Introduction:
Long before the punishment of Galileo did by Church upon him, Muslim Civilization already experienced wealth of knowledge and information in various scientific and technology areas. This was due to the excellence of Islamic Education Centres that could be found in Islamic world. It is a historical fact that Enlightment Age indebted to Islamic Civilization when various of Greek’s and Hellenistic books had been translated into Arabic. Consequently, scholars from West benefited by learning it and brought the knowledge back to their places.
I am thinking, the superiority of any nation whatever they are from is due to the progress in the field of science and technology, and that must be originated from the field of education. Basically, the gist of progressive is rooted deep in education, however, when reflecting back to Muslim’s nation nowadays, it does not reflect the progress that they once had it. Why is this happening? Are Islamic Educationists/Education fail to produce good education system that is based from good curriculum?
Interviewee Process:
I don’t have any interview process as my subjects of interviewer are thousand miles from me. Both of them are living in Malaysia, so I had to send few emails posting them questions and waiting for their responses. My first interviewee is a lecturer in Faculty of Education, Uitm. She was my lecturer when I did my undergraduate. She taught me in Curriculum Development in Malaysia. My second interviewee was one of the pioneer in Islamic Education in Malaysia. He used to become a president for one of Islamic Non Government Organizations that is famously known as JIM (In Malay it is called Jemaah Islah Malaysia, in English it is Islamic Representative Council). He established and managed the idea of Islamic Schools to adopt Secular Education in Malaysia in emphasis of Islamization of the Curriculum itself. Luckily as well, they provide books that I need to find in the library which still I could not find it until I browse through Manhattan Islamic Center Public Library. The questions that I ask basically are very basics where I try to expand their ideas by putting my own observations and discussions among Muslim students here and through my online discussion. Among the questions are:
What is secular education?
Where is it originated?
What is Islamic education?
What is the philosophy of education for both?
Can both be congruent? In what sense is it congruent?
What are the basics for Islamic Curriculum development?
What is the implication if secular education exists in Islamic Society? How far is the acceptance from the society?
Islamic Education: The Principles
Islamic School philosophy will be based on Islamic education principal. Islamic Education principal firstly is mainly about Unity of Allah (God). It can be understood as Allah (God) is indeed Allah (God), absolutely One, and no other being is Allah (God). Allah is Absolutely Perfect and He is only Creator and anything different from Him is regarded as creation. It means anything that contradictory with this first principle is not considered Islamic Education nor to be included in Islamic Curriculum. To think and live in consciousness of Divine Unity does not mean that the graduates from Islamic school/Education will be spending their whole life in religious institution. Rather, if we take a look deeper on the first purpose, it has some implication on other aspects of human life or Muslim’s life because a Muslim is actually a person/man who is carrying the Divine trust constitutes his vicegerency to Allah( God). In fact, the Vicegerency is the second concept that is important in Islamic Education. The concept of Vicegerency will lead human to develop the earth and make it as a suitable place to be living in. A human is born free, complete with mental faculty so that he has power to choose and decide. He is not born with a burdened sin because this concept is unfair. He is not an animal, because he differed from animal by having intellect, which helps him to differentiate between good and bad. In fact he is given freedom to choose between good and bad, he has free will that makes him superior to other creations (plants, animals and etc). This is called vicegerency that entails him to grow and enjoy, to acquire and posses, to love and etc. However, this power to choose, could help him to be good or evil, virtuos or vicious, and it depends which path he chooses, either good or otherwise. Though he has complete freedom, however when it comes to matter that gives weight age/matters to society, his freedom then is denounced as freedom is his until it conflicts with society’s importance.
From the concept of vicegerency, we move on to third concept which is justice. Justice must not be perceived as being equal as equality is not an exact measurement for justice. Justice is believed to put things in proper places. Human as vicegerent must act accordingly to purport justice, or he will face dire consequence such as punishment. Sometimes, we might be thinking that Hitler died only once though he killed millions of Jews. The painful feeling of deaths being felt by those Jews is not equivalent to the feeling that he had because he faced it only once. That’s why, Muslim believes in the concept of Hereafter, where deeds will be rewarded or punished accordingly. This believes will avoid him to do bad deeds to others.
Islamic Schools in Malaysia:
Islamic schools in Malaysia in fact started long before the Independence. It was known by the name of “Sekolah Pondok” (Hut School). Usually, it was directed by scholars that receive education from Mecca or Madinah. The focus at that time was solely purely religious education in nature and it was free. Though it was not compulsory to pay the fees, usually students will work as farmers (using the scholars ‘land for cultivation) or any kind of work such as rubber tapper and etc. It was in our culture to pay the generosity by doing good job to those who give knowledge. For Islamic Education/School, the target of the school is to prepare student to think and live in consciousness of Divine Unity. However, many misunderstood this concept by perceiving it as something not applicable and useful in this century. Parents believe by sending their kids to school so that they can get good result and hence, this good result will ensure the kids to get marketable majors later in the future. If Islamic Education purposes solely focusing on to think and live in consciousness of Divine Unity, hence it will not be helpful to fulfill parents’ objective.
Islamic schools start to integrate secular education into their own syllabus after most of Malaysian students that coming back from Middle East or Western World. When they were there, they received knowledge from Muslim Arab brothers that have some reformation ideas that they receive from Muslim Brotherhood ‘s movement in Egypt.
As time goes by, Islamic schools especially the ones managed by Non Government Organization started to adopt curriculum by Education Ministries because after receiving/understanding the nature of real Islamic Education that never ask its followers to neglect science and modernism as previous generation of Muslims produced lots of scientists and civilization. The problem Islamic Schools are facing now is defending religious elements because it is perceived by Society and even Government as backwardness and at the same time do not want the students to be neglected in progress as being made by other government schools that adopt secular education.
Secular Education: The Principles
It starts from The Enlightment’ spirit where there is a separation between Church and Power, in the early 17th Century due to repudiation to Christian religion due to corruption and despotism in the Church. The philosophers during this time believe that human reason as the absolute sovereigns of human affairs in place of faith and intuition. Basically, most of the philosopher has general skepticism about the religious notions including hereafter, immortality of human soul and God. The uprising of evolution theory led by Darwin lead to a believe that man is the chance product of a blind, purposeless nature operating through accidental variations in a self designed and self propelled evolution. It means basically there is no God in human life.
Secular means saeculum, from Latin that carries a dual connotation of time and space, therefore referring to the now /present of the time and space. The importance of hereafter or immortality of soul does not exist as it is associated well with Christian religion. Emmanuel Kant to that extend rejected Christianity on the basis of illogicality in the sense of sins can be forgiven through salvation that to him really does not parallel with cause and effect principal. Secularism can be understand as the loosing of the world from religious and quasi religious understanding of itself, the dispelling of all closed views ,the breaking of all supernatural myths and sacred symbols.
The repudiation of religious ideas gave birth to concepts that human beings are conditioned by outside factors, their environment, behaviorism, or unconscious mental states as what Freudian believes. This element gave birth to Materialism and Determinism. Secularism education will reduce the matter of religion to individual preferences.
Secular Education In Malaysia:
Though government school in Malaysia has religious education, it is very limited and is taught to fulfill the requirements to perform religious ritual only. For parents that have understanding of what Islam is, will prefer to send their kids to Islamic School. They believe Islamic education provides by government school is not enough. For parents that emphasis on Islamic dress code or curriculum that incorporates the elements of Islamization of subjects being thoughts in school, definitely they will prefer Islamic School over government school. It is important to mention that Islam is not a matter of belief and rituals only; rather it is understood as a complete way of life. In Islam there is no separation between the life in this world and the life in the hereafter. The life in this world is a bridge to connect/to achieve eternal bliss later. There is no use of having a rich life but the society surrounds suffer for poverty.
Implication of Secular Education in Malaysia:
Islamic school in Malaysia usually is established by a political party, Non Government Organizations or individual. PAS as the Islamic political party that commits to establish an Islamic State has few Islamic schools on State level. Islamic Youth Movement (ABIM) and Islamic Representative Council (JIM) as two prominent Islamic Non Government Organizations in Malaysia have its own Islamic Schools.
Unluckily, those who send their kids to Islamic School usually/sometimes will be labeled by government to those who support Islamic opposition party and do not trust Government School in preparing their sons for better future. This usually happens to Islamic Schools that are controlled by opposition political party. There was an extent done by Government to stop giving aid that amounted millions of ringgit due to the assumption that Islamic School harbors/disseminated hatred towards government in power. Though this kind of pressure imposes towards Islamic Schools, however, Islamic School is self sponsored by members or individuals or through alms giving. There will be fees on the behalf of the students so that school can maintain the operation. However, still funding is not enough and this leads to low quality of education as not so many teachers willing to work in Islamic Schools because the payment is not that good compared to government school.
On the bright side of it, secularization gives birth to the Islamic movement to upgrade the level of Islamic Schools so that it can be leveled with government school. It has been known that the importance to upgrade it through the islamization of the knowledge in education will result the islamization of curriculum. The product of Islamic school that emphasizes on Islamic Curriculum and Islamization of the Knowledge will result in man/woman power that excel in spiritual, emotional, psychological and intellectual.
Islamization of Secular Education:
Islamization of knowledge means recognition and acknowledgement, progressively instilled in Man, of the proper place of things in the order of creation, such that it leads to the recognition and acknowledgement of the proper place of God in order of being and existence. When we discuss the idea of islamization of curriculum in secular education in Malaysia, it means first, the Islamic Schools that use curriculum by Education Ministry must have implemented Islamic philosophy/principles in its subjects thought in schools. Also, it must go beyond that by involving in various important fields of life and contemporary knowledge. The first challenge towards this is by creating understanding and awareness of ideological reformation of islamization that happens in the field of knowledge. By understanding this, the process of implementing Islamic curriculum is easier where the framework through islamization of knowledge is a very meticulous, tedious and long process as it needs various works in the stages of its development.
Islamic Curriculum:
Through the implementation of Islamic curriculum into secular education basically, Islamic school will focus on these:
a) Inculcation of Islamic ideas into subjects teach in schools. Islamic ideas/ideology is basically based on Koran and the Tradition of Muslim’s Prophet. The tradition of Muslim’s Prophet is not, however viewed from a narrow point of views, rather it is open as long as it does not contradict the concept of Unity of God and God as a Perfect Entity. Non Islamic ideas will be discussed to show to the students the weaknesses of the other system than Islam. Any misconception and lies about Islam will be rectified and corrected not through coercion as Muslim will never allow that, in fact, the way of wisdom will be a priority.
b) Islamic Curriculum will put emphasis on reading subject. This is taken from the tradition of Muslim’s Prophet that willingly during the War of Badr(a name of a place) to release the prisoners of wars in condition that one prisoner of wars will be responsible to teach 10 Muslim’s kids the skills of reading.
c) Islamic ethics will be utmost priority as in Islamic philosophy of Education, every Muslim must have good ethics as it is a reflection of attaining perfect faith. Faith in Islam does not mean a Muslim that is able to utter in their hearts but must declare the faith with conviction in heart and are proven from the action of the limbs (good deeds). There is a tradition from Muslim’s Prophet that says, one will not attain a perfect faith until his neighbors are safe from his bad tongues, bad hearts and bad actions. Thus it reflects to everybody in Muslim’s life.
d) Science subjects are utmost priority; however the philosophy of Science in Islam does not follow exactly Darwinism (Human is to believed originated from apes) or any other theories that are against Islamic Philosophy of Education. Muslims civilizations in the past produced various achievements in the field of Science such as Avicenna whereby his book had been used for 600 years in medical school in Europe. There are various scientists that I wish can be enlisted here but rather I am afraid that this discussion will be lengthy.
e) Multicultural Education is a must in Islamic Curriculum because basically, in the Koran it is stated exactly all human is the same but what differ them is piety. In fact, during the last sermon of Muslim’s Prophet, it is narrated in authentic chain that Muslim must abide to a ruler though the ruler is an Abyssinian slave as long as the ruler is pious and just. There is no difference between Arab and Non Arab because what matter most is piety.
f) This concept gives another dimension for Geography / Sociology subjects because Muslim basically reject the idea of Nationalism as Islam looks to the Muslims as one nation, not separated by these national identities which have been designed to cause disunity amongst the Muslims.
g) Islamic Curriculum will teach within the subjects teach at schools that the utmost priority is to becoming a slave to a Allah, rather than developing them being an Asian, an Arab, a Malaysian and whatever nation they are. It is not to belittle the identity of those who attend/receiving Islamic Education but importantly not to repeat the mistake of Secular education that produce the understanding of Western humanities that solely focus on Romanticized understanding, that others could be colonized, exploited for the sake and welfare of Western humanity. Social order that is established by Islamic Education is justice, to free human from any other deity/ god to worship One True God and it is not based on national chauvinists that can be God if fanaticism and loves towards the concept exist within human being.
Conclusion:
It is believed that Islamic curriculum is based upon reality as it deals directly in building up Islamic personality that is balanced, not just based on Hedonism that solely focus on life is mortal, so give it the best while you can but rather, Muslim believes the world that they live in now is a bridge to immortality and blissful life later. Islamic curriculum will reflect education for Muslims and that they must achieve excellence in the field of science and technology as well as others because the role of vicegerent is to develop this Earth. It is far for Muslim to accept that we are from apes as it will corrupt the philosophy of human life by being equated with animals.
Islamic curriculum will only be able to develop through a very complex process that is called Islamization of knowledge. I believe it is complex because mainly to develop Islamic Curriculum that comes from the Islamization of Secular Knowledge, the developers basically not just have extensive knowledge on Koran and the Tradition of The Prophet but must be very well versed with Scientific and Technological knowledge. The developers of Islamic Curriculum must also have extensive knowledge in comparing methodologies, terms in Islamic Education in order for them to be able to implement those into Secular Educations.
Personally, I am thinking that this is a long way to go as firstly, a proper theoretical framework needs to be developed by a team to lay out the foundation for the reform. Indeed, this will involve a proper planning and financial strengths as it will involve trial and error as well as experimentation and etc.
References:
1. Bucaille,Maurice (1976)The,Bible,The Qur’an and Science( Translated version of) La Bible,le Coran et le Science, Seghers Publishers,Cedex, Paris.
2. Al Faruqi, I.Raji (1982) Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life,International Insititute of Islamic Thought, Percetakan Polygraphic Sdn Bhd,Kuala Lumpur.
3. Chapra,M,Umer.(1992)Islam and the Economic Challenge,The Islamic Foundation,Leicester,UK.