The Right To and Need For Interfaith Education

The Right to and
Need for Interfaith

Education
Maria Lucia Uribe Torres

Geneva, Switzerland
February 2008
Specialization in Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights
Summer University of Human
Rights
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Table of Contents
The Right to and Need for Interfaith Education ............................................................................... 3
Cultural Rights ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Quality Education ................................................................................................................................. 8
Intercultural Education ......................................................................................................................... 9
International Standard-Setting Instruments.................................................................................... 11
Interreligious Education as a part of Intercultural Education ....................................................... 12
Importance of Religion Today .......................................................................................................... 14
Migration and Religion ....................................................................................................................... 17
Religious, Interreligious and Interfaith Education .......................................................................... 18
Learning religion: ............................................................................................................................ 19
Learning about religion: ................................................................................................................. 19
Learning from religions: ................................................................................................................. 20
Interfaith Education in different settings.......................................................................................... 20
Formal settings ............................................................................................................................... 20
Non-formal settings ........................................................................................................................ 21
Informal settings ............................................................................................................................. 21
Pedagogies for Interfaith Education ................................................................................................ 22
Challenges for the Implementation of Interfaith Education Programmes in Schools .............. 25
- Secular societies. ................................................................................................................... 25
- Homogeneous religiously societies. .................................................................................... 25
- Private religious schools. ...................................................................................................... 26
- Development of Interfaith Education Programmes. .......................................................... 27
- Legislation. .............................................................................................................................. 27
- Pedagogical Approaches and Teachers Training. ............................................................ 27
Recommendations for Governments and Schools ....................................................................... 28
- Legislation and the role of governments............................................................................. 28
- Preparation of Interfaith Education Programmes for schools.......................................... 29
- Training of teachers. .............................................................................................................. 29
CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................. 30
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................. 31
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The Right to and Need for Interfaith Education
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that education shall be directed to
the full development of the personality and to the strengthening of respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms. Education should promote understanding,
tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial and religious groups. This
becomes the fundamental principle to ensure quality education that can help
developing children’s ability to live peacefully together with others and embrace
diversity.
In a world that is increasingly multicultural and multi-faith, children need to be given

the space and opportunities to learn about other cultures and beliefs, to engage in
dialogue with people who are different to them, and develop skills to transform
conflicts that can arise from the challenges that diversity poses.
Education can no longer be reduced to develop only cognitive skills but needs to
encompass the development of emotional abilities and ethical values, so as to equip
children to strengthen a sense of responsibility, solidarity and empathy with people of
other cultural and religious backgrounds. The type of education needed today has to
be sensitive to the demands of multicultural societies, thus providing equal
opportunities for children to express their beliefs and develop their own identity,
aware of others’ identities.
This paper emphasises the need for interfaith education as a way to promote and
protect Cultural Rights. Religion today has new labels due to the uprising of religious
fundamentalism that sometimes has led to terrorism and due to the new forms it has
taken in many societies. The revival of spiritual beliefs outside the spheres of
institutionalised religions, the influence of other faiths in countries where religious
diversity did not exist and the process of secularisation, are forces that demand
interfaith education programmes for children to learn to live in plural societies.
However, interfaith education requires that governments make sure schools are
arenas where the right to freedom of religion and beliefs is respected and promoted,
and where there are equal opportunities for children who belong to religious
minorities.
As long as schools continue to provide religious education programmes that are

distant to the religious plurality of the world, children will be ill-equipped to deal with
diversity. New religious conflicts and wars fuelled by religious fundamentalism can
take new forms and meanings in the future. Schools should be spaces for
interreligious dialogue and to counteract racism, xenophobia and all kinds of
discrimination and lack of understanding.
Some of the recommendations given in this paper for the implementation of quality
interfaith education programmes include: 1. changes in national legislations to
enable revisions of religious education curricula and suggestions in the approach to
confessional teaching, 2. the integration of religious communities in the development
of interreligious programmes in schools, and 3. intensified and continuous training for
teachers. These recommendations can create a good platform for the promotion
and implementation of quality interfaith learning.
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Cultural Rights
The world today is subject to rapid political,

economic, social and technological changes “Cultural rights can be defined
that result in the development of diverse as those human rights that are
societies and in the continuous interaction with focused on the freedom of
new information, ideas and beliefs. Diversity people and especially of ethnic
challenges the relations between people and
minorities, indigenous and
their participation in the cultural life of a
society. The expression of their identities religious groups, among
requires respect for the traditional cultural others, to preserve and
practices of that society and vice versa. conduct their own cultural
practices, to participate in the
Majority and minority groups of a society cultural life of their choice and
should enjoy and share the same rights and to express themselves in the
responsibilities without any type of
language they want.”
discrimination or given privileges. Cultural
rights are therefore a response to protect the
rights of those diverse groups that can be
discriminated and excluded.
Cultural rights can be defined as those human rights that are focused on the freedom
of people and especially of ethnic minorities, indigenous and religious groups,
among others, to preserve and conduct their own cultural practices, to participate in
the cultural life of their choice and to express themselves in the language they want,
as it is considered in the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity1. Cultural rights
cannot be invoked to justify violations of other human rights. On the contrary, they
should be seen in tandem with other human rights and be subjected to fundamental
freedoms.
The protection of cultural rights is covered in the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights (1948), in the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and in the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights both adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly in December 1966. Other instruments have also been
developed to advance and safeguard cultural rights, such as the UNESCO
Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice (1978), International Convention on the
Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
(1990) and the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001) among others.
However, despite the efforts to create an international framework for their protection
and promotion, it is one of the least developed and understood of the rights that have
been guaranteed under international law.
It is important to say that cultural rights are not a category of human rights, they are
human rights per se, and their promotion and protection should be guaranteed under
the principles of universality, indivisibility and interdependency that cover all human
rights.
1Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. UNESCO 2002. http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-

URL_ID=13179&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
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The following human rights have been considered under international law as cultural
rights2:
1. The right to education (art. 13 ICESC);
2. The right to participate in cultural life (art. 27 UDHR and art. 15 ICESC);
3. The right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications (art.
27 UDHR and art. 15 ICESC);
4. The right to benefit from the protection of the moral and material interests
resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which the person
is the author, and (art. 27 UDHR and art. 15 ICESC);
5. The freedom for scientific research and creative activity (art. 15 ICESC).
The project concerning a Declaration of Cultural Rights elaborates and includes

additional elements and rights3 to the ones mentioned before, which clearly show the
challenges they pose to societies:
• The right not to be discriminated on the basis of race, colour, sex, language,
religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or
other status (art 26 ICCPR);
• The right to freedom of opinion and expression, including freedom to seek,
receive and impart information and ideas through media and regardless of
frontiers (art. 19 UDHR and art 18 ICCPR);
• The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (art 18 UDHR and 18
ICCPR);
• In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons
belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with
the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and
practice their own religion, or to use their own language (art. 27 ICCPR);
• The right of parents to choose the kind of education for their children (art 26 §
3 UDHR).
Cultural rights become especially important and challenging today due to the
increasing pluralism and cultural diversity in societies. Migrations, the use of the
Internet, new technologies and globalization create the need and the challenge to
educate individuals and especially children to understand and accept other people’s
cultures, religions and viewpoints. This becomes a si ne qua non to be able to live
peacefully together in a diverse society, safeguard human dignity and foster
democratic societies.
2UNESCO. Putting Cultural Diversity into Practice: Some Innovative Tools. Definitions
3Fribourg Group in Cooperation with UNESCO, The Council of Europe, and The Swiss National
Commission, ‘Project Concerning a Declaration of Cultural Rights’, 11th version, presented at the
General Conference of UNESCO, 4 September 1996.: http://www.americas-
society.org/as/events/pdf.d/UNESCO%20Fribourg.pdf
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The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, adopted by the General
Conference of the UNESCO at its 31st session on 2 November 2001, supports the
right to an education that embraces pluralism, diversity and mutual understanding,
thus fostering respect for cultural rights.
The following pages will focus on the right to an education that contributes to the full
development of people’s cultural identity and especially on the right and need for
interreligious education programmes in different settings of society, especially in
schools.
The Right to Education

Education can be defined as “the instrument both of the all-round development of the
human person and of that person’s participation in social life”4. Education takes
place in different settings not only in schools but in families, through media and in the
interaction with friends and people around. It is a life-long process whereby
individuals develop skills, attitudes and knowledge that enable them to interact with
others and take part in social and economic activities.
Education is a vehicle for empowerment of those who

are marginalized and exploited and can help
“Education is a life- improving the economic development of a nation.
long process Achieving education is not only a human right but a
whereby individuals means for protecting other human rights. In this
develop skills, sense education can become a powerful tool to foster
attitudes and cultural rights, to ensure respect for cultural, religious
and linguistic minorities and acceptance of different
knowledge that
opinions and expressions.
enable them to
interact with others The right to education has been recognized in several
and take part in international treaties and declarations: The Universal
social and Declaration of Human Rights (Art.26), the Convention
economic activities” on the Rights of the Child (Art. 29), the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Art. 18), and
on the International Covenant on Economic Social
and Cultural Rights (Art. 13 and 14). The latter is the
most comprehensive recognition of the right not only to education but of an
education that is characterized by its availability, accessibility, acceptability and
adaptability to all people.
It is also relevant to mention that the Convention on the Rights of the Child provides
important elements to describe the objectives of education and highlights the right of
the child to receive relevant education. The education of the child shall be directed
to:
4 UNESCO (1992) : International Conference on Education, 43rd Session, The Contribution of Education
to Cultural Development, p.4,
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a) The development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical
abilities to their fullest potential;
b) The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and
for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations;
c) The development of respect for the child's parents, his or her own cultural
identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which
the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for
civilizations different from his or her own;
d) The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of
understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all
peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous
origin;
e) The development of respect for the natural environment.
The right to education can be understood from two different perspectives. The first
perspective presents education as a social right, which needs to be offered and
covered by the State. The second one presents it as a right to freedom for parents
to choose the type of education they want their children to have and the freedom to
open schools and be autonomous in their administration5. In order to ensure that
parents have the possibility to choose and that they are encouraged to do it, there is
a need, on one hand, to promote educational programmes that encompass the
economic needs of families and societies and the development of skills that are
useful for the full development of the child. On the other hand, there is also a need
to provide schools that embrace and respect different cultures and religions, where
parents can feel comfortable and assured that their culture and beliefs will not be by
any way undermined.
If the educational systems only provide an education that meets the needs of the
majority of people and consequently exclude minorities, in whatever ways: language,
religion, cultural practices and possibility to express and fully develop in society,
there is a failure to encompass an education that promotes social cohesion and a
culture of peace, especially needed in the current plural and every time-changing
societies.
Diversity needs to be understood as an enriching component of societies and not as

a threatening element of globalization. Education should serve as a vehicle to foster
cultural diversity and to promote the survival of cultures. “The right to education
doesn’t exist if there is not an authentic pluralism in schools”6.
5 Alfred Fernández y Jean-Daniel Nordmann. El estado de las libertades educativas en el mundo. OIDEL /
Santillana. Madrid (2002). 268 págs.
6 Ibid
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Quality Education
For education to become a driver for sustainable development is important to focus

not only on providing access to schools, proper infrastructure or availability of
teachers but on providing education that contributes to the full development of the
child. The right to education is truly promoted through guaranteeing that schools
are arenas for acquiring knowledge that is relevant for children, for developing skills
that can contribute to their participation in economic and social life, for nurturing
values that are shared by their own cultural and religious beliefs and for developing
attitudes that are respectful and open towards people of other cultures.
According to UNESCO, education of high quality refers to the development of tools

for life that enable learners feel confident and motivated to use the skills they have
acquired. It also refers to the development of behaviours based on positive values –
understanding and respect for people of all kinds, for their rights, for the natural
world, for the past and the future.
The following guidelines for quality education have been defined by UNESCO7 as a
prerequisite to achieve sustainable development. Quality education:
- Supports a rights-based approach to all educational endeavours. Education is a

human right, and therefore quality education supports all of the human rights;
- is based on the four pillars of Education for All – learning to know, learning to do,
learning to live together and with others, and learning to be (Delors, et al., 1996);
- views the learner as an individual, a family member, community member, and a

global citizen and educates to create individual competency in all four roles;
- upholds and conveys the ideals of a sustainable world – a world that is just,
equitable, and peaceable, in which individuals care for the environment to contribute
to intergenerational equity;
- takes into consideration the social, economic, and environmental contexts of a

particular place and shapes the curriculum or programme to reflect these unique
conditions. Quality education is locally relevant and culturally appropriate;
- is informed by the past (e.g. indigenous and traditional knowledge), is relevant to

the present, and prepares individuals for the future;
- builds knowledge, life skills, perspectives, attitudes and values;
- provides the tools to transform current societies to more sustainable societies;
- is measurable.
7UNESCO. http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-
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Teachers play a crucial role in the development of quality education. The guidelines
above show the need to provide educational systems that go beyond teacher-
centred approaches, where the child is simply an object that needs to be told and
taught and who is submitted to receive information and store the knowledge “given”
by the teachers. Quality education, in contrast, sees the child as a subject, who
receives and creates knowledge from different sources and is able to critically
analyse it and use it for the betterment of society. The relation teacher-student is
changed from a vertical position to a horizontal one, challenging the educational
systems in many countries.
Therefore, education needs to be equitable, inclusive and relevant to local

circumstances. It should provide spaces for children to rethink social structures, to
interact with diversity and to develop practical skills, in order to achieve a high quality
level.
Intercultural Education
According to the UNESCO, Intercultural Education is a response to the challenge to

provide quality education for all. It is framed within a Human Rights perspective as
expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): Education shall be
directed to the full development of human personality and to the strengthening of
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding,
tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial and religious groups, and shall
further the activities of the United Nations for the
maintenance of peace8.
The Declaration of the 44th session of the Intercultural Education is a

International Conference on Education develops the response to the challenge to
role of intercultural education with regard to provide quality education for all. It is
education for peace, human rights and democracy. framed within a Human Rights
It states that an education for international perspective as it is expressed in the
understanding is based on “learning about the
diversity and wealth of cultural identities”9, open- Universal Declaration of Human
mindedness to other cultures and respect for human Rights.
differences10.
Intercultural education enhances mutual respect and understanding among people of

different cultures and promotes dialogue to achieve social cohesion. In the final
report of the International Conference on Education in 1992, the aims and objectives
of intercultural education were highlighted and discussed. These are:
- the reduction of all forms of exclusion

- the furthering of integration and school achievement
- the promotion of respect for cultural diversity
8 UNESCO. Guidelines on Intercultural Education. 2006.
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001478/147878e.pdf
9 Declaration of the 44th Session of the International Conference on Education, 1994, endorsed by the
General Conference of UNESCO at its 28th Session, 1995, No. 2.2

10 ibid, No. 2.4
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- the promotion of understanding of the cultures of others; and
- the promotion of international understanding11
The overarching objective of intercultural education is to learn to live together as

individuals but also as representatives of different cultural groups. Intercultural
education encompasses the need for developing skills to deal with conflicts and
dilemmas that are unavoidable in multicultural societies. It should also help finding
interconnectedness among people and shared values that promote a harmonious
coexistence.
Intercultural education promotes respect for diversity, which is not only confined to
cultural background but also to other aspects of identity such as gender, talents,
interests, skills, knowledge, beliefs, etc. This is particularly important in defining
intercultural education programmes that take into account the full identity of the child
and develop appropriate methods for coping with cultural diversity.
According to the UNESCO Guidelines for Intercultural Education there are three
Principles that may guide international action in the field of intercultural education.
These principles are:
Principle I. Intercultural education respects the cultural identity of the learner

through the provision of culturally appropriate and responsive quality education for
all.
This Principle attends the need to provide children with knowledge about their own
cultural heritage and to offer education, where possible, in their mother tongue. It
also emphasises on the need to use teaching methods that are participatory and
experiential with the objective of challenging cultural prejudices and stereotypes.
Methods and content require adaptation to the needs of minority groups.
Principle II. Intercultural Education provides every learner with the cultural
knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to achieve active and full participation in
society.
Children from all cultural groups of the population should have access to all forms of
education. This Principle recommends the provision of equal opportunities for all,
including the adoption of measures to facilitate the integration of minority groups in
the school system. It also underlines the importance of creating safe environments
for interaction, free of discrimination and conducive to learn in diversity.
Principle III. Intercultural Education provides all learners with cultural knowledge,
attitudes and skills that enable them to contribute to respect, understanding and
solidarity among individuals, ethnic, social, cultural and religious groups and nations.
This Principle stresses the need to creating awareness of interdependence between

people from different cultures and nations. It underscores methodological
approaches that help children to discover the richness of diversity and to
acknowledge different ways of thinking, believing and acting. Teachers need to be
11 UNESCO. Final Report : International Conference on Education, 43rd Session, No.7, 1992
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equipped to deal with diversity and develop communication skills that allow them to
be more open minded and embracing toward minority groups.
International Standard-Setting Instruments
Intercultural education is endorsed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

that stipulates that education “shall be directed to the full development of the human
personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms”, and that it “shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among
all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United
Nations for the maintenance of peace.”12 This principle is the foundation of other
instruments, conventions and treaties that have further elaborated on the need of
intercultural educational systems, materials and programmes to counteract
stereotypes, discrimination, xenophobia and all types of racism.
Some of the international instruments that use the Principle of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights regarding education (although using a different
wording) are: The International convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial
Discrimination (1965), the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (1966), the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (1981) and the Convention on the Rights
of the Child (1989).
The involvement of UNESCO in promoting intercultural education is longstanding

and has been instrumental in mobilising organisations, governments and civil society
in developing educational programmes for intercultural understanding. In 1974,
UNESCO adopted at its General Conference in Paris, a set of Recommendations
Concerning Education for International Understanding, Cooperation and Peace and
Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The objectives of
these Recommendations were threefold: 1) Promoting values that enclose respect
and understanding among people from different cultures and civilizations. 2)
Developing in children communication skills to be able to get into respectful
dialogues with others, and 3) Promoting principles and educational policies that
enforce social inclusion at all levels and in all forms.
Another international instrument that has proved influential in protecting the rights of
minorities is the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or
Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (1992). The Declaration urges States to
take measures in the field of education in order to encourage knowledge of the
history, traditions, language and culture of the minorities existing within their territory.
This is especially important in countries affected by migration processes, where
immigrants have brought different religious beliefs and cultural practices and have,
sometimes, been discriminated and excluded from the social and political life. The
lack of knowledge of others’ cultures and beliefs and of interaction among different
cultural groups can create racism and xenophobic attitudes in the population.
12 Art. 26.2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1946)
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The efforts made by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief in
preparing guidelines for strengthening a non-discriminatory perspective in education
have also been effective in advancing intercultural education.
The Dakar Framework for Action 2000-201513 has served UNESCO to promote
understanding not only among cultures but specifically among religions, by
recommending the development of partnerships with religious groups in the
education process.
UNESCO has also developed the Interreligious Dialogue Programme to promote

mutual understanding between people of different religions and beliefs. The
Programme develops and publishes pedagogical material to be used for educational
purposes. In March 2006 an initiative called UNESCO Chairs of Inter-religious
Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding was launched, bringing together major
universities and academic centres specialized in the topic.
It is important to underline the relevant role that the UNESCO Universal Declaration
on Cultural Diversity, developed in 2001, has played in reinforcing the idea that
culture should be considered as a common heritage for humanity and that it is
inseparable from respect of human dignity. The UNESCO Convention on the
Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) builds on
the above Declaration and emphasises that cultural diversity can only be
safeguarded and promoted if human rights and fundamental freedoms are
guaranteed.
Interreligious Education as a part of Intercultural Education
Religious education can be considered to be a part of intercultural education due to

the influence of religious beliefs in the cultural patterns and behaviours of people.
The definition of culture can help in understanding the relation between culture and
religion. Culture can be defined as the “set of distinctive spiritual, material,
intellectual and emotional features of a society or social group... encompassing in
addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems,
traditions and beliefs”.14 In this sense, religions and spiritual beliefs are part of a
culture and help shaping individual’s identity, ways of thinking and acting in society.
Religion has become a critical issue during the last few years due the uprising of
religious fundamentalism that has led sometimes to terrorism and to social and
political conflicts. Religious differences are frequently used as a pretext to create
division and separatism. At the same time, religions have also experienced a new
revival due to the development of many new religious or spiritual groups that have
sprung up in diverse forms. This, on one hand, attracts people who are in search of
meaning and self-soul understanding, not necessarily within an institutionalised way
13 The Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments,
adopted by the World Education Forum, Dakar, Senegal, 26-28 April 2000, available at
14 UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001). Also the definition given in the
Mexico City Declaration on Cultural Policies, adopted by the World Conference on Cultural Policies
(Mexico City, 1982)
12 | P a g e
of believing. On the other hand the search for new religious meaning, “can also
lead, in some places, to fundamentalism tendencies”.15 Current societies are not
only multicultural, but have also become multi-faith, proving the need for educational
systems and programmes that foster social cohesion and interfaith learning.
Intercultural education, as noted before, refers to learning to live together. This

implies learning to live in diversity with an inclusive and understanding attitude
towards others’ cultures and what it enfolds, i.e. different languages, ways of thinking
and even diverse religious practices. Learning to live with people of different faiths
and religious beliefs is not only a need but a right in plural and every-day more
diverse societies, despite the increasing secularisation many modern societies
experience nowadays.
Today secularised societies cannot deny the influence that religious beliefs have in
people who consider religion important in their lives; neither can it ignore those who
belong to minority religious groups and for whom religion is a part of their identity.
These societies need to be aware that even though there is a clear separation of the
State and the role religion plays in the political arena, religion still has a great
influence in the cultural patterns of their country. Furthermore, religion in secularised
societies can no longer be confined to private spheres, since it affects individuals’
social action and personal convictions and very often beliefs are the driving forces of
people’s conduct in society.
Secularisation needs to give space for religious diversity

and for freedom of religious expression at different levels
“Learning to live
of society, indifferently of people’s personal choices of
with people of belief. Similarly, traditional religious societies also need
different faiths and to allow freedom of choice for non-believers and for
religious beliefs is those whose beliefs differ from the majority. A respectful
not only a need but interaction between secular and non-secular people
a right in plural and needs to be achieved in societies. Interreligious
every-day more education can provide children with knowledge about
other religions and spiritual beliefs and develop
diverse societies,”
communication skills to deal with possible conflicts. It
despite the can provide means for nurturing attitudes that are
increasing accepting towards others’ faiths and truths, thus paving
secularisation many the way for a respectful living together among people of
modern societies secular and religious traditions.
experience
nowadays. The religious dimension of intercultural education should
nurture mutual understanding between believers and
non-believers and the ability to reflect on the different
worldviews to be found in pluralistic societies. This
religious dimension helps developing not only cognitive aptitudes in children but also
skills for coping with diversity. It also helps developing personal autonomy and a
critical spirit in children, and a feeling of belonging to the community as a whole.16
UNESCO Guidelines on Intercultural Education. 2006, p. 12

15
Adapted from Religious Diversity and Intercultural Education: A Reference Book for Schools.
16
Council of Europe. 2006
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Importance of Religion Today
Even though secularisation has become a broad phenomenon, there is still a

majority of people in many countries who claim to belong to a particular
particula religion,
although it does not imply they are practicing members. The following graphic
shows the average percentage of people in the world who consider themselves as
part of a particular religion.
The numbers clearly show that religion is still important

nt for many people in the world.
world
It also gives an idea of the increasing number of non religious people (16%, 2%
higher than the third most practicing
religion in the world, Hinduism with
14%), within a variety of forms:
agnostic, atheist, secular humanist,
those who do not have any religious
preference and half who are theist
but non-religious.
The
he worldwide Gallup International
Int
Millennium Survey17 finished in 2004
200
and conducted in 60 countries to
1.25 billion citizens of the world can
help in understanding the importance
of religion for people today. 87% of
people who were interviewed said
they consider themselves to be b part
of some religion and only 13% said
they belong to none. These
numbers validate the information shown in the graphic above. Believers include
Catholics, Protestants, other Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and
followers of other religions.
s.
The survey also asked questions regarding the importance of God in people’s lives
and if people considerr their faith to be the only true religion in comparison to others’
religions and beliefs. These answers can help to identify the diversity of opinions in
terms of geographical region and visualize the implications in the current
phenomenon of immigration.
It is important to understand that even

ven though 87% of people considered themselves
to belong to a particular religion, there
th are noticeable differences in their answers
depending on the country they belong to. to. The graphic below shows that the figure
for Western Africa where
ere Muslims are the largest and most practicing group is 99%
believers, 12 points above average. However,, in Hong Kong 64% of the people
17Gallup International Millennium Survey (2004) http://www.gallup-

international.com/ContentFiles/millennium15.asp.. Note: The survey does not include people from
international.com/ContentFiles/millennium15.asp
Middle East.
14 | P a g e
responded they do not believe in any religion and similar answers were found in
South Korea with 46% and in the Czech Republic with 55%.
Regarding the question if there is only one true religion, 46% of the people
interviewed believe there is more than one true religion, while 31% think theirs is the
only true faith. 10% responded that there is no any true religion and 13% said they
''don't know'' or ''don't answer''. The graphic on the following page, shows the
answers according to region.
In response to the question if God matters to people, 55% of respondents in

Sweden, 52% in Norway and 49% in Denmark responded that God does not matter
to them. On the other hand, almost everyone surveyed in Ghana, Nigeria, the
Philippines, Colombia and Pakistan said God is very important in their lives.18 It
seems, the answers are affirmative mostly in developing countries, where there is a
high percentage of emigration to developed countries, where according to statistics,
there is a lower appreciation of the importance of God in people’s lives. This can
create possible conflicts in the interaction among people of different beliefs and
among those whose appreciation of God highly differs. Migration processes create
new multicultural and multi-faith societies that need to learn to cope with differences.
18 Ibid
15 | P a g e
These answers show that even though people expressed they belong to a particular
religion, it does not mean they give importance to God in their lives, which can be a
source of conflict in the interaction among people for whom their religious beliefs are
fundamental.
In Latin America, statistics show that the presence of new religions and Christian
denominations different to Catholicism are gaining space, along with atheism and
non-believers. There is evidence that Protestant churches, Bahá’í Faith and
Agnosticism are growing in some countries in this continent. In Colombia, for
instance, according to information provided by the biggest newspaper in the country,
El Tiempo, said that 13.5% of people belonged to non-Catholic forms of Christianity,
2% agnostic and 4.5% belonged to other religions such as Islam and Judaism.
These numbers are important in a country where few years ago almost 95% of the
population was considered Catholic.
In Panama, Protestant groups account to 11.9% of the population, Muslims 4.4%,

Bahá’í 2.2%, Buddhists 0.8% and Hindus 0.3%, according to the World Christian
Encyclopedia (2001)
In Uruguay, a survey published in the daily newspaper El País in 2004, reported that
54% of those interviewed designated themselves as Roman Catholics, 6% as
evangelicals, 5% as Protestants, 9% believers without a religious affiliation, and 26%
as nonbelievers.
The numbers above illustrate a changing scenario in traditional religiously

homogeneous countries in Latin America. The increasing numbers of Christian
groups that sometimes have resorted in fundamentalism tendencies can become a
source of conflict in the region. Difficulties accepting the diversity of expressions of
Christianity call for rethinking religious educational programmes, in order to promote
respect for other beliefs and understand other ways of conceiving Christianity and
God. Freedom of religion and belief can only be guaranteed if there is respect for
other religious truths at all levels of society.
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Migration and Religion
According to the International Organisation for Migration more than 175 million
people currently reside in a country other than where they were born. This
corresponds to about 3 percent of the world
population.19 The number of migrants more than
doubled between 1970 and 2000.20 Although overall
population growth began slowing down during the Major migration flows have
1980s, international migration continued to grow highlighted more clearly than in
substantially, at about twice the rate of the population the past the diversity of
21
growth. Demographers project an increase in the religious beliefs and cultural
world population to approximately nine billion by 2050, practices and, therefore, the
including some 230 million migrants.22 The annual
need for a genuine integration
flow of migrants is now somewhere between five and
ten million people.23 of immigrants to the host
countries. This integration
Europe is the main destination for migrants worldwide, process implies not only giving
with over one million migrants a year and 299,000 them support to learn the
24
asylum applications in 2006 alone . The increasing language of the country, or to
immigration, as a consequence of Europe’s imperialist integrate to the culture but also
years, has become one of the most significant
to provide spaces for local
catalysts for cultural change across the continent,
especially in Western Europe. Countries bordering the people to learn from
Mediterranean Sea such as Spain, Italy, and Malta are immigrants’ beliefs and
the most affected by immigration. In 2006, “Spain customs.
received at least 636,000 migrants, representing
almost half of the EU’s total and 122,500 more than
the number of migrants arriving in Germany, France, Italy, and United Kingdom
combined”25. The majority of these immigrants are not adherents of the traditional
Christian faith, but of Islam26.
The graphic below shows the percentage of Muslim people now living in Europe,
which illustrates the increasing number resulted of the migration process.
Information shows that in France Muslims represent between 8 and 9% of the
population, mostly coming from former French colonies in Africa. In the Netherlands
19 World Migration 2003. Managing Migration - Challenges and Responses for People on the Move,
Volume 2 of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) World Migration Report Series,
(Geneva: IOM, 2003): 4. Hereafter referred to as IOM 2003.
20 5 International Migration Report 2002, (New York: United Nations, 2002): 2. Hereafter referred to as
UN 2002.
21 6 Susan F. Martin, "Global Migration Trends and Asylum," U.N. High Commission on Refugees
Working Paper, No. 41, April 2001.

22 IOM 2003: 5.
23 IOM 2003: 6.
24 Choe, Joe. African Migration to Europe. July 10, 2007. At Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/publication/13726/african_migration_to_europe.html?breadcrumb=%2Fbios%2
F13470%2Fjulia_choe
25 Choe, Joe. Opt. Cit.
26 Windorf, Robert J. The Future of Religion in Europe? at
http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/kwr/2006/0328.html
17 | P a g e
5.8%, in Denmark 5%, in Switzerland 4.2%, in Austria 4.1%, in Belgium 4%, in
Sweden 3%, in the UK 2.8%, and in Spain 2.3%.27
As it is showed in the graphic, Islam has become part of the religious diversity of
European societies. However, the full integration of Muslim people in Europe has
been difficult due to the
association of Islam with terrorism.
This has led to Islam phobic
reactions that challenges the way
governments create mechanisms
for their social inclusion.
Other religions like the Bahá'í Faith

are spreading fast in many
countries. The Britannica28 Book
of the Year (1992–2002) listed it
as the second most widespread of
the world's independent religions
in terms of the number of countries
represented. Britannica claims that it is established in 247 countries and territories
and has scriptures translated into over 800 languages.
Major migration flows have highlighted more clearly than in the past the diversity of
religious beliefs and cultural practices and, therefore, the need for a genuine
integration of immigrants to the host countries. This integration process implies not
only giving them support to learn the language of the country, or to integrate to the
culture but also to provide spaces for local people to learn from immigrants’ beliefs
and customs. It also means providing spaces to practice their religion and beliefs
and freedom to participate fully of social and political life.
These new scenarios that create multicultural and multi-faith societies called for
mechanisms to challenge stereotypes and prejudices that hinder social cohesion. It
also welcomes methodological approaches in education that enhance interaction
and communication skills and allow practical learning of others’ cultures and
religions.
Religious, Interreligious and Interfaith Education
Interreligious education is not the same as religious education. According to

UNESCO, religious education can be described as learning about one’s own religion
or spiritual practices, or learning about other religions or beliefs. Interreligious
education, in contrast, aims to actively shape the relations between people from
different religions29.
27 BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4385768.stm
28 Encyclopedia Britannica (2002). Worldwide Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas,
Mid-2002. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on 2006-05-31
29 UNESCO. Guidelines on Intercultural Education. Op. Cit.
18 | P a g e
Interreligious learning goes beyond multi-religious education, which studies a
multitude of religions mainly from the historical point of view. In the interreligious
model, students learn to appreciate the value of other religions and beliefs, which
enriches and develops their own personal religious identity.
It is important to consider that in plural and diverse societies there are other types of
religious expressions that are not necessarily within the form of an organised
religion, and therefore, the concept of interreligious education can be limited. One
could consider the term interfaith to include other kinds of beliefs and forms of
spirituality that are less well understood than long-established religions. In this
sense, the term interfaith education will be used henceforth to refer to the
methodological approaches that promote interaction, constructive dialogue and
mutual discovery process between people of different religious beliefs, secular
traditions and faiths.
In Europe, however, the term religious education not only refers to the teaching of a
particular religion or a comparative study of many, but can also refer to analysing
religious and moral issues through interactive methodologies that allow children to
reflect about themselves, people around them and the world. This is normally
understood as learning from religions and is a close approximation to the concept of
interreligious education, given above.
Religious education in the European context has different approaches and layers,
depending on the country where it is taught and its religious and historical process.
The models of Religious Education can be identified within a framework of three
main concepts30:
Learning religion: Refers to the study of a religion with the objective of instructing
the students in its beliefs and values. It requires that the teachers are believers of
the religion themselves in order to pass the values and principles the religion
professes. In this form of instruction, religious communities are in charge of
developing the curriculum and the methods of teaching. A variation of the learning
religion approach is the faith-based approach which gives the opportunity to students
to learn different religions separately, but still from the point of view of only one
religion.
Learning about religion: Teaches religion from a descriptive and historical

approach. Scriptures from different religious traditions are often taught from a non-
religious perspective. This approach emphasises on the comparison of values,
beliefs and practices of different religions and seeks to understand how those may
influence behaviour of individuals. Some criticisms are done to the historical and
content-based approach that does not favour the attention of students. Children
learn much easier if they can relate the learning to their own reality or to issues that
affect their own environment.
30Hull, John. The Contribution of Religious Education to Religious Freedom: A Global Perspective, in
IARF (ed.) Religious Education in Schools: Ideas and Experiences from around the World, Oxford:
IARF, 1-8. 2001
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Learning from religions: Refers to a methodological approach that brings
students into a reflective mode, teaching them to analyse different questions to major
religious and moral issues. Students become the centre of the teaching and the
methods used are interactive and experiential. Learning from religions fosters
interreligious encounters through dialogue and allows practical interaction with
people of different beliefs. This includes meeting people of other faiths and cultures,
visiting religious places, discussing religious conflicts, social issues that can be
fuelled by religious beliefs, and reflecting upon a student’s own religious identity.
Learning from religions and interfaith learning have similar objectives and can
therefore be used interchangeably in religious education. Both concepts refer to a
learning journey to challenge perceptions and open up to embrace the diversity of
the other. This journey leads to an inner transformation and a spiritual growth that
helps rethinking the way children act in their daily lives, and how to respect those
who are different, think differently and act in different ways.
Interfaith Education in different settings
Interfaith education does not happen only in schools but is a life-long learning
process that is experienced at home, through Media, with friends, in religious places
and through daily relations with people in society. Interfaith education needs a
proper platform for creating awareness about others’ beliefs, for generating
respectful interactions and for freely exploring the diversity of beliefs.
Formal settings
School is one of the first places where children start shaping their identity and
develop awareness of who they are and who the others are. Schools need not be a
battleground of conflicting ideologies, but rather a place of challenge, dialogue, and,
in a non-sectarian sense, of spiritual development.
Public schools are key platforms to introduce interfaith education. They are places
where children are usually in contact with other cultures, religions and different
perspectives. Therefore, opportunities to get into dialogue, to learn from each
others’ beliefs and cultures and to challenge their viewpoints need to be created and
enhanced.
Private schools, indifferently of how culturally or religiously homogenous they may be

in certain countries, need to be arenas to learn in plurality and diversity. They need
to create spaces to challenge cultural and religious views that may be exclusivist and
to develop skills to deal peacefully with conflicts that may arise from the interaction
with diverse groups of society.
In order for schools to be successful in creating spaces for children to learn to live
together, it is needed to develop school policies that support not only the
development of an inclusive curriculum but also an environment where children feel
comfortable expressing their different views and beliefs, and free to discuss issues of
diversity. For example, schools should promote spaces for collective worship,
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cultural interaction, and practical learning activities such as interreligious visits or
interfaith dialogues.
Furthermore, schools need to provide pre and in-service training for teachers on how
to deal with diversity in classrooms, how to promote human rights and how to ensure
respect of fundamental freedoms. In the recommendations given at the end of this
paper, there will be clearer explanations of what is needed to enhance the
implementation of interfaith education programmes.
Non-formal settings
Religious organizations, youth groups, peace clubs and other types of non-formal
educational groups or spaces are important agents for promoting interreligious
learning. These are groups which young people usually attend voluntarily and where
social issues are raised and discussed more openly, sometimes on daily basis. The
more relaxed nature of the settings and the voluntary attendance by young people
can make these groups ideal places to get to know the “other”, discuss interreligious
issues, widen the perspective of diversity and develop skills to work inter-religiously.
Debates, open discussions, interfaith cafes, round tables, joint-initiatives, are among
other methods that may take place more easily in non-formal settings. These
methods help develop critical thinking and promote intercultural and interfaith
interaction through a relaxed programme that children and young people have
chosen to follow.
In places where the interaction of inter-religious groups is difficult due to the

separation of religious and secular schools and to religious conflicts, non-formal
spaces are needed to promote mutual understanding and provide opportunities for a
genuine interaction and dialogue.
Informal settings
Media has a prominent role to play in sensitizing children about others’ cultures and
religions and serve as a vehicle to transmit values that help promoting social
cohesion.
Children and young people are in constant interaction with the Internet, television,
radio and newspapers which influences their senses through provocative and
sometimes violent images and sounds that can easily manipulate their views.
Media programmes can help creating awareness about the richness of diversity in
society, without depicting negative characteristics of cultures and religions, but
promoting critical thinking and challenging prejudices and stereotypes. Media should
help empowering children and the civil society to articulate rights, ethics, freedom,
respect, transparency and mutual understanding.
The role of the home and the family is also important in promoting respect and
understanding between different groups. Parents can bring up children and young
people in ways that enable them to develop openness to the other as a significant
presence in their lives. Families can become a platform for appreciation of
differences and for the development of children’s identities.
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Pedagogies for Interfaith Education
Interfaith education is a new field that is being explored due to the challenges that
pose living in plural societies and to the new dynamics that are developed by the
interaction among people of different beliefs. It responds to the need to foster social
cohesion and protect the rights of religious minorities.
In order to strengthen the ability of children to open up to others in respectful ways

and challenge their prejudices and stereotypes, education has to provide interactive
and participatory methodologies that help exploring and revising attitudes and
values.
Human rights and peace methodologies are

models for interfaith education, whereby, their
interfaith education
objectives presuppose learning about mutual requires a unique
understanding and respect. Therefore, one could element which is
think that the field of interfaith education is not fundamental for its
new but falls into the category of human rights
and peace education. This is correct to some
methodologies and
extent, interfaith education has necessarily to be practices, which is the
ingrained in the need to respect and safeguard genuine interaction
human dignity indifferently of cultural or religious among people of
identities. It also needs to address the individual
secular and religious
and the nurturing of peaceful attitudes and
behaviours that lead to mutual understanding and beliefs, a si ne qua non
peace. However, interfaith education requires a for building bridges of
unique element which is fundamental for its trust and discovering
methodologies and practices, which is the
each other.
genuine interaction among people of secular and
religious beliefs, a si ne qua non for building
bridges of trust and discovering each other.
Learning about diverse religions is not pursued as an end in itself for interfaith
education. It is learning in relation to others and learning about the other what
characterizes it. “Interfaith educators see their ultimate task as cultivating and
sustaining social cohesion and a culture of peace”1, through the promotion of mutual
understanding and dialogue among people of different faiths. Interfaith pedagogies
are not only conducive to foster mutual respect but also to help religious
organizations and people open up to others’ truths and engage in interfaith actions,
keeping their own religious identity.
Pedagogies for interfaith education should help creating awareness of self and self in
relation to others. They need to promote spaces for children to reflect upon their
identity and how it is shaped by their interactions with others and by the events and
experiences they are exposed to. Awareness of one’s own cultural and religious
identity is necessary to learn about others’ cultures and religions, which also helps
enriching the process of self-discovery.
Interfaith learning processes provide opportunities to question and rethink social

structures that force religious discrimination and social exclusion. Experiential
22 | P a g e
activities that challenge children’s understanding of other beliefs become crucial to
internalize differences and similarities, and shift set paradigms and prejudices about
others’ faiths and religious traditions.
The ability to critically think about those societal issues that seem to be normal and
rethink their causes is created by exposing children to situations that are unknown to
them and/or by creating spaces to analyse injustices with a magnifying glass, vis à
vis their reality and the social and economic structures and systems they live in.
Children should also gain skills to transform conflicts and respond to violent
situations in peaceful ways. Communication and listening skills are needed to learn
to deal with diverse points of view and behaviours. The capacity to empathise with
others is one of the conditions needed to learn how to reconcile differences and
understand others.
Children and young people are in constant exposure and appreciation of reality.
However, their immersion in reality is sometimes done without internalization of their
experiences and relations with others. Pedagogies for interfaith learning should
provide spaces to reflect upon their interactions with people and their understanding
of beliefs and religious practices that differ from their own. Such a reflection
process helps broadening their understanding of interconnectedness with others and
the dependency to one another, thus providing room for nurturing their spirituality
and natural need to go beyond their daily experiences.
The pedagogies for interfaith education contribute to the development of high quality
education and to the empowerment of children as change agents and peace
builders, forging ethical values that are conducive to live in plural societies and
providing spaces to embrace diversity.
The International Commission for Education for the Twenty-first Century describes in
its report to UNESCO, Learning: the Treasure Within, that education throughout life
is based upon four pillars: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live and
learning to be. All pillars refer to the need to develop individuals with a holistic
approach to life and who are not only aware of their own needs but also of the needs
of their societies. Individuals who are able to interrelate and work with others aware
of their differences, who are equipped to transform challenging situations and willing
to contribute to affect social change.
Interfaith education encompasses methodologies that emphasize the full

development of children and young people. It contributes to develop their own
independent and critical thinking that is respectful toward others and nurtures their
ability to make well grounded decisions, concerned about the diversity and plurality
of the society they live in. Through interfaith education children and young people
develop individual and collective responsibilities to affect social change and develop
skills to be able to work together with others, despite of their cultural or religious
differences.
The following table shows the kind of curriculum needed for interfaith education. It
summarises what kind of content should be included in the curriculum to develop
cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills in children through interfaith education.
23 | P a g e
Alternative Curriculum of Inter-religious Education
No Aspect Content
1 Cognitive 1. knowledge of perennial dimension of religions and its
possibilities of encounter;
2. explanation on the similarities, differences, and
uniqueness among religious traditions in order to share
and co-operate in solving the common problem of
humanity and environment;
3. regarding all religions as “genuine” and “universal” and
understanding their uniqueness;
2 Affective 1. respect to oneself religion and the others is necessary in
everyday life;
2. positive thinking on equal relations in religious diversity;
3. recognition of all religions to live and allows to grow;
4. mutual-understanding among religions to get a new and
rich horizon and perspective;
3 Psychomotor 1. ability in reconstruction of anti-violence culture and peace-
building;
2. skills in making reconciliation and conflict resolution; and
3. providing places for religious identities and recognition of
minorities groups;
4. social talent to show empathy and empathetic
understanding with the other
Source: Interreligious Education for Multicultural Virtues - An Alternative for Indonesian

Context. By Zakiyuddin Baidhawy31
It is recommended to include in the interfaith education curriculum all the aspects

mentioned in the table in order to increase knowledge, develop skills and clarify
values. The combination of the three will create a balanced methodological approach
that will motivate the learning of other beliefs but most importantly the understanding
and acceptance of others’ cultural and religious identity.
Cooperative, experiential and problem based learning are the most appropriate
methodological approaches to achieve the objectives of interfaith education. These
methodologies include pedagogical techniques such as role playing, simulations,
games, debates, round tables, problem-solving, meditation, the arts, focus groups,
field trips and service-learning that can promote religious interaction and bridge-
building.
31Presented on The Oslo Global Meeting of Experts on Teaching For Tolerance, Respect and
Recognition held by The Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief in collaboration with
UNESCO, Oslo, September 2-5, 2004.
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Challenges for the Implementation of Interfaith Education
Programmes in Schools
The need for interfaith education today is a clear prerequisite for living together,
especially in multicultural societies. However, there are a series of challenges that
can hinder its implementation and overshadow the commitment of governments and
civil society. The following is not an exhaustive list but can provide important
aspects to be taken into consideration when promoting interfaith education
programmes.
- Secular societies. Societies that have asserted that political institutions

should exist separately from religion or religious beliefs may have difficulties
introducing interfaith education programmes in public schools. Strong
arguments against promoting any kind of religious education are based on the
need to ensure religious neutrality in society to protect any interference of
major religions in the life of its citizens. Secular societies can be restrictive
toward all religions in order to equally protect all from interference by
others.
In countries like France, religious education is not even considered as a

part of the educational curricula in public schools. The principle of laïcité,
understood in the sense of neutrality toward religious convictions,
considers that the government must refrain from taking positions on
religious doctrine. This can mean that there should be no religious signs in
public schools and no religious education either. For example, the wearing
of headscarves for Muslim girls in most public schools has been forbidden
in the name of this principle. Religious questions in the public school are
not treated as a subject of culture or as a belief system but as a matter of
civilisation and historical knowledge. In France, religious education and
nurturing spirituality is considered to be a matter of individual conviction
that should not interfere in the public sphere.
This poses a major challenge in the implementation of interfaith education

and can be counterproductive in a multicultural society, where there is an
imminent need to promote community cohesion and mutual understanding.
Schools are places where children spend most of their time and should be
ideally places for interfaith learning and for counteracting prejudices.
- Homogeneous religiously societies. Countries where the majority of its

people belong to a single religion and where the current immigration flows do
not affect the diversity of their beliefs can become alienated to the need for
interreligious education. The lack of religious diversity makes individuals
unaware of other beliefs and easily influenced by the Media and other sources
that sometimes depict religious people and communities negatively. These
countries need to provide spaces in schools to learn about other spiritual
beliefs that can be present in the country, but that not necessarily represent
an institutionalised religion.
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In Latin American countries, ecumenical dialogues and interaction among
Christians has become more relevant due to the appearance of Charismatic
and Pentecostal movements, which challenge the influence of the Catholic
Church in society. Understanding and respect for people who practice the
same religion but in different ways is a priority in Catholic predominant
countries. Children in Latin American societies need to also be aware of the
indigenous beliefs practiced in their country and of the other minority religions
or faiths that are present.
Homogeneous religiously societies are ill-equipped to lead with minority

groups and can, sometimes, even become violators of the right of people to
religious freedom. Iran presents an example of discrimination against
religious minorities. People who belong to the Baha’i Faith in Iran, which is
the biggest non-Islamic religious minority, are persecuted and even
subjected to defamation. There have been reports of imprisonment,
harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs.32
This might be the case in many other societies where a particular religion
is strongly embedded in political and government affairs.
In a globalised and plural world, where the interaction with people from
other cultures is inevitable (via the Internet or through personal
communication) there is an express necessity to learn about other faiths
and to foster values that promote mutual respect and understanding.
- Private religious schools. Private schools with a particular religious ethos

can be reluctant to teach about other religions or to include in their curricula
methodological approaches to learn from other religious sources. Some
arguments are found in the conviction of parents and schools’ managers to
provide children with an education that is only based on their religious beliefs.
Religious private schools are not required to change their ethos but to be
open to promote understanding of other faiths and to allow children to be
informed of other beliefs. This will help children form their own identity in
relation to others and to create a better understanding of the religious beliefs
they and other people follow. Guarantying respect for the right of the child to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion (CRC Art. 14.1) is particularly
important when children do not feel identified with the religion of their parents,
even though, this should not contravene the right of the parents to provide
direction to the child in the exercise of his or her right (CRC. Art 14.2).
Children should be guaranteed the right to an education that is directed to

their preparation for a responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of
understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all
peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous
origin, as it is considered in the CRC Art. 29.1d. Interfaith education in the
framework of a religious school is especially relevant to avoid fundamentalist
32 International Federation for Human Rights. 2003. Discrimination against religious minorities in
Iran. fdih.org. Retrieved on 20-10-2006.
26 | P a g e
strands and xenophobic tendencies that can arise from the ignorance toward
others’ beliefs and cultures.
- Development of Interfaith Education Programmes. There has been a

tendency to segregate schools according to their religious affiliation, due to
the incapacity of governments and schools to develop interfaith programmes
that respond to the needs of all religious and faith communities present in the
country. The main challenge for the development of interfaith education
programmes is to include all religious communities in its preparation, revision,
planning and evaluation. A sense of co-responsibility needs to be created
among religious communities and the government. There should be
willingness to initiate an interfaith dialogue that can pave the way for the
implementation of interfaith education curricula.
- Legislation. Interreligious education can be difficult to introduce in schools if

the country does not have legal provisions to enforce its inclusion in
educational curricula. According to a Study carried out in 2001 by the Special
Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the question of religious
intolerance33 in 77 countries, 46 considered that they have explicit
constitutional or legislative references to or definitions for religious education.
14 considered that the prescription of "Laïcité" precluded state involvement in
defining religious education, even though there might have to be a certain
regulations of the activities of religious institutions. 10 countries considered
that there were "no" definitions available. While a significant majority of
countries have prescriptions for religious education, one fifth prohibits or
restricts it. The lack of legislation on this subject can be a very difficult
obstacle to promote interfaith programmes and influence schools’ curricula.
- Pedagogical Approaches and Teachers Training. Interreligious

education and learning requires methodologies that encourage critical thinking
and the development of meta-cognitive skills. It also requires turning from a
teacher-centred approach to a student-centred approach, where knowledge is
constructed and shared. This approach demands new teaching skills from
educators and changes in the educational curricula that sometimes schools
fail to provide and facilitate.
A study conducted throughout OSCE34 participating States show that many

teachers feel ill-prepared to address the cultural and religious diversity they
encounter in their classrooms. They often lack the training to discuss different
religions and philosophies in a fair and balanced way and do not always have
an adequate understanding of how issues concerning religions and beliefs
relate to human rights. Many teachers report that they have never taken a
course that addresses such issues, and have never had direct exposure to
33 The Role of Religious Education in the pursuit of Tolerance and Non-discrimination. Study
prepared under the guidance of Prof. Abdelfattah Amor, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on
Human Rights on the question of religious intolerance. International Consultative Conference on
School Education in relation with Freedom of Religion and Belief, Tolerance and Non-discrimination,
Madrid, 23-25 November 2001
34 Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
27 | P a g e
other cultures, belief systems, or human rights principles in their
apprenticeship.35
The lack of a religious balanced training for teachers and of an interreligious

planning of the programme content can also hinder the implementation of
interreligious education. This can lead to complaints from religious minority
groups and to consequently drop-outs of children.
The study of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on

the question of religious intolerance, mentioned above, explored how teachers
were trained and recruited, showing that 37 countries claimed to provide state
facilities for training teachers of religious education who are then appointed to
state or private schools; religious communities may sometimes provide
additional training and accreditation. One case emerged of a country which
depended on teachers trained abroad and two which acknowledged that their
existing training facilities were inadequate. In fifteen other countries schools
depend on religious communities to provide, accredit and appoint religious
teachers.
In the case of countries where religious communities are in charge of pre-

service and in-service training for teachers, there is a need to reach out to
other belief communities in order to guarantee an inclusive and balanced
programme.
Recommendations for Governments and Schools
- Legislation and the role of governments. Governments need to

include in their legislations provisions regarding religious education in schools.
Through the development of a legal framework, they can ensure that the
respect of the right to freedom of religion and beliefs in schools is maintained,
and that children have access to an education that encompass their spiritual
growth and ability to relate to people from other cultures and beliefs. Legal
provisions can help meet the challenges for implementing interfaith education
in secular societies and promote community cohesion.
Governments need to evaluate and revise schools curricula to avoid

indoctrination and to determine whether religious education programmes
promote respect for freedom of religion or belief and whether they are
impartial, inclusive, free of biased and meet professional standards.
Governments also need to examine restrictions related to who can teach

religions and beliefs in schools and assess the extent to which they conform
to human rights standards. They need to assess the process of development
of the curricula and make sure this process is sensitive to the different
35Toledo Guiding Principles on Teaching about Religions and Beliefs in Public Schools, prepared by
the ODIHR Advisory Council of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Office of Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights, 2007
28 | P a g e
religious groups in the country and that has had their previous participation
and consideration.
- Preparation of Interfaith Education Programmes for schools.

Interfaith education programmes should be based on a human rights
framework so as to guarantee a balanced approach to teaching about and
from religions and faiths. This means that the programme should be based on
the right to freedom of religions and beliefs and the right of the child of an
education that promotes understanding, tolerance and friendship among all
nations, racial and religious groups.
The development of interfaith education curricula can only be successful if the

ethos and general policies of the school value plurality and promote respect
and mutual understanding. Schools need to confront racism of all kinds,
including institutional and cultural racism, recognizing the equal worth of all
members of the school community36.
For the process of developing an interfaith education curriculum, governments

should encourage the creation of a committee, formed by representatives of
all religious communities present in the country, to give recommendations,
revise the existing programmes and advice on the ways to promote interfaith
learning in schools. This can forge a balanced approach to religious
education.
Good textbooks are also a part of the development of an interfaith education

programme. Textbooks and all kind of pedagogical materials need to
consider both cultural and national realities within the framework intercultural
and interfaith education. A material that has been developed by Arigatou
International, under the coordination of the Interfaith Council on Ethics
Education for Children, can provide a good framework for developing interfaith
education programmes. It aims at promoting ethical values and nurture
spirituality in children through an Intercultural and Interreligious Programme
that can be adapted to formal and informal settings. This material has been
developed and piloted globally, and is supported by UNICEF and UNESCO37.
- Training of teachers. Teachers need to be trained in participatory

methodologies and critical thinking techniques, thus helping them to shape
their own understanding of their role as facilitators and providers of spaces for
constructive dialogue. Training models for teachers need to be designed for
them to discuss issues of religious diversity that are unfamiliar to them, and
which they may feel uncomfortable dealing with.
36 Jackson, Robert. Intercultural Education and Religious Diversity: Interpretive and Dialogical
Approaches from England. Presented on The Oslo Global Meeting of Experts on Teaching For
Tolerance, Respect and Recognition held by The Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief in
collaboration with UNESCO, Oslo, September 2-5, 2004.
37 Learning to Live Together: An Intercultural and Interfaith Programme for Ethics Education. A
Resource for Facilitators and Educators to be launched in May 2008. Further information,
http://www.arigatou.ch/
29 | P a g e
Teachers need to learn how to create safe spaces in schools to allow a
genuine interaction among students. This is a prerequisite to a successful
interreligious programme that demands from children not only to learn about
other religions but also to reflect on their own personal experiences and
discover the other through dialogue and interaction. Teachers need to gain
knowledge about other faiths different to their own, about human rights and to
get skills on how to nurture values and spirituality in children.
It is recommended to create pre-service programmes for teachers that allow

them to get deeper understanding of religious issues, awareness of religious
differences and develop communication and listening skills. Additionally, in-
service programmes need to be in place for a continuous training that can
enhance teachers’ ability to deal with challenges and gain knowledge on new
methodologies and pedagogical techniques.
The creation of virtual discussion forums for teachers to exchange ideas,

share resources, experiences and communicate issues of concern can
provide ongoing support to the training process. Sharing best practices
among schools and teachers can also result in the amelioration of the
programme.
A balanced interreligious training programme needs to be developed in

cooperation with the religions present in the country. The training of the
teachers needs to be provided in partnership with government, religious
communities, NGOs and specialised institutes.
CONCLUSIONS
Learning to live with people of different religions and beliefs is an important part of
providing quality education. It can reinforce respect for everyone’s right to freedom
of religion or belief, foster a culture of peace and contribute to social cohesion.
Interfaith education becomes a way to protect cultural rights but also a need for
plural societies to promote religious understanding and cooperation. It is a powerful
tool to advance the respect of cultural rights in a society. The elimination of religious
discrimination, the protection of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion, and the right of minority groups to enjoy their own culture and to profess and
practice their religion, can be promoted through interfaith education programmes in
schools.
The success of these programs in schools will only be possible with the commitment
of governments and school managers, and the genuine dialogue and interaction
between religious groups in society.
30 | P a g e
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The Right To and Need For Interfaith Education

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The Right to and

Need for Interfaith

Maria Lucia Uribe Torres

In a world that is increasingly multicultural and multi-faith, children need to be given

As long as schools continue to provide religious education programmes that are

The world today is subject to rapid political,

The protection of cultural rights is covered in the Universal Declaration of Human

1Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. UNESCO 2002. http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-

1. The right to education (art. 13 ICESC);

The project concerning a Declaration of Cultural Rights elaborates and includes

The Right to Education

Education is a vehicle for empowerment of those who

e) The development of respect for the natural environment.

Diversity needs to be understood as an enriching component of societies and not as

For education to become a driver for sustainable development is important to focus

According to UNESCO, education of high quality refers to the development of tools

- Supports a rights-based approach to all educational endeavours. Education is a

- views the learner as an individual, a family member, community member, and a

- takes into consideration the social, economic, and environmental contexts of a

- is informed by the past (e.g. indigenous and traditional knowledge), is relevant to

- builds knowledge, life skills, perspectives, attitudes and values;

- provides the tools to transform current societies to more sustainable societies;

Therefore, education needs to be equitable, inclusive and relevant to local

According to the UNESCO, Intercultural Education is a response to the challenge to

The Declaration of the 44th session of the Intercultural Education is a

Intercultural education enhances mutual respect and understanding among people of

- the reduction of all forms of exclusion

General Conference of UNESCO at its 28th Session, 1995, No. 2.2

The overarching objective of intercultural education is to learn to live together as

Principle I. Intercultural education respects the cultural identity of the learner

This Principle stresses the need to creating awareness of interdependence between

International Standard-Setting Instruments

Intercultural education is endorsed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The involvement of UNESCO in promoting intercultural education is longstanding

12 Art. 26.2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1946)

UNESCO has also developed the Interreligious Dialogue Programme to promote

Interreligious Education as a part of Intercultural Education

Religious education can be considered to be a part of intercultural education due to

Intercultural education, as noted before, refers to learning to live together. This

Secularisation needs to give space for religious diversity

UNESCO Guidelines on Intercultural Education. 2006, p. 12

Council of Europe. 2006

Even though secularisation has become a broad phenomenon, there is still a

The numbers clearly show that religion is still important

It is important to understand that even

17Gallup International Millennium Survey (2004) http://www.gallup-

In response to the question if God matters to people, 55% of respondents in

In Panama, Protestant groups account to 11.9% of the population, Muslims 4.4%,

The numbers above illustrate a changing scenario in traditional religiously

Working Paper, No. 41, April 2001.

Other religions like the Bahá'í Faith

Religious, Interreligious and Interfaith Education

Interreligious education is not the same as religious education. According to

Learning about religion: Teaches religion from a descriptive and historical

Interfaith Education in different settings

Private schools, indifferently of how culturally or religiously homogenous they may be

In places where the interaction of inter-religious groups is difficult due to the

In order to strengthen the ability of children to open up to others in respectful ways

Human rights and peace methodologies are

Interfaith learning processes provide opportunities to question and rethink social

Interfaith education encompasses methodologies that emphasize the full

Source: Interreligious Education for Multicultural Virtues - An Alternative for Indonesian

It is recommended to include in the interfaith education curriculum all the aspects