Literacy and Education in Islam

In the Muslim world and Muslim majority countries, illiteracy has become a complex and substantial problem resulting in widespread social instability.

Educating the masses is not of high priority in many Islamic nations and this bearing is most obvious in the general lack of nation-wide educational initiatives.

As a result, published literacy rates vary greatly from nation to nation.

High achievers such as Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan retain 97% literacy rates, whilst countries such as Afghanistan, Mali, Chad, and others, have miserably low literacy rates. Additionally, some countries simply do not provide a government funded level of basic education.

Nevertheless, there are several Muslim countries that do support literacy and education; the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has established the ‘King Abdullah University of Science and technology’, the United Arab Emirates has invested in the ‘Zayed University’, the ‘United Arab Emirates University’, and the ‘Masdar Institute of Science and technology’.

Turkey and Iran also exhibit high scientific publications and Pakistan established the ‘Higher Education Commission’ in 2002 which resulted in a fivefold increase in the number of PHD’s and the total number of universities rising from 115 in the year 2001, to just over 400 universities in 2012.