English Medium Islamic School

Excerpt from Bakri Musa's blog on ENGLISH MEDIUM ISLAMIC SCHOOLS :

"Like IIU, these Islamic schools would use English as the medium of instruction, be open to all, and teach religious as well as “secular” subjects. These schools could be set up anywhere, not just in rural areas. Consequently they could be in major towns and thus be of sufficient size to offer a varied and rich curriculum.

In fact IIU already has its Islamic School, also using English as the medium of instruction. Unfortunately its curriculum and pedagogical philosophy are more madrasah-like, the antithesis of a modern educational institution even though the school prepares its students for the GCE “A” examination. The emphasis at that school is on students learning the rituals of Islam and memorizing the Quran. I would prefer that those be done outside the classroom.

The Islamic school I have in mind would be modeled after the many excellent Christian – in particular Catholic – schools in America. Their academic standing is such that they are the first choice for many non-Christians, including Muslims. These schools are first and foremost academic institutions, concerned primarily with education. They are interested in making their students better citizens, not on producing future priests or on proselytizing.

These schools regularly matriculate their students to highly competitive universities to become engineers and doctors. Only a tiny fraction, if any, would end up in the clergy. Likewise, my version of Islamic schools would produce Malaysia’s future scientists and scholars. These schools are not meant to produce converts to Islam or turn students into ulama.

There are now many such Islamic schools in America, and their number is rapidly growing such that the University of California, Irvine, currently offers a teachers’ credentialing certificate in Islamic Education. Ultimately these schools would lead to the establishment of an English-medium Islamic University modeled after and of the caliber of Georgetown. Meaning, they would offer solid liberal education in a rigorous academic environment but with an Islamic ambience, akin to the Catholicism of Georgetown."

Islamic education, to me, must start from the Quran itself. The first step is in memorizing the Quran and mastering Arabic (a duty upon all Muslims).

After mastering Arabic, the second level would be mastering Islamic sciences, such in Arabic. How else would one study the works and opinions of the great scholars without the words being lost in translation?

I agree on the importance of the English language in order to compete effectively and to be able to communicate ideas and even present Islam to others (as is our duty, despite some not relishing the idea of producing "pendakwah"). I also agree on the points about academic excellence, but one thing is sure, seeking knowledge in itself is an ibadah. So one does not need to call it "secular". Even the most madrassa-like (dirty word, eh? but not to moi) educational center like the University of Timbuktu in Mali. Their Islamic sciences include tafseer, hadith sciences, jurisprudence, mathematics, astronomy, geography. chemistry etc. (I do not know how advanced (or not) their syllabus is, but it goes to show that there isn't such a separation in Islam.

Dr Bakri's point that: "Science and mathematics would be taught as per the current understanding, and not as some presumed “Islamic” variant. The curriculum must include the performing arts, and the extracurricular programs robust and varied to include sports." does not sit well with me (performing arts? sports I can understand, and other extra curricular acitvities...but performing arts?).

South African Professor Yusef Waghid said at an International Conference on Islamic Education:

"The conceptual scheme of Islamic education:
Informed by the primary sources of Islamic education, the Qur'an and Hadth, Muslim scholars at the end of the third century identified several key concepts which ought to guide and shape Islamic education. These concepts, rich and sophisticated with nuance, include: ibd (creativity), adab ("proper place of things"), shr (collegiality), ijtihd (intellectual exertion), hikmah (wisdom), haqq (truth), adl (justice), ilm (knowledge), tadabbur (reflection) and mn (faith in fulfilling one's social responsibility).

In my view, these vital concepts are too often not accorded their central place in Islamic education practices. . It is the absence of adab from Islamic education practices that results in the bifurcation of knowledge into "traditional sciences" and "natural sciences", as if the "traditional sciences" were not scientific, and the "natural sciences"did not include the Divine element."

Read also: MADRASSAHS AND THE (IM)POSSIBILITY OF VIOLENT ACTION: YUSEF WAGHID