ABSTRACT
The purpose of the British schools was to educate the sons of Emirs, so that, with western knowledge, they would perform their traditional roles better and the stability of the hierarchial society would be maintained; also the British needed to train clerks for government posts. Fifty years ago Muslim leaders had reservations about all British education, and particularly schools for their women, on the grounds of corruption of character and custom, and the destruction of the stability of society. They have since accepted the need for Western-type schools for boys, seeing factual knowledge as a necessity in modern politics and no threat if kept in perspective by Islamic character training. The reforming aspects are the extension of the scale, vision, and knowledge of the community to increase its range of aspirations, creativity and activity, to raise standards of professional skills and develop the economy so that there are new opportunities for enriching social life.
