Adebayo, R.I. Islamizataion of Knowledge (1)

8/13/2019 Adebayo, R.I. Islamizataion of Knowledge (1)

1/17


2/17


3/17

iii

CONTENTS

Islamization of Knowledge: Its Inevitability andProblems of Practicability in Nigeria

- Rafiu Ibrahim Adebayo 4


4/17

4

ISLAMIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE: ITS INEVITABILITYAND PROBLEMS OF PRACTICABILITY IN NIGERIA

Rafiu Ibrahim Adebayo

Introduction Every society, be it primitive or modern, simple or complex, has a process

through which its cultural values, norms and behavioural patterns are transmitted toits young and potential members. Education has been a major vehicle fortransmission of these values. Some people therefore have used the instrumentality ofeducation as the central nerve of a community's existence not only for the

preservation of their cultural values but to also impose such on others. Thus, thesupposed value-free education has been contended to be value-laden. The impositionof alien cultures and values has been attracting chains of reactions and resistance in

the Muslim world. Such resistance culminated in the birth of the Islamization ofknowledge programme in the contemporary generation.Islamization of knowledge is not a new concept in Islam. There have been

individual efforts by Muslim scholars to change the destiny of Muslim education forthe better even before the colonial invasion of the Muslim world. A sort of whatTalat Sultan describes as "partial Islamization" was carried out by scholars likeRashid Rida, Jamaluddin Afghani, Akbar Allahabadi, Muhammed Ali Jauhar,Sayyid Qutb, Muhammed Marmaduke and some others. 1 Scholars like Sayyid Abul-AIa Mawdudi, Hassan al-Banna and Muhammed Iqbal also made remarkable effortstowards having comprehensive and dynamic concepts of Islamization of education intheir speeches and writings. Recently, this movement has received fresh impetusthrough the works of Syed Ali Ashraf, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Syed Muhammad

Naquib al-Attas and Ismail Raji al-Faruqi. Here in Nigeria, the efforts of ShaykhUsman ibn Fodiyo, his brother Shaykh Abdullah Ibn Fodiyo and his son MuhammedBello could not be overemphasized.

The urge to restore a pure Islamic education system became a global issue in1977, through the pioneering work of Syed Ali Ashraf, when the first WorldConference on Muslim Education was held in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, of which hewas the organising secretary. Between then and now, six of its kind have beenorganised. Apart from the world conferences on Muslim education, there have beenconferences on Islamization of knowledge. The first International Conference onIslamization of Knowledge was held at Lugano, Switzerland in 1977. In 1982, thesecond of its kind was organized in Pakistan by the National Hijrah CentenaryCelebration Committee of Pakistan, the International Islamic


5/17

5

University of Islamabad and the International Institute of Islamic Thought. Twoyears later (i.e. 1984), the Third International Conference on Islamization ofKnowledge was held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The fourth in the series was heldin Sudan in January 1987. All these are indications that the programme ofIslamization is a global programme which has been generally accepted by theMuslims to check further erosion of their worldview, culture and achievements bythe so-called Western system of education. In Nigeria, quite a good number ofseminars, conferences, workshops and discussions have been organized with the aimof taking the Islamization of knowledge programme to the academic staff andstudents in campuses of higher institutions across the country. More than 200seminars on the relevance of Islamization of knowledge to various disciplines have

been organized in various universities, colleges of education, polytechnics and evensecondary schools.

The Nigeria office of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIITN)has also sponsored some workshops and seminars on Islamization of knowledge incollaboration with some institutions of higher learning and Islamic boards. Forexample, the Workshop on Islamization of Knowledge held on Sha'ban 20-22. I409/March 27-29, 1989 at Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University. Sokoto was jointly organizedand sponsored by the University's Centre for Islamic Studies. the IET, the MuslimWorld League and the IIITN. Also the IIITN. in conjunction with the Muslim Forumof Bayero University Kano jointly organized and conducted a one-day seminar onIslamization of knowledge in July 1996. Another national workshop on Islamizationof knowledge was jointly organized by the IIITN and Usmanu Dan FodiyoUniversity in May 2000. 2 The body also co-organized a National Higher InstitutionsConvention of Muslim Students (NHICOMS) with the MSSN National headquartersin February 2001 at the University of llorin. 3 In April 2002, the Institute, incollaboration with the Nigerian Association of Model Islamic Schools (NAMIS),

jointly organized a conference on Islamization of knowledge at Ibadan, Oyo State. 4 In May of the same year, it co-organized International Workshop on MuslimEducational Reform in the Muslim World with the Faculty of Education, BayeroUniversity Kano, where more than twenty papers were presented. 5 From all theseindications, the programme could be said to have attained some levels ofacceptability in Nigeria, yet there are still some impediments to its progress, and this

forms the basis of this paper.

Islamization of Knowledge: A Critique of its other names The term "Islamization of knowledge" has been given different names

depending on the perspectives of different scholars. To some, it is "faith-basededucation", while to others, it is "Islamization of education" or rather "Islamiceducation". To Aisha Lemu. it is "conceptual transformation of knowledge". Herargument is that the term Islamization of knowledge gives the impression thatknowledge is not by itself Islamic and thus needs to be reframed and coloured to bemade Islamic. 6 This view is equally shared by Shafiq, who considers the phrase"Islamization of knowledge" as misleading, for all knowledge is sacred and a

blessing of Allah. 7 Anis Ahmad prefers the usage of the term "value centrededucation system" so as to make it a global education and break its monopoly by


6/17

6

the Muslims. 8 To Kasule, the phrase "reform of disciplines" is preferable in order toavoid taking the Islamization process as a revolutionary movement and to avoid anysemantic confusion. 9

The usage of the phrase "faith-based education" shows the relationship between faith and education. Education without faith is regarded as merely a meansof training clever devils. It is aptly described by Mutahheri thus:

Knowledge without faith is a sharp sword in the hand of a drunken brute. It is lamp in the hand of a thief to help him pick up the bestarticles at midnight. That is why there is not the least difference inthe nature and conduct of the faithless man of today who hasknowledge and the faithless man of yesterday who had noknowledge. After all what is the difference between the Churchills,Johnsons, Nixons and Stalins of today and the Pharaohs. GenglisKhans and Attilas of yore? 10

The term "faith-based education" is also controversial. Faith means different thingsto different cultures. To the West for instance, it means "belief without proof or"blind faith" which is devoid of reasoning. This is contrary to the teaching of theQur'an that encourages man to reason and ponder on the creatures,

The term "Islamic education", though appropriate in this context, is toowide to convey the specific, yet it can be over narrowed. In Nigeria, it is taken tomean Islamic religious knowledge (IRK) or Arabic language among other schoolsubjects, whereas, the concept in question is more than that.

The adoption of the word "education" in place of "knowledge" raises a vitalissue vis-a-vis neutrality of knowledge. The justification or otherwise of theIslamization of knowledge could be ascertained or denied by virtue of whether or notknowledge is neutral. To the proponents of the neutrality of knowledge, knowledgeis universal, value free and neutral irrespective of where and how such knowledge isderived. Thus, knowledge is free of any cultural or environmental influence. On theother hand, the opponents of the neutrality of knowledge strongly hold the view thatknowledge is greatly influenced by the value system of where such knowledgedevelops, the methodology used to derive it and by the predominant worldview ofthe environment in which it is derived. 11

Knowledge, as generally believed, is one of the attributes of Allah. He is the

Source of all knowledge. It is our assertion therefore that man's perspective of theworld must be universal and neutral irrespective of tribe, race or colour, just as thedifferences in tribe or race do not raise any doubt in the sweetness of honeyanywhere in the universe. However, one doesn't deny the fact that the sweetness ofhoney can be doubted by the state of health of one who tastes it or by virtue of whatwas previously contained in the container of that honey. Thus, while we stronglyconcur with the neutrality of knowledge and its universality, it is expedient to notethat the means through which knowledge is being perceived or transmitted is notdevoid of cultural prejudices. In other words, the means of acquiring knowledge(education) as well as the instrument of perception (reasoning) are greatly influenced

by cultural and environmental factors, hence the need for them to be permeated withIslamic teachings so that knowledge is traced back to it originator, Allah. In short,education is a means of transmitting culture from one generation to


7/17

7

the other and thus has cultural and environmental influences. Hence, education needsto be Islamized or else the Muslim community would be at the risk of undoing itsworld-view. We are persuaded to prefer Islamization of education rather thanIslamization of knowledge. However, whatever is our own view. "Islamization ofknowledge" has taken its own identity and it is the most popular term among others,used for the process of entrenching the Islamic world-view in the content and methodof education.

Khalil Imad al-Din has rightly divided the process of Islamization ofknowledge into two levels. The first level is the theoretical level, which sheds lighton the aims and position of the Qur'an and other Islamic teachings in relation tomodern knowledge. The second level, which is the practical level, has to do with theentrenchment of the Islamized disciplines in the conventional educational system ofMuslim societies at all levels. 12 To the best of our knowledge, there have been effortsfrom various quarters at articulating a clear theoretical vision for the Islamization ofknowledge programme. Though these efforts are commendable and productive, someissues are not yet properly addressed. This forms the basis of Shehu's arguments foran educational agenda by the Nigerian Muslims. The five-point agenda suggested byhim are:

(i) Revitalization of the mainstream Islamic education system toeliminate what he called "its disdainful condition".

(ii) Setting up a taskforce on education enrolment and acquisitionto mobilize and sensitise the ummah towards education:

(iii) Organizing special education programme for the handicapped andthe disabled in the ummah:

(iv) Formulating a policy on female education;(v) Organizing a special remediation programme. 13

The big question now is, why do we need to theorize a new concept ofeducational system in the name of Islamization of knowledge? Or what benefit willthe Muslims derive from this programme of Islamization? The answer to this isconsidered in the next sub-topic.

The Inevitability of the Programme

Education is generally believed to be a strong weapon for the facilitationand promotion of national unity and international understanding, removal of socialinequalities, poverty and other vices, and provision of adequate manpower foreconomic development. It is. however, sad to note that in spite of the level ofeducation of her citizens as well as the natural endowment of the nation, Nigeria isstill lagging behind morally, economically, socially and politically. This hasencouraged scholars from various fields to search for alternative means of realizingnational development through education. This had been put in motion even beforethe exit of the colonial masters when there were commissions over commissions.This started in 1916 when the British government came up with the first EducationOrdinance. The government's further involvement in the education business wasfacilitated by the application of the report of the Phelps-Stokes Commission to the


8/17

8

Nigerian education scene when the colonial masters themselves realised thateducation should be adapted to African condition.

In the independence era, scholars are still dissatisfied with the nation'seducation. A pointer to this is the assertion of a group of seasoned educationists at anational seminar held at Bagauda, Kano in 1980 that Nigerian ethical value is in astate of coma, while bribery, corruption, nepotism, organised robbery, drug abuseand other vices are the order of the day. The body thus called for innovation andchanges and advocated for a new philosophy called 'developmentalism'. 14 Ukadikealso notices that the "prevailing political situation has constituted an unpleasant jar to

Nigeria's nerves and the stench of corruption in high places has given her a rackingstomachache". 15 While he contends that a faulty educational system had beeninherited from the colonial masters, he suggests citizenship education as a measure toinculcate discipline in Nigerian youth. In the same vein, the Federal Government of

Nigeria, in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research Council andUniversity of Port Harcourt, organized a National Conference on Moral Education inPort Harcourt. There, it was concluded that Religious Education had an importantrole to play in any effective moral programme. 16 The mugging of the existingeducational system as well as the agitation for change from one system to the other isconsidered a serious setback in the existing educational system. Oloyede emphasizesthis assertion when he asserts:

The situation is so bad that whenever there is, at least in Nigeria, aspecific social contention, there is the call for curriculum review toincorporate the specific issue, whereas functional education doesnot require instruction in every social phenomenon to ensureappropriate response from the truly educated. The clamour in

Nigeria for the inclusion of sex education, drug abuse, cultism,indiscipline and corruption, road safety and patriotism in theformal institution curricula is clear vindication that the educationitself cannot address social or moral issues unless the educated

person is specifically trained for the specific matter. This is justone of the numerous defects in modem education. 17

The secularized system of education adopted throughout the world can be

traced to Rene Descartes (1596-1650), a French philosopher who successfully threwaway gnosticism or revelation as a source of knowledge into the dustbin and shiftedemphasis on rational thinking and empiricism. The acceptance of the 'bucket theory'otherwise called tabula rasa theory of the mind, where knowledge received throughour senses is considered the only true knowledge, is a great problem to the Muslimummah. This is not because its acceptance is inimical to the spirit of Islam, but forthe fact that it has separated wahy from 'aql knowledge. Scientific epistemology inthe Western context becomes an infallible and impeccable paradigm of enquiry whilerevelation as a source of knowledge is relegated to the lowest ebb. The fact remainsthat the common sense theory of knowledge is not free of illusions, aberrations anduncertainties and this can only be rectified by the illuminating light of the infalliblesource of knowledge, wahy. This, to the best of our knowledge, is what theIslamization of knowledge programme is aiming to achieve.


9/17

9

Looking at it from another perspective, the modern education system ismaterialistic in nature and the products and graduates of this system are duly imbuedwith ideas of materialism and comfort of this terrestrial life with no regard for theafterlife. Kanu Oji rightly observes the extent of materialism among Nigerians whenhe writes:

Everyone is materially conscious that anything which is notevaluated in terms of naira or any other material gains is not worthdoing well. It has gone to the extent that today personal merit willnot serve you as much as money will. Enter into a depth of oursociety and give a naira to one man and give a lecture on morality tothe other and see who will respect you most. 18

With the materialistic nature of our educational system, everybody becomesreckless in struggling for money. Acquisition of knowledge becomes a means ofacquiring wealth and not for services to the community. Little wonder then thatacademics neglect their duty of making scientific and technological innovations thatwould benefit the society, but instead divert their attention to lucrative businesses toenrich themselves overnight. Those in pubic offices engage in fraudulent acts for

personal gain. "Ten percent kickback" syndrome is now a condition to be fulfilledwhen awarding contracts. The method of getting rich through dubious means ismulti-dimensional and far beyond what the Nigerian police can curb. Even the

Nigerian police are too money- and material-conscious to the extent of mountingroadblocks for the purpose of shamelessly and illegally extorting money fromhelpless motorists. There is no doubt that the type of knowledge and training given to

Nigerian citizens is devoid of the consciousness of Allah. Anybody who is not awareof his accountability on the Day of Reckoning will undoubtedly live an unfetteredlife and will try by all possible means to fell huge trees of morality for him to gainaccess to the crooked path that leads to quick wealth. Thus a new attempt is neededwhereby whatever discipline a child is exposed to will be geared towards realizingand recognizing the existence and presence of an Omniscient and Omnipotent God,his Creator. It is when this is done that the Muslims will be able to rectify theshortcomings of secular education and its features, which make it incompatible withthe Islamic teachings and culture. The features as listed by Oloyede include lack of

consciousness of the existence and Omnipotence of Allah, excessive materialism,culture of unbridled pursuit of vain desires (pleasures) as the object of education;culture of sceptism, arrogance, absolute reliance on techniques, tightcompartmentalization of disciplines and excessive subservience to ancestors and'worship' of secular 'saints' who are taken as unchallengeable in the differentdisciplines. 19 The end result of the type of education having these characteristics isidiomatically summed up by Maulana Ali Adam when he writes:

The new world order envisaged by the Americans represents theestablishment of one pseudo religion in every country of the world,material progress is to be worshipped, its own templesgiganticfactories, cinemas, televisions, chemical laboratories, dance halls and


10/17

10

huge electricity generating plants. The high priests of thesetemples are the bankers, engineers, film stars, captains ofindustry and record breaking sportsmen and women. Worshipin the religion of the new world order is the craving for powerand pleasure. The culture of this way of life requires countriesand individuals to be armed to the teeth, to confine morality tothe level of practical utility alone and to make material successthe highest criterion of good and evil. 20

To conclude this aspect, we assert that knowledge is not static. Day-in, day-out new developments and discoveries are emerging. The Muslims are thus inserious need of keeping themselves abreast of these developments with a view torelating them to Islam and to guide against accepting ideas that are alien to theirfaith. This can only be achieved through undertaking the Islamization of knowledge.The effects of non-adherence to this step are summarised by Sulaiman when he says:

If Muslim scholars fail to explain new phenomena in line withthe teachings of Islam, the generality of Muslims will not knowthe permissibility or otherwise of the phenomena. Secondly,inferiority complex will be entrenched in their minds whenthey are made to believe that Islam has no provision orexplanation for the new phenomena. 21

The Problem of Practicability It needs to be mentioned that there are appreciable efforts towards implementing thetheories of Islamization at various level of education. These have taken variousforms, ranging from "spraying" some verses of Qur'an and prophetic hadith,expounding scientific facts from the Qur'an and hadith, searching for scientific proofof the Qur'an, searching for disparity between Islamic and European concepts, toemphasizing the contributions of Muslims to intellectual development and criticalexamination of non-Muslim writers on Islam. In recent times, some Islam-relatedcourses are being introduced into some Faculties and Departments in the Usman DanFodiyo University and Bayero University Kano, here in Nigeria. That

notwithstanding, the theoretical framework of Islamization of knowledge has not been properly transformed into the expected practical level. What we are trying toemphasize here is that the entrenchment of the Islamized disciplines in theconventional education system of Muslim ummah has remained a myth to a largeextent. The programme is still wobbling in the face of numerous efforts of its

protagonists. Some factors militating against the practicability of the programme arenow considered.

(a) Problem of Personnel One of the greatest problems confronting the programme is personnel. This

has to do with both the staff and students teaching and pursuing the programme


11/17

11

respectively. Though many private schools wanted to give the programme a trial intheir schools, the fact that there was no qualified and experienced staff to man andhandle it had hindered its introduction or consolidation in such institutions. On the

part of the students, the entry qualifications of some students to be admitted to the programme are not worth mentioning. Not all the students took their primary andsecondary education in Islamic institutions and so could not appreciate the beauty ofIslam in the Islamized courses. Furthermore, as it is difficult to talk of originalcontributions to Islamization of knowledge without the capacity to delve into theoriginal Arabic sources, many of the students could not be good students of the

programme. This is because they lack the necessary prerequisites for the programme;so they could not pursue it further in their academic carrier.

(b) Influence of secular education Many of the personnel are products of the Western education system, which directlyor indirectly means that they are likely to be Western in their outlook, orientation andattitude. Closely related to this, is the problem of some educated classes, whichLemu describes as "professional parochialism." 22 Such are scholars who have beenimbued with the secular mentality and consider the programme to be a threat to their

prestige. Their little knowledge of the programme has let them to conclude that the programme is impossible in Nigeria and to tag those who uphold it with suchepithets as fundamentalists, fanatics or terrorists, while the programme stigmatizedwith the purpose of' driving people away from it. It is the assumption of suchscholars that whatever does not come from the West is inferior and imperfect and sothey prefer to imitate the West at all costs.

(c) Multi-religious nature of the society The multi-religious nature of the society, which implies that academic institutionsadmit candidates of different religions to various areas of disciplines, is animpediment to the progress of Islamization of knowledge in Nigeria. This situationexplains why some non-Muslims are opposed to the introduction of any Islam-basedcourse in any other department apart from that of Islamic studies. The claim of suchgroups is that it is an imposition of Islam on the adherents of other religions, whereasa section of the Nigeria constitution states that "no person attending any place of

education shall be required to receive religious instructions or to take part in orattend any religious ceremony or observance if such institution, ceremony orobservance relates to a religion not approved by his parent or guardian." 23 This is not

peculiar to Nigeria alone; even in Malaysia where Islam is declared the officialreligion, a sort of cautious Islamization is in operation, so as not to hurt the feeling ofadherents of other religions. The first Prime Minister of Malaysia remarked that:

Experience has shown that too much emphasis on religion willlead to misunderstanding, as Malaysia is a country of mixed

population and mixed religions, and would not be congenial tothe happy relationship that exists among the people today. 24


12/17

12

On another occasion, he lamented:

It would be a sad day indeed, if the government is pressured intointroducing drastic reforms to keep up with religious (Islamic)laws. It must be remembered that the constitution proclaimedMalaysia as a secular state in which Islam is declared the officialreligion. 25

Thus the hope of having a full Islamization of knowledge programme in anheterogeneous religious society like Nigeria is doomed. The recent adoption of theShari'ah legal system in some states in the country has generated a lot of fracas fromsome quarters despite the fact that some sections of the Nigeria constitution justifythe step. 26 No sooner had the Shari'ah been introduced in Zamfara State than thereemerged, in various sections of the Nigerian mass media, blasphemous remarks,negative reports, inciting cartoons and destructive statements about the divine lawand the governor who introduced it, describing the law as barbaric and the governora fanatic who took the step to destabilize the young democratic polity of the nation.Thus, Muslims are handicapped as they remain unenthusiastic about any Islamization

programme, not because they do not appreciate its importance, but because theywant to avoid being accused of religious fanaticism by adherents of other religions.

(d) Government Policy on Curriculum Development, Implementation andevaluation The control of education is largely in the hands of the Federal and StateGovernments. Various commissions, institutions and bodies have been put in place

by the federal government to ensure the smooth running of education policy. The National University Commission (NUC) for instance, was set up in 1962 but becamea statutory body in 1974 with the function of overseeing and ensuring the balanceddevelopment and growth of universities. The body accredits various courses offeredin universities. Ditto is NCCE at the colleges of education level. There are also the

Nigerian Educational Research Council (NERC), the Joint Consultative Committee(JCC) and the Comparative Education Study and Adaptation Centre (CESAC) whichare established for the purpose of evolving a "more suitable system of education that

is continually adapted and responsive to the nation's economic and socialaspirations".

Apart from these government-controlled curriculum development bodies,there are examination bodies like the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB), the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the NationalExamination Council (NECO). These government-controlled examination bodies set,administer and recommend for admission or issue certificates to candidates. These

bodies are a bane to the Islamization programme as their set standards do not put intoconsideration the Islamization ideals. The programme is also difficult to implementin Colleges of Education because of the NCCE which designs and regulates coursesoffered in the colleges and does not give room for each college to design its

programme suitable for its environment.


13/17

13

(e) Job security Despite the fact that the Islamization of knowledge programme has become

a popular programme in Nigeria, some institutions are yet to give it a trial. Up tillnow, the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, University of Jos, University of Ilorin, anda host of others have not introduced any Islam-based course in other departmentsapart from the Department of Religions. That apart, the operation and establishmentof interest free banking systems in some banks in Nigeria should be a source ofinspiration for graduates of Islamic economics, but the number of such banks andfinance institutions are too infinitesimal to absorb all graduates specialized in thefield. The operation of some so-called Islamic financial institutions does not evenencourage the pursuance of Islam-based economic-related disciplines as they followthe Western modes of operation. This is observed by a scholar who writes:

Islamic financial institutions have continued to operate inidentically Western modes of transactions while doing lip-service to Islamically prescribed modes of financing, economicand social activities that bring about integrated transformationand create vibrant consciousness in the ummah. 27

A big question that agitates the minds of people is: where could graduate of Islamicsociology and other Islam-based disciplines secure jobs after their graduation? Thus,the fear of job security constitutes another obstacle that dampens the enthusiasm ofcandidates who would have otherwise liked to pursue the programme.

(f) Language problem The use of an appropriate language in the Islamization programme is one of

the major problems facing the programme in Nigeria. English has been the mainlanguage of communication in many parts of the world, and through it, the

programme has been taken to the doorstep of every individual. It has been the majorlanguage in international conferences on Islamization of knowledge programme.Such centres as the International Institute of Islamic Thought, Pennsylvania; TheIslamic Academy, Cambridge; the Islamic Institute of Advanced Studies.Washington; the Islamic Cultural Centre, Regent's Park, London; the Islamic

Foundation in Leicester and the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad, have mostof their works in English.

On the other hand, it is incontestable that Arabic is the original language ofIslamization by virtue of being the language of the Qur'an and of the Prophet(S.A.W.), and consequently the language of Islam. The problem is, which of the twolanguagesArabic or Englishshould be adopted as the official language ofcommunication in any Islamization of knowledge programme forum? This, to us, is

but a minor problem. The major problem is the inability of many students of the programme to have access to texts written on the programme in Arabic. Actually,there is no dearth of material on the programme in the Arabic language. The standardof students' Arabic is however so low that many Arabic texts are just


14/17

14

arranged neatly on shelves in our libraries with low consultation from students.There is no doubt that this has hindered the progress of the programme at all stages,as scholars now depend on secondary sources to tap the needed information.

Observation and Conclusion From the above, it becomes glaringly clear that the Islamization programme

goes beyond just the reduction of religious education to a mere classroom subject.Rather, it bridges the gap between the so-called secular and religious subjects. Thetwo are to be integrated for the purpose of achieving felicity in this world and thehereafter. At this juncture, one needs to allay the fears of those who feel that the

programme of Islamization is a myth in Nigeria because of its multi-religious natureand its secularistic approach to issues. The fear of such people is that should the

programme be adopted, it will lead to the marginalisation of non-Muslims orimposition of Islam on them. It is observed that in tertiary institutions where someIslam-related courses are introduced, both the Christians and a few Muslims havecriticized the authorities in charge. What should be noted is that Islamization ofknowledge is meant for all students professing the Islamic faith as well as any other

person who, though may not profess the Islamic faith, but voluntarily consents to theexercise and wishes to broaden the horizon of his knowledge. Those who do not

profess the religion must learn to be tolerant just as the Muslims reluctantly toleratedthe adoption of the Gregorian calendar named after Pope Gregory as well asobservation of Saturdays and Sundays, which are declared as holidays purposely toenable the Christians to worship in their churches. Both Christians and Muslims havethings to share from one another. The adoption of Western education by Muslims is agood example of what they shared with the Christian missionaries. In the same vein,

pilgrimage to Israel and Jerusalem is a new development among our Christian folkwho learnt it from the Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah, which is a core pillar of Islam.Thus we are bound to learn from and co-operate with each other.

It is our observation that secularism is a strong bane to the Islamization programme in Nigeria. It has reduced religion to a mere personal affair restricted tothe four walls of the mosque. The irony of it is that the nation's constitutionrecognizes God as the Creator. The first statement in the 1999 constitution showsthat the country places herself under the protection of God, yet it recognizes itself as

a secular state. Other points raised by Quadri to debunk the assertion that Nigeria is asecular state include the oath of office sworn to by the President of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria, which ends with the statement: "So help me God"; the NationalAnthem and the National Pledge which recognize God as the source of help andsupplicate to God to direct the affairs of the nation; sponsorship of pilgrimage toholy lands and donation of millions of naira to Christians and Muslims by theFederal Government to build the National Church and the National Mosquerespectively in Abuja, to mention but a few. 28 Thus, once it is generally believed that

Nigeria is not a secular state but a multi-religious nation, it is then that religion willtake its proper place and perform its role in the lives of the people and will be usedas a tool for sanitizing the so-called secular disciplines. Once this is done, oureducational system will produce religious men in all disciplines.


15/17

15

The adoption of Shari'ah in Zamfara State and its subsequent adoption bysome Northern states is a good omen for the programme to thrive in Nigeria. Theadoption of Shari'ah by these states calls for a clear understanding of what it is reallyabout. The partial implementation of the legal aspects of the law in these states is notenough; what is required is the total Shari'ah guiding all aspects of life of the peopleof the States as well as inculcating Islamic knowledge and values into the pupils inschools through the expressed and the hidden curriculum. Hence, education in itsentirety needs to be totally recast to make it in line with the Islamic vision ofeducation. This development indicates that there would be a demand for relevantmanpower to handle some aspects of the States from the perspective of the Shari'ah.So, a chance of employment opportunity is imminent for graduates of Islam-baseddisciplines. Closely related to this is the emergence of some interest-free banks inline with the Islamic banking system. Such banks need the professional assistance ofgraduates who have been exposed to and have undergone courses in Islamic bankingfor them to function effectively well, or else they become mere caricature of Islamic

banks. Production of essential personnel for a programme, to us, should be a prerequisite for the commencement of such a programme. So, the training ofcandidates in Islam-based disciplines is a right step in the right direction, as verysoon, the demand for these specialists will be more than the present supply in theShari'ah States.

It is however sad to note that Nigeria cannot boast of a single Islamicuniversity privately established by an indigenous expatriate or corporate body. Thisconstitutes a major setback in the implementation of the Islamization of knowledge.Most of the existing private universities in Nigeria are established by Christianindividuals or denominations. A section of the 1979 constitution stipulates that:

No religious community or denomination shall be prevented from providing religious instruction for pupils of that community ordenomination in any place of education maintained wholly by thatcommunity. 29 The provision of this constitution is enough evidence to show that private

institutions are the best place for successful Islamization of knowledge programme.Such a university, if established by an Islamic body or a conscious Muslimindividual, will be autonomous in designing its programme in favour of the

Islamization programme. Perhaps the current effort of the Katsina Muslimcommunity to establish an Islamic university, as well as the proposed Al-HikmahUniversity in Ilorin if eventually materialises, will prove this assertion. As regards

public universities, it is hoped that the current agitation for university autonomy willassist in no small measure for the programme to succeed. Based on our observationso far, we contend that there is the need for the Muslim organizations championingthe course of Islamization of knowledge in Nigeria to join hands to design theireducational agenda at all levels for the programme to thrive.


16/17

16

Notes 1. T. Sultan, "The Role of Islamic Universities in the Islamization of Education",

Muslim Education Quarterly, Cambridge, Vol. 14, No. 3. 1997, p. 57.2. The present writer personally attended this workshop and he was one of the

discussants to one of the papers presented at the workshop.3. Though the programme was initially planned to be held at the University of Ilorin,

for logistic reasons it was shifted to Abdur-Raheem Oladimeji Faculty of Arabic and

Islamic Sciences. Ilorin. This writer attended this programme held between the 1stand 4th February 2001.4. More than two hundred proprietors of private schools, staff and other participants

from nine states attended this workshop entitled "Islamization of Knowledge: AnAgenda for Private Islamic Schools". The present writer was the coordinator of theconference. A paper entitled "Islamization of Curriculum: An Agenda for ModelIslamic Nursery Schools in Nigeria" was presented by him.

5. A paper entitled "Muslim Educational Reform in the South-Western Nigeria" was presented by this writer at the workshop.

6. B.A. Lemu, "Conceptual Transformation of Knowledge: Meaning and Application,"a paper presented at the Seminar on Private Model Islamic Schools organized by theI.E.T., Minna, 19th and 23rd April. 1995, p. 2.

7. M. Shafiq, Growth of Islamic Thought in North America, Brentwood Maryland,Amana Publications 1994, p. 90.

8. Anonymous, The Interim Report on the International Islamic Education Conference.

Cape Town, Islamia College, 1997. pp. 55-57.9. Ibid., pp. 55-56.10. M. Mutahheri, Islam, Man and Universe, the Islamic Seminary. Pakistan, 1977, p.

29. 11. B.S. Galadanci, "Islamization of Knowledge: Concept and Core Issues" in B,S.

Galadanci (Ed.) Islamization of Knowledge: A Research Guide, Kano, IIIT NigeriaOffice, 2000, pp. 8-10.

12. K. 'Imad al-Din, Islamization of Knowledge: A Methodology. Herndon. IIIT, 1991, p. 22.

13. S. Shehu, "Islamizing the Education System: Toward an Alternative EducationTheory and Agenda for the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria''. A Paper presented at a 2-day National Workshop on Islamization of Knowledge jointly organized by IIIT

Nigeria Office and Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University. Sokoto between 15th & 16thMay, 2000. pp. 23-24.

14. A.A. Adeyinka (el a/.), "African Philosophy of Education with Particular Referenceto Nigeria", in A. Akinyemi (Ed.) Book of Reading in Education Theory andPractice, Vol 1, Institute of Education, University of Ilorin, 1992. p. 115.

15. O.J. Ukadike. "Citizenship Education: A Panacea for Nigeria's Political and SocialProblems," Journal of General Studies in Education, Ila-Orangun.VoI. l. No. 1,1996, p. 164.

16. Decision and Recommendations of the National Conference on Moral Educationheld in Port Harcourt from 1st to 5th February 1982, pp. 2-3.

17. I.O. Oloyede, "The Imperative for Reshaping and Re-Orientating the ModernDisciplines in the Islamic Perspective." A Paper Presented at a 2-Day NationalWorkshop on Islamization of Knowledge jointly organized by IIIT Nigeria Officeand Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto between 15th & 16th May 2000. pp. 1-2

18. Cited by A. Mustapha, "Islam Versus Secular Ethical Revolution in Nigeria: ASurvey of Some Fundamental Contradictions": NATA1S, Journal of the Nigerian

Association of Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies. Vol. 11, No. 4, December,1983. p. 78.

19. I.O. Oloyede, op. cit., p. 7.20. Cited by R.I. Adebayo, "Islamizing Social Studies Curriculum at the Primary School

Level: A Proposal to a Model Islamic Primary School", The Beagle, Journal of the Lagos State College of Primary Education, Vol. 4, No. 1 & 1. June/November 1999. p. 149.


17/17

17

21. S. Sulaiman, Islamization of Knowledge: Background, Models and the WayForward, Kano, IIIT, Nigeria Office; 2000, p. 16.

22. S.A. Lemu, Education: Islamic Concepts and Modern Society, Minna, IslamicEducation Trust, n.d., p. 7.

23. Section 35 (1) of the 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.24. W.M.N. Wan Daud, The Concept of Knowledge in Islam and its Implications for

Education in a Developing Country, London, Mansell Publishing Ltd., 1989, p. 115.

25. Ibid., p. 115.26. See the 1999 Nigeria Constitution, Sections 4 (4), 7 & 275 (1).27. M.A. Choudhury, "A Critical Examination of the Concept of Islamization of

Knowledge in Contemporary Times", Muslim Education Quarterly, Cambridge,Vol. 10, No. 4. 1993, p 28.

28. Y.A. Quadri, Shari'ah: The Islamic Way of Life, Ijebu-Ode, ShebiotimoPublications. 2000, pp. 27-28.

29 See section 35 (3) of the 1979 Constitution.

Documents

Adebayo, R.I. Islamizataion of Knowledge (1)