Comparative Analysis of Values in Islamic Texts and Social Studies Education in Turkey

Social studies education in Turkey is a multidisciplinary field. One of these disciplines is religion. Social studies education can benefit from religion in terms of nurturing effective citizenship. The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the values intersecting the primary religious sources of Islam and the content of social studies education. Document analysis was employed as the method of comparison. The documents represented the verses of the Qur'an and the words of prophet Muhammad. The analysis focused on the values of respect for rights and freedoms, benevolence, justice, honesty, and respect for differences, among a few others. The results of the analysis demonstrate that true Islam espouses all these values and instructs all Muslims to live according to these values. Additionally, learning about Islam from its authentic religious texts dispels misconception of that religion and enhances citizenship education.