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Articles & News
The Islamic Education Movement: A Recent History and Objectives
The Islamic Education Movement, otherwise widely known as the
Movement for the Islamization of Knowledge, is a new phenomenon,
which began to unfold sometime in 1977-1978. A group of scholars
felt that the educational system in the Muslim World is not
fulfilling the needs of Muslim countries and that it should be
thoroughly revised and updated. Against this backdrop, the first
Islamic Educational World Conference was held in 1977 in Makkah,
bringing together more than 300 scholars from all over the
world. The first conference offered certain significant
recommendations for the Islamization of Knowledge. Later, more
such conferences were held in other parts of the world and
attended by Ulama, academics, scholars and intellectuals of
various countries. Such conferences were held, among other
countries, in Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh. This writer
had the opportunity to participate in the conference held in
Dhaka in 1980. These conferences helped significantly in
conceptualizing and determining the future contours and
structure of Islamic Education. Later, notable institutions such
as the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), USA
joined in this movement. Since then, the prime focus of IIT
activities has been the restructuring of thought and the
Islamization of knowledge including the Islamization of
education.
The painstaking efforts of the learned scholars of various
disciplines to formulate a pragmatic Islamic Education Policy
through the Islamic Education Conferences combined with the
contributions of eminent Islamic organizations and individuals
to result in the establishment of the first Islamic University,
the International Islamic University (IIU) in Malaysia.
Distinguished Islamic scholars from different parts of the
world, who made significant contributions to relevant fields and
combine a remarkable expertise in specific disciplines with a
profound belief in and understanding of Islam, assembled in the
new alma mater. Many of these scholars were leaders of the
Islamic Movement in their own countries and were at the
forefront of dawah-oriented Islamic activities in their own
fields and sub-fields. Dr. AbdulHamid AbuSulayman, a renowned
scholar of Islam and the current Chairman of IIIT USA, assumed
the responsibility of leading the IIU, Malaysia, after the
groundwork had been done by the 1st Rector of the University
Prof. Dr. A. Rauf along with his colleagues. A prolific writer,
Dr. AbulHamid has in his credit a number of publications of
which �Towards an Islamic Theory of International Relations� and
�Crisis in the Muslim Mind� are widely acclaimed. Dr. AbulHamid,
on assuming the responsibility of heading the University,
vigorously pursued the project of the �Islamization of
Education.� Arabic and Fiqh (Islamic Law and Jurisprudence) were
introduced as compulsory university requirement courses. From
the very beginning, the University took steps to gradually
Islamize the subjects in the social sciences and the effort
continues.
Since then, other Islamic universities have been established in
different parts of the world following the model of IIU,
Malaysia. One such university has been established in Islamabad
(Pakistan), another in Uganda in Africa, and yet a third in
Kushtia (Bangladesh). It must be admitted that the Islamic
University, Bangladesh has, to some extent, lost direction on
account of the local political environment. This university has
not been able to make much headway in following the model of IIU,
Malaysia. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that despite its
various shortcomings, the Islamic University, Bangladesh, has
also made some contributions of its own towards the Islamization
of education and knowledge. Later, Darul Ihsan University and
Islamic University, Chittagong were established in the same
spirit*.
To many, the importance of the project of the Islamization of
education remains unclear, and this issue demands an in-depth
examination and a critical and careful analysis. The
Islamization of education is significant because the roots of
the major problems facing the Ummah, the Muslim community, today
can be traced to the issue of education. If we evaluate the
deeply troubled political, economic and social scenarios
prevalent in the present Muslim world from an Islamic
perspective, we may conclude that the ultimate reason for all
these ills in the Muslim world lies in our failure to
restructure the system of education in such a way that it might
simultaneously meet the demands of our time and enable us to (re)constitute
ourselves as pious Muslims. Had we been able to educate Muslims
in the proper Islamic spirit, the socio-political and economic
maladies gripping the present Muslim world could not have become
anywhere as widespread and as deep-seated as they are today.
Prominent scholars and academics such as Ismail Raji al Faruqi,
AbdulHamid AbuSulayman, and Syed Ali Ashraf (the eminent
educationist, Islamic scholar and founder of Darul Ihsan
University Bangladesh) share this view.
Islamic educationists and scholars are of the unanimous opinion
that the various problems facing the Ummah are emanating from
the crisis in the sphere of education. Such thinkers and
intellectuals uphold that education has failed to achieve its
desired objective in ignoring issues of ethics and morality in
the course of the last century.
The crisis facing our present world civilization is rooted in
the marginalization of moral and ethical issues in the
curriculum of educational institutions. As an outcome of this
disrespect to eternal moral values, our educational institutions
are producing violent and cruel human beings devoid of love,
affection, fraternity, brotherhood and the sensibilities of a
common human citizenship. Recent developments in Bosnia, Kosova,
Chechnya, Iraq, Kashmir, Afghanistan and Gujrat in India are
mere symptoms of the impoverishment of modern education, which
has produced men prone to dehumanizing tendencies. Modern man is
no longer imbibed with transcendent humane values. Hence the
most developed nations of the world today do not hesitate to
bomb unarmed civilians, women, and children in Iraq and
Afghanistan in the name of a �war against terrorism.� These
�sophisticated� countries, otherwise steeped in discourses of
�civil society,� �democracy,��progress,� and �human rights,� did
not falter in continuing sanctions against Iraq at the cost of
the lives of millions of Iraqi children. Nobody can hope to
change this sorry state of affairs, to really and truly improve
the face of modern civilization unless the educational
curriculum is restructured, with a particular emphasis on moral
and ethical values.
What is, therefore, required is a re-centering of education on
ethical principles, a fruitful combining of professional
training with moral education, where religion serves as the
richest and key repository of moral values. As far as Muslims
are concerned, such values can be drawn from Islam and if Muslim
societies are not reordered or �re-made� in the light of the
precepts and teachings of Islam, not only Muslim societies but
the entire world is bound to suffer. In other words, humankind
will suffer. The solution, therefore, lies in combining Islamic
values with modern subjects in the case of Muslims. Where
non-Muslims are in the vast majority, as in Japan, China and
many Western countries, modern disciplines should be infused
with locally rooted ethical and moral values. It is noteworthy
that the phenomenon of globalization currently underway and the
concomitant rise and proliferation of new media such as the
internet and satellite dish, ensure that developments in one
part of the world affect other parts with unprecedented speed.
Therefore, the problem of education must be addressed both at
regional and international levels.
In addressing a seminar in Dhaka during his recent visit to
Bangladesh, Dr. Abdul Hamid A. Abu Sulayman, the former Rector
of IIU, Malaysia, and the current Chairman of IIT, USA, pointed
out that �Muslims are not performing. Bangladesh is not
performing. The Muslim world is not performing�. He observed
that in January 2001 (or December 2000), the total GDP of the
Muslim world was US $ 1100 billion whereas the GDP of Japan at
that time was US $ 5500 billion, which is five times higher than
that of the Muslim world despite the fact that the Muslim world
stretches all the way from the Pacific to the Atlantic. �Why are
not Muslims performing, why are not Muslims motivated, why are
not Muslims key actors on the world scene, why are they only
spectators, why they are in the fringe�, asked Dr. AbdulHamid of
his learned audience in the seminar.
Dr. AbdulHamid submitted that Muslims are marginalized because:
�We are not motivated�. The present educational system has
failed to motivate Muslims and one of the foremost reasons for
this is that Muslims continue to suffer from the �slavish
mentality� inherited from the colonial period. We have been
unable to rid ourselves of this slavish mentality, which induces
us only to follow and imitate but not to think critically,
constructively, creatively, and as leaders. Dr. AbdulHamid
suggested that Muslims must reallocate to education the
importance it has enjoyed historically within the Islamic
tradition. He proposed that Muslims integrate the natural and
social sciences, professional training, and the arts and
humanities with Islamic values.
Now if we turn to history, to the Abbasi, Usmania, and Mughal
periods, we find that their educational systems did produce army
generals and civil servants who studied the then modern subjects
and at the same were fully conversant with teachings of the
Quran, Sunnah, [the Traditions of the Prophet (SAWS)], and Fiqh
(Islamic law and jurisprudence). An army officer during the
Abbasi reign did not only master the military sciences but was
also knowledgeable in the teachings of the Quran, Sunnah, Fiqh,
and Arabic language. Likewise, a civil servant was required to
study contemporary professional subjects along with the Quran,
Sunnah, Fiqh and Arabic. Approximately 150 to 200 years earlier,
the system of education in much of the Muslim world was grounded
in an integrative approach and not in an exclusionary one.
What is, then, the responsibility of the new generation of
Muslims? The duty and obligation of the Muslims, and in fact,
the task of scholars and policymakers worldwide is to
conceptualize and implement a restructuring of educational
systems, and not to focus on professional knowledge alone so
that we no longer produce only mechanized and materialist human
beings but individuals with robust values, an ability to reflect
both critically and compassionately on the world, and a profound
capacity for soul-searching. We must structure the educational
system globally in such a way that professional knowledge is
productively integrated with ethics and morality. This can be
done on the basis of religion. It should, however, be made clear
that the establishment of an Islamic University does not mean
that the doors of such educational institutions shall be closed
to non-Muslims. Any non-Muslim student should be able to study
at such a university without having the teachings of Islam
imposed upon him/her. A non-Muslim student would be obliged to
follow only the core educational program (including the
University requirement courses). Non-Muslim students would be
offered optional subjects in certain discipline or areas.
The message of Islam is universal, intended for all humankind:
Ya Ayyuhan nass, O mankind. Allah has revealed the Quran not to
divide humankind. The duty of the Prophet (SAWS), in fact, was
to bring people together, bridging cultural, racial, and class
divides. Islam teaches humankind not to take away the rights of
others but to protect such rights. Islam advocates against any
kind of extremism and upholds moderation. Indeed, Islam
identifies itself as constituting a middle ground. Allah (SWT)
in Surat Al Baqarah declares: �We have created you as a balanced
community�(2:143).
It is, therefore, clear that if we are fully able to appreciate
and realize the true meaning of Islam, then we cannot turn out
to be extremist but would incline towards moderation. Despite
various misconceptions circulating in a hegemonic global media
regarding Islam today, I, like most Muslim thinkers around the
world, firmly believe that there is no reason whatsoever for
non-Muslims to fear Islam. If we consider the annals of history,
we find that the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) established a worldview
and lifestyle in which life, honor and property of a non-Muslim
were guaranteed full security. Moreover, in the commonwealth
established by the Prophet (SAWS) under the Charter of Medina,
the Jews were self governing and autonomous and they used to
conduct their communal life in accordance with their own laws.
The Muslims, for their part, used to follow their own laws. The
state was run in accordance with the shariah and all the
communities participated in the joint undertakings of the state
such as defense.
The essence of Islam is Tawheed, which not only indicates the
oneness of Allah but also signifies that humankind is one and
its honor, inviolable. The objective of the shariah is the
attainment and sustenance of the welfare of mankind. Tawheed
signifies the welfare of the entire human race. It also implies
that believers of Tawheed must always desire the well-being and
happiness of others and must not discriminate between human
beings. Despite various cultural, dispositional, and economic
differences between persons, the principle of Tawheed advocates
respect for all on the grounds of a common humanity and global
citizenship. Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) fully embodied the gamut of
meanings Tawheed conveys and represents. He (SAWS) stated in his
farewell pilgrimage speech that No Arab has superiority over a
non-Arab. White skin has no superiority over black skin. What is
the meaning of this? There are two levels of meaning here,
explicit and implicit. The explicit meaning is on the racial and
cultural level, and is self-evident. The implicit meaning is on
the gender level. Given that there is male and female both among
white skinned and black skinned people, what does it mean for an
Arab to be equal to a non-Arab? It simply means that an Arab
female is equal to a non-Arab male and a non-Arab male is equal
to an Arab female. Which guidelines could be more egalitarian
than this? What message, considered particularly within its
contemporary socio-cultural and political context, could be more
revolutionary?
In the face of the basic equality of humanity, differences on
the level of biology, culture, social roles, and class are
superficial indeed. The differences and hierarchies that have
become deep-rooted in our societies are the result of the
prevalent educational system. The establishment of a proper and
practical Islamic educational system in Bangladesh would ensure
the access to education for all. There would be scholarships for
the underprivileged and the meritorious, and various options for
non-Muslims in their pursuit of knowledge within an Islamic
setting. New avenues would be explored and new scopes and
opportunities created. Human equality would be pursued
meticulously. The honor, dignity and respect due to non-Muslims
as human beings would be vigorously guarded. There would be no
compulsion in the area of religion as clearly enunciated in the
Quran: La Ikraha Fiddeen (Surat Al Baqarah: 256).
Written By Shah Abdul Hannan
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