"The purpose of this handbook is to present a more nuanced description and analysis of educational systems, practices, and policies in Asian countries than is typically described or perceived, and more importantly, explain and interpret these practices from cultural, social, historical, and economic perspectives." Part III: Islamic Education (pp. 317-385) "The Islamic Education section is organized to illustrate how the educational and cultural challenges confronting Muslim-majority countries today vary by the historical, political, and socio-economic contexts of those societies."