| Professor Malory Nye has been confirmed in post at the west end Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies after acting as principal for the past 12 months.
He marked his appointment with a call for Islamic Studies to be made relevant to the needs of a multicultural society.
“The study of Islam and Muslims needs to be centralised into schools and higher education curricula and taught in ways that meet the demands of our multicultural society,” he said.
“The studies should not be taught in isolation or in an insular atmosphere as that would merely continue to peddle the ‘us and them’ attitudes that need to disappear once and for all.
“All communities should work together to build mutual understanding, respect, and common ground — it is not ‘them and us’, it is ‘us and us’.
“It is clearly the case that most British non-Muslims — and that includes many people in Scotland — do not understand what makes Muslims tick so it is important for more people to find out. Education is the key for this.”
Professor Nye, who was born in Wales and educated in both Edinburgh and London, joined the Institute in 2003 as Professor in Multiculturalism before promotion to the post of Depute Principal for Academic Affairs in 2004.
He said the Institute’s promotion of “intelligent debate and understanding of Islam and the role of Muslims in the contemporary world” had sparked momentum in UK higher education for the development of the subject area.
Professor Nye went on, “Much of what is debated by academics also crops up in daily debates in the media, in the streets, pubs and living rooms.
“Multiculturalism is not about separatism, ghettoisation or balkanisation. It is, instead, a recognition of both diversity and the need for common ground, mutual respect, and cultural engagement.”
Professor Nye said he was looking to boost student numbers and develop a new range of initiatives for the Blackness Road Institute during his time in office. |
