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
19 May 2015. At the invitation of Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray, Director of the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK, Dr.Matthew Wilkinson addressed Masters students, PhD researchers and staff of the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK, University of Cardiff on the subject of Islamic Critical Realism:a meta-framework for research on Islam and Muslims.
The address was in response to the work of a number of researchers at Cardiff who are applying the philosophy and social theory of Islamic Critical Realism, developed by Matthew, in their own research to provide an integrated approach to doing the most contemporary, leading-edge social science embedded in an authentically Islamic and Qur’anic world-view. We expect that the research being done at the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK will provide innovative substantive and theoretical avenues for the philosophy of Islamic Critical Realism.
The Cheryl Frank Memorial Prize 2014 has been awarded to Dr. Matthew L. N. Wilkinson
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
15 May 2015. We are proud to announce that The International Association for Critical Realism (IACR) has awarded Dr. Matthew L. N. Wilkinson, Director and Principle Researcher of Curriculum for Cohesion, with The Cheryl Frank Memorial Prize 2014 for his book ‘A Fresh Look at Islam in a Multi-Faith World: A Philosophy for Success through Education’. In the words of the awarding committee:
“The Cheryl Frank Memorial Prize is awarded annually for a book or article that constitutes, motivates or exemplifies the best and/or most innovative writing in or about the tradition of critical realism, including the philosophy of metaReality, in the previous year.”
“A Fresh Look at Islam deploys critical realist metatheory and empirical research in an original and creative way to produce an educational philosophy – Islamic critical realism – to assist Muslims meet the challenges of our times and promote a better understanding of Islam among non-Muslims.”
For the full account, please go to: http://criticalrealismblog.blogspot.co.uk/
The award of this prize to Matthew is recognition of the intellectual leadership in the field of the relationship of Islam to a multi-faith society and education being offered by Curriculum for Cohesion as a whole. All praise belongs to God.
Dr. Matthew Wilkinson presents Islamic Critical Realism at the British Association of Islamic Studies Conference (BRAIS) 2015
By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson
15 April 2015. Dr. Matthew Wilkinson presented a paper entitled, Islamic critical realism: a philosophy to ‘underlabour’ contemporary Islam, at the British Association of Islamic Studies Conference 2015 at the Senate House, London. The paper presented the core philosophical elements of the Islamic critical realist position including, ‘underlabouring, ‘philosophical and religious seriousness’, ‘a critical realist understanding of the Qur’an’, and ‘dialectical critical realism in the life of the Prophet Muhammad’. The paper stimulated a lively debate about the role of critical realism in general and Islamic critical realism in particular in creating an intellectual bridgehead between the principles of faith and the conditions of contemporary life. The conference was also attended by our Chair of Donors, Mr. Mohammed Amin.
Matthew and Amin also received the welcome news from Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray, Professor in Religious and Theological Studies, Director for the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK (Islam-UK), University of Cardiff that Islamic critical realism is ‘underlabouring’ the research of a number of research students into Islam and Muslims at the University of Cardiff. Thus, praise God,Islamic critical realism is fulfilling the function for which it was designed.