'''Madrassa''' is the [[Arabic]] word for [[school]]. The concept of the madrassa goes as far back as the mid 9th century AD where they were an early form of private religious education. Historically madrassas have served a function similar to post-secondary education in the west, including studies of [[Islam]]ic jurisprudence, medicine, and religious studies similar to seminaries in the west. Madrassas today are private schools funded by charitable trusts and where public schools exist are not the primary form of education in the Middle East. | '''Madrassa''' is the [[Arabic]] word for [[school]]. The concept of the madrassa goes as far back as the mid 9th century AD where they were an early form of private religious education. Historically madrassas have served a function similar to post-secondary education in the west, including studies of [[Islam]]ic jurisprudence, medicine, and religious studies similar to seminaries in the west. Madrassas today are private schools funded by charitable trusts and where public schools exist are not the primary form of education in the Middle East. |