Turkish school takes US approach to get foothold in Egypt

Exterior of Salahaldin International School. Photographed by Noha El-Hennawy
Exterior of Salahaldin International School. Photographed by Noha El-Hennawy


Date posted: November 28, 2010

Noha El-Hennawy

Last year, Zeinab Abdel Aziz, an Egyptian-American teacher visited Egypt with her family to attend the weddings of her two brothers. Eventually, she decided to temporarily settle here to escape deteriorating economic conditions in the US. But the 31-year-old mother had to first find a decent school for her five-year old son.

“I was looking for an Islamic school; that was the most important thing for me,” recalled Abdel Aziz. “At the same time, I wanted an American school because we can go back at any time.”

But as soon as she got wind of the nascent Salahaldin International School (SIS), a Turkish enterprise, Abdel Aziz felt compelled to investigate.

“When they told me about their vision and how they are implementing the American curriculum and applying the values of religion at the same time, I loved the school right away and told my husband ‘this is the school’,” said Abdel Aziz.

The confluent American curriculum and religious instruction did not only convince Abdel Aziz as a parent; it also encouraged her to apply for a teaching position at SIS. Eventually, her son was enrolled and in the fall of 2009 she was hired as a first-grade teacher.

Salahaldin has, since its establishment less than two years ago, conquered the booming market of international education in Egypt. The institution, located in the heart of Cairo’s posh eastern suburbs, has succeeded in attracting 650 students whose parents, like Abdel Aziz, seek both a first-class education and religious upbringing.

“Parents do not want their kids to be totally in a Westernized environment,” said Salahaldin director Shawkat Shimshek. “They want good education with their social values. We said ‘this is the environment you are looking for’.”

The school is affiliated with the international movement of widely known, liberal Islamic thinker Fethullah Gulen. Followers of the Sufi intellectual constitute the largest and most influential Islamic group in Turkey. The group, which aims to revitalize the Islamic faith, is known for its moderate views and promotion of universal values. Gulen currently lives in self-exile in the US and preaches tolerance, interfaith dialogue and co-existence between Muslims and the West.

Since the 1990s, the movement has sought to spread Islamic principles through educational outlets in Turkey and abroad. Schools started to crop up in Central Asia and eventually moved across the globe.

“We have a character education program,” said Shimshek. “We focus on responsibility, respect, caring, citizenship and giving back to society.”

Islam stands out as the cornerstone of the school’s curriculum. Besides government-dictated religious books, the school offers a “character building” class that is inspired by Islam but taught in English.

“If we speak of honesty, we look for the Hadith [Prophet Mohamed’s sayings and deeds] or the Quranic verses that talk about honesty,” said Shimshek.

Quran sessions are a pillar of the school’s vision. All grade levels including kindergarten are expected to learn how to memorize and recite Quranic verses at least twice a week, according to Shimshek.

Kamal Mogheeth, an expert with the state-run National Center for Educational Resource Development, says schools that combine Western curricula and religious education meet the needs of a rising Islamized elite that seeks integration into an ever-globalizing world.

“These schools have seized the opportunity and want to cater to the need for Western education, foreign languages and the engagement in a global world on one hand and the urge to protect local identities whether religious or ethnic,” said Mogeeth.

But the religious focus at SIS has risked deterring some potential clients like psychiatrist Mona Yosri who was nearly dissuaded from enrolling her two sons last year.

“I did not send them to that school until I felt sure they were moderate,” said Yosri. “I fear religious fanaticism especially that there are other Islamic schools that are very violent with kids and make them hate religion.”

Like most international schools in Egypt, the tuition fees at SIS are expensive. Depending on the grade level, the fees range between LE22,000 and LE35,000.

“Egypt is a very good market for international schools,” said Shimshek. “Maybe people want something different, possibly the facilities, the quality of education, and the English language which is very important in this county and the Gulf area. A lot of parents want their kids to be able to speak and communicate in English. They see this as the future for them.”

School Principal Mr. Shawkat Shimshek. Photographed by Noha El-Hennawy

School Principal Mr. Shawkat Shimshek. Photographed by Noha El-Hennawy

In small-sized classrooms, students from grade one through twelve are taught by Egyptian, Turkish, British, Canadian and American staff. As English is the first language, the school is keen to hire native speakers as instructors, according to Shimshek.

“They have everything, they make your life easier,” said Abdel Aziz. “They pay for everything you want to use in the classroom.”

Besides Islam, the school also strives to promote Turkish culture through optional language classes that are offered not only to students but also parents. Every Saturday, Yosri goes to Salahaldin to attend Turkish classes. In addition to language training, teachers and students are sent on exploratory journeys to Turkey during breaks in the school year.

“Turkish people serve as a good example for us,” said Yosri. “One of the reasons why I chose the school is because Turkey has progressed at an amazing pace in the last 20 years. I hope we can benefit from them and their expertise.”

In recent years, Turkey has risen as a formidable regional force, challenging traditional Middle Eastern power-wielders.

In May, the Turkish administration, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, impressed Arab observers by embarrassing Israel on the international stage after Israeli forces attacked the Turkish flotilla seeking to break the Gaza blockade. That incident added to Erdogan’s established credibility in the region after he had clashed with Israeli President Shimon Peres over the humanitarian situation in Gaza at The World Economic Forum a couple of years ago.

Turkey is also regarded by laymen and intellectuals alike in the Arab World as a success story for its continuous progress and European Union admission prospects. The fascination with the Turkish model had prompted the Egyptian regime to routinely launch smear campaigns against Turkey in the state-owned press.

Turkish investment in education in the Arab region should be read in this context, according to Mogeeth.

“Turkey wants to play a regional role and it is logical for it to do that in parts of its former empire that fell almost a hundred years ago,” Mogeeth says. “It does not have to resurrect an empire along Ottoman lines but it can do it by spreading its Turkish culture.”

 

Source: Egypt Independent , October 10, 2010


Related News

Johannesburg hosts 14 countries for international festival

The initiative originated in Turkey and is the largest and most prominent organisation for promoting world languages and cultures. It is dedicated to cultivating and educating the youth and creating a platform for them to share their cultural heritage with their peers around the world.

Former Pakistani PM expresses gratitude for Turkish schools

Underlining that Pakistan’s major problems result from a lack of adequate education, the former prime minister noted that the developed education system at Pakistan’s 23 Turkish schools could play a significant role in solving those problems in the country.

TUSKON awarded damages, to build orphanage in Uganda

The Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) said it has won compensation in separate cases for the illegal wiretapping of a phone conversation which turned into a smear campaign against the confederation and that this money will be used to build an orphanage in Uganda, the country at the center of the smear campaign.

Principal of Gülen-linked school, businessman abducted in Malaysia

Turgay Karaman, the principal of Time International School in Ipoh, Malaysia, and Turkish businessman İhsan Aslan, were abducted by unidentified persons in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

Turkish school opens in Canada

The city of Edmonton in Canada has joined the long list of locations for schools opened by a Turkish entrepreneur affiliated with the Hizmet movement, one of the largest faith-based communities in Turkey. The new educational institution in Edmonton was recently opened by the Nebula School of Art and Sciences.

The International Festival of Language and Culture visits UN, Ban Ki Moon sends a message

The International Festival of Language and Culture (IFLC), which is a Gulen-inspired organization was at United Nations headquarters in New York on April 29, 2016. The youth from many different countries showcased their talents at UN. Mr. Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General, sent a message to IFLC.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

World is not Enough

Romanian Minister: Turkish schools are raising the next generation of Romanians

Turkish Islamic scholar Gülen rejects any link to graft probe

Islam and Peace: Oxymoron or perfect match?

Erdogan’s Arch-Enemy Accuses Turkish President Of Staging Coup, Compares Him To Hitler

Enes Kanter calls Turkey’s Erdoğan ‘Hitler of our century’ after airport detainment

Ramadan Tent brings faiths together in Virginia

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News