ONE-DAY SEMINAR ON ISLAMIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE

IIIT (International Institute of Islamic Thought) in Nigeria, in conjunctionwith the Muslim Forum of Bayero University, Kano, jointlyorganized and conducted a one-day seminar on the Islamization ofknowledge. The seminar took place on 5 Rabi' al-Awwal, 1417 (20 July1996). It was one of a series of programs designed for faculty outreach.Therefore, academic staff in the various faculties of the university wereinvited and constituted the primary audience.The primary aim of the seminar was to educate and mobilize Muslimacademicians in the university toward the Islamization of Knowledgeprogram. It has been observed that, although a number of departments inthe university offer Islamically oriented courses and several papers hadbeen presented in some departmental and even some international seminars,many academic staff still do not have a proper understanding of theidea behind the Islamization of knowledge. For this reason, all the paperspresented focused on the concept of Islamization of knowledge itself.Of the papers presented, two are included here. The first paper was thekeynote address delivered by Dr. Bashir Shehu Galadanci, the coordinatorof IIIT in Nigeria. Dr. Galadanci gave a precise and concise summaryof the journey thus far and the issues involved in the Islamization ofKnowledge program. First and foremost, he gave a brief analysis of thetheoretical and conceptual framework upon which the idea of the programwas built. He further analyzed the divergent views and the controversiesinvolved in the program. He then gave a concise historical reviewof its undertaking, the efforts and achievements so far made on the program,and some of the problems usually encountered both locally inNigeria and internationally ...