Importance of 'Islamic schools' for Muslims in the United Kingdom Islamic schools within the mosque, first level of education Islamic schools played the major role on delivering Islamic knowledge from Prophet’s generation through centuries to today’s generation. The Prophet of Islam used to educate first Muslims within the mosque and the first mosque was known as a first institution for education. Prophet Muhammad used to educate Muslims in the mosque through Friday sermons and occasional lectures. He used to gather Muslims in the mosque and give them new revelation, to educate them about new rulings etc. Mosques remained the first level of Islamic education even to-day. In fact, a great majority of Muslims learn first and the last lessons on Islam in these schools, known as maktab, or kuttab (1), or madrasah as well. This way (mosque way) of education didn’t lose its importance despite new methods of education and despite new institutions of education. It is almost not possible to imagine a mosque without lessons for the youngest. Lessons would begin at a young age, mostly with the five. Methods of education in mosque schools didn’t change much. The Imam is responsible for delivering knowledge to the youngest. He gives first lessons on five pillars of Islam, six pillars of faith and the shortest surah from the Quran. Imams as religious teachers Imams in mosques are mainly educated to lead prayers, to deliver Friday sermons and to educate basics of Islam on all generations. Education of imams themselves plays an important role in context of Islamic schools within mosques. It can be problematic if imam is not trained and educated through special program to be a teacher to the kids. Old methods of education in mosques are not much attractive as before. Children sitting on their knees, imam speaking while children silently following, separated males and females, punishment of children, one-way education, are out of time in the 21th century. New pedagogical methods are needed to bring youngest to understand Islam for new age and new circumstances. Quality of mosque education (maktab) depends much on the education of imams themselves. Good commands of English are precondition for any quality education. It can be problematic if imams are educated abroad and not in the UK. Here we find a great importance of higher Islamic education (colleges, institutes, universities) taught in the UK. Curriculum of maktab schools Curriculum plays very important role for Islamic schools. Expectations of education are nowadays different from before. Curriculum of mosque schools must bring understanding of Quran not just memorisation, must bring understanding of prayer not just a formal performance. Curriculum for such schools should bring understanding of British society, should bring understanding of how to implement adopted knowledge on environment, should bring much more practical knowledge than theoretical knowledge. Some of these standards are not met, and even further, some topics are still ‘forbidden’ in these schools. Subject of genders (religious Muslims are strict when it comes to female issues and in general it doesn’t apply the same for female and male, even when it comes to children), integration (one opinion survey on British Muslims in 2004 showed little desire fully to integrate with domicile culture and people (2)), patriotism toward Britain, are not popular in this first level of Islamic education. The issue of material resources and religious authorities for teachings within mosque schools remain very important. Surveying maktab schools Surveying methods and achieved results are unfortunately missing in maktab schools. Surveying maktab remains internal issue of every mosque. It can be problematic if any of imams through Britain has any sympathies with extremism and if such imam teaches children. Some methods are outdated and some forbidden. Reviewing all these issues has great benefits for maktab itself. Some other European countries have introduced religion as compulsory lesson in all public primary and secondary schools (Austria, Croatia, Bosnia). Doing so, these countries have possibility of surveying teachers, methods and results. Muslims demands on public schools in the UK Islamic education remains a key question for majority of Muslim families in the UK. These families want to preserve their Islamic tradition and faith with their children in front of secular and atheistic community. Muslim parents demand in state schools for their children curriculum, which would include Islam lessons, prayer rooms within the schools, halal foods, free days for main Muslim festivals, and exemption from sex education. (3) All these demands have been rejected by the state. For these reasons some Muslims windrow their children from public schools, and instead send them to private Muslim schools. These increased Muslim schools from 24 in 90s, to around 140 in 2011. (4) One survey from 2004 showed that nearly half of British Muslims would send their children to a Muslims school rather than to a state school. (5) Teachings of Islam at universities The UK has wide spectrum of universities. Some significant number of them offer Islamic studies or some modules on Islamic studies. After 11/09 it became attractive to study Islam, it became attractive to know closer and learn better the religion which dominates through the media (though, mostly negative). British universities used this opportunity and introduced new modules in larger numbers. Islamic studies at British universities are organized with the same standards and norms as other unrelated studies. This, for sure, gives quality to these studies. At the same time, university approach toward Islamic studies (material) is critical and objective, not subjective. This is different from mainstream of Islamic studies at universities in Muslim countries. This fact makes not much popular Islamic studies at British universities to majority of Muslims. This confirms the fact that the largest number of modules in Islamic studies are at master level (6). British universities are not educating imams for British society, nor teachers of Islam for British society. These studies (master) are mainly for individual use and much more for intellectual use than for practical community use. It would be interesting to make a survey on where are ending these graduates and what impact have on British Muslim society. References 1. Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. Ed. Richard C. Martin. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA,2004. p418-421. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=walamp&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX3403500282&asid=ff906ece1999227b72d31aebbdef6430 2. The Global Community Yearbook of International Law and Jurisprudence 2015. 3. The Global Community Yearbook of International Law and Jurisprudence 2015. 4. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/nov/28/muslim-schools-growth 5. The Global Community Yearbook of International Law and Jurisprudence 2015. 6. Islamic Studies provision in the UK Report to HEFCE by the Higher Education Academy. Authors: Lisa Bernasek, Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. 2010.