Reform of Education in Muslim Societies

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), in partnership with IstanbulUniversity’s Faculty of Theology, organized the Reform of Educationin Muslim Societies conference on March 18-19, 2016, in Istanbul, Turkey.The conference opened with memorial lectures by Hisham Altalib (vice president,IIIT) and Fathi Malkawi (regional director, Arab World) for Jamal Barzinji(d. 2015) and Shaykh Taha Jabir Al-Alwani (d. 2016), respectively. Thissession was moderated by Yaqub Mirza (president and CEO, Sterling ManagementGroup, Inc.).Session I: Contemporary Ethics of IslamZiauddin Sardar (chair, Muslim Institute, London) began his “Education Reform:From Islamisation of Knowledge to Integration of Knowledge” by relayingthree remarks from the imprisoned Anwar Ibrahim, a main force behindthe education reform project: (1) the crisis of education is universal, (2) Muslimsshould confidently engage with the West on equal terms, and (3) the discussionof reforming education needs to involve all of society. The crux of hispaper was the shift from the “Islamization of Knowledge” to the “Integrationof Knowledge.” Contending that western disciplines are inherently biased towardwestern values and cultures because they are socially constructed and reflecttheir originators’ worldview, he said that the best way to progress is tolaunch “a multigenerational project” to integrate the best of both cultures.Abdelwahab El-Affendi (head, Political Science Department, Doha Institutefor Graduate Studies, Qatar) spoke on the “Obstacles Facing EducationReform.” He pointed out that Muslims send their children to very expensiveinternational schools that conduct their classes in English and teach westernvalues. We cannot teach “our children texts in English and French and hope[that] someday they will produce material in Arabic,” he proclaimed.Jeremy Henzell-Thomas (Centre of Islamic Studies, Cambridge University)discussed his “Towards an Expanded Glossary of Key Terms.” Citingthe need for a common understanding of modern terms and concepts, he remarkedthat our recognition of various types of intelligences and ways of ...