Religious Education in the Arab World: Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Egypt as Models

The study explored religious education (RE), Islamic and Christian, in the Arab world and its role in qualifying students to university education, taking Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Egypt as models. A controversy about the validity of RE as a bridge to university education in the Arab world provided the impetus to carry out the present study. Using the descriptive analytical method, the author studied the reality of RE with its different types in the selected countries and the extent to which these experiences are successful. The results revealed that the three RE experiences are successful. RE was found to have many educational and behavioral effects, e.g., elimination of religious extremism, alleviation of oppression experienced by religious minorities and acquisition of good behavior. It also proved to furnish students with many important skills such as co-existence and respect for others. Students of religious schools in the three countries were found to achieve good results that qualified them to all branches of knowledge, applied and theoretical, in university education. They even excelled their counterparts in general education schools. Recommendations and suggestions for further research are offered.