Council on Islamic Education
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Council on Islamic Education (CIE) was founded by Shabbir Mansuri in 1990, as a national research institute and resource organization based in Fountain Valley, California. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization registered in the State of California. CIE provides academic information about Islam and Muslim history to educators in the context of U.S. curricular requirements for teaching about world history and world religions, and in accordance with prevailing guidelines for teaching about religion.
[edit] Mission
CIE's mission is to support and strengthen American public education as the foundation for a vibrant democracy, a healthy civil society, and a nationally and globally literate citizenry. In order to fulfill this mission, CIE draws upon civic, ethical, and educational principles in Islam and applies them in a manner consonant with U.S. constitutional principles and foundational ideas. CIE is committed to employing a contributory approach that acknowledges America’s unique freedom and openness to participation, and that affirms the institutional mechanisms that support the American system.
[edit] Philosophy
CIE believes that the right to benefit from America’s openness is coupled with the responsibility to operate in a manner that respects and reflects established forms of civil discourse and conduct. It maintains that any group or organization that abides by such conventions and functions in good faith for the collective benefit of the society has a place at the American institutional table. Moreover, CIE recognizes that working on the institutional level necessitates heightened awareness of issues of accountability, transparency, and relevance to society on the part of all organizations seeking to fulfill their respective missions.
CIE's work in the U.S. education field, particularly at the K-12 level, is intended to support the nation’s young citizens in their studies of world and U.S. history, geography, the social sciences, and world religions. By championing the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, emphasizing access to contemporary academic scholarship about world history, world religions, world cultures and related topics, and promoting the cultivation of critical thinking skills, it seeks to empower students to understand the world and America’s unique and important role in global affairs.
