This document provides an overview of a session on spiritual and humanistic perspectives in materials development. It discusses two articles on designing English teaching materials from Islamic perspectives. It then outlines the instructor's experience developing nursery rhymes to teach body organs to young English learners, drawing inspiration from the Quran and other Islamic references. The rhymes emphasize viewing the body and its organs as divine gifts from God that should be appreciated and cared for properly.
This paper explores education opportunities for refugee girls in Jordan. It provides background on Jordan's education system and the influx of Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Case studies describe English lessons provided by an NGO to Syrian refugee families in Amman. However, the oldest daughter stopped lessons to marry at 15, highlighting risks of early marriage for refugee girls lacking education. The paper argues expanded secondary and vocational education for girls could empower them socially and economically.
This document discusses the history of education in the Indian subcontinent and the roles of the Deoband and Aligarh movements. It describes how the Deoband Madrassa was founded in 1866 to preserve Islamic education and culture amidst British reforms replacing traditional schools. It produced influential Islamic scholars and spread madrassas across the region. However, it excluded English, vital for opportunities. The Aligarh Movement was founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan to educate Muslims after the 1857 uprising, when the British oppressed Muslims. It aimed to combine Islamic and modern education to empower Muslims.
Madrassa (Islamic centers) Problems and solutions.Amir Ali Qureshi
Madrassas are religious schools that teach Islam, with an estimated 20,000 in Pakistan. They provide free education for poor students, teaching them to read and recite the Quran. However, extremism and sectarianism can grow in some madrassas' curriculum and culture. There are also reports of lack of oversight and even child abuse in some madrassas. Functionalists argue madrassas still serve an important function by providing education to many with few options, but critics call for reforms like compulsory registration and standardization to address these issues.
During the last decade, debates on the role of religion in the public space, migration, social cohesion and other issues have revealed increasing social tensions and polarisation in public opinion. Misperceptions and misinformation often dominate public dialogue about relations between Muslims and others. Although they don’t speak with the loudest voice, academics, scholars and thought leaders have a key role to play in helping to rebalance these debates by providing fact-based opinion and informed arguments. In the ‘Building a Shared Future’ series, these opinion leaders offer insights into the issues facing Muslims through American and European communities today.
In the decade since 9/11, the media and public opinion have propagated many misconceptions about Muslims and Islam, but there also exists great opportunity to use the media to correct them. This volume explores the representation of Islam in both the media and the public sphere.
The document provides an overview of the mudarsa education system in Pakistan. It discusses the history and origins of madrasas, noting that they have existed for centuries in the Islamic world and Pakistan. It describes the general characteristics of madrasas in Pakistan, including that there are over 12,000 registered madrasas, hosting around 1.7 million students. It also summarizes the central boards that oversee madrasas, the schooling system within madrasas, factors affecting madrasas, the role of gender, and funding sources.
Study about the intellectual and philosophical challenges faced byaism hafeez
Students today face various intellectual and philosophical challenges. These include religious fanaticism, Islamophobia, materialism, secularism influences on education. Historically, Muslim students flourished during the Islamic Golden Age but then declined due to colonialism. Western concepts like nationalism replaced Islamic transnationalism. Now, students must address these challenges through understanding the Quran and promoting moderate Islamic teachings of patience, mutual respect among cultures, and not judging all by the actions of a few. This research aims to identify challenges faced by secondary students and ways to resolve them based on Quranic guidance and scholarship.
ABSTRACT: Acquiring the knowledge to serve the people is the main theme of knowledge and Education in Muslim perspective. Historically this is rooted and integrated with knowledge and education. While Islamic education has been introduced all levels of education at present
time, its graduates are not satisfying the Muslims’ expectations in terms of achievement such as having a sense of complementing each other, ability to manage personal affairs as well as to manage the social and state affairs competently. This paper argues that this failure is the result of their intellectual poverty, and it will be resolved if the authority of contemporary Islamic education integrates Islamic epistemological views with the contents of education. This paper depicts history of emancipatory worldview of Islam to shape modern Muslims’
epistemological view. The conceptualization of this history is founded on the syntheses of the history of education of past Muslims, their practices of teaching and learning, goal of the Quran as a content of education, prophet’s services towards his fellow people. Therefore, in order to empower the Muslim learners with the capacity to emancipate the human, this paper suggests looking back to the history. Then only Muslims will succeed to benefit the world otherwise they may fail to do so. The history that is discussed here will affect the attitude of Muslim learners to other contemporary civilizations, teaching learning practice.
While emancipatory worldview is quite a sociological subject matter in order to model it, this paper explains from the history, the Quran’s illustrations regarding role and position of Muslims in this world, prophet’s manner as an educationist, value system rooted in Muslim contents, and foundation of Muslim education. This paper finds that the emancipatory worldview can be propelled among the Muslims if the current pedagogy acts as a moderator
between the content and the history.
History of emancipatory worldview of muslim learnersTareq Zayed
This document summarizes a paper on the history of the emancipatory worldview of Muslim learners. It argues that current Islamic education is failing to empower graduates with the ability to serve society and manage social and state affairs competently. This is due to a lack of integrating Islamic epistemological views with educational content. The paper depicts the emancipatory worldview of early Muslims, which was based on integrating religious and conventional knowledge and instilling values of service and solidarity. It suggests looking back to how Muslim scholars and leaders worked together in the past to build successful civilizations through knowledge, in order to empower modern Muslim learners to benefit the world.
This paper explores education opportunities for refugee girls in Jordan. It provides background on Jordan's education system and the influx of Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Case studies describe English lessons provided by an NGO to Syrian refugee families in Amman. However, the oldest daughter stopped lessons to marry at 15, highlighting risks of early marriage for refugee girls lacking education. The paper argues expanded secondary and vocational education for girls could empower them socially and economically.
This document discusses the history of education in the Indian subcontinent and the roles of the Deoband and Aligarh movements. It describes how the Deoband Madrassa was founded in 1866 to preserve Islamic education and culture amidst British reforms replacing traditional schools. It produced influential Islamic scholars and spread madrassas across the region. However, it excluded English, vital for opportunities. The Aligarh Movement was founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan to educate Muslims after the 1857 uprising, when the British oppressed Muslims. It aimed to combine Islamic and modern education to empower Muslims.
Madrassa (Islamic centers) Problems and solutions.Amir Ali Qureshi
Madrassas are religious schools that teach Islam, with an estimated 20,000 in Pakistan. They provide free education for poor students, teaching them to read and recite the Quran. However, extremism and sectarianism can grow in some madrassas' curriculum and culture. There are also reports of lack of oversight and even child abuse in some madrassas. Functionalists argue madrassas still serve an important function by providing education to many with few options, but critics call for reforms like compulsory registration and standardization to address these issues.
During the last decade, debates on the role of religion in the public space, migration, social cohesion and other issues have revealed increasing social tensions and polarisation in public opinion. Misperceptions and misinformation often dominate public dialogue about relations between Muslims and others. Although they don’t speak with the loudest voice, academics, scholars and thought leaders have a key role to play in helping to rebalance these debates by providing fact-based opinion and informed arguments. In the ‘Building a Shared Future’ series, these opinion leaders offer insights into the issues facing Muslims through American and European communities today.
In the decade since 9/11, the media and public opinion have propagated many misconceptions about Muslims and Islam, but there also exists great opportunity to use the media to correct them. This volume explores the representation of Islam in both the media and the public sphere.
The document provides an overview of the mudarsa education system in Pakistan. It discusses the history and origins of madrasas, noting that they have existed for centuries in the Islamic world and Pakistan. It describes the general characteristics of madrasas in Pakistan, including that there are over 12,000 registered madrasas, hosting around 1.7 million students. It also summarizes the central boards that oversee madrasas, the schooling system within madrasas, factors affecting madrasas, the role of gender, and funding sources.
Study about the intellectual and philosophical challenges faced byaism hafeez
Students today face various intellectual and philosophical challenges. These include religious fanaticism, Islamophobia, materialism, secularism influences on education. Historically, Muslim students flourished during the Islamic Golden Age but then declined due to colonialism. Western concepts like nationalism replaced Islamic transnationalism. Now, students must address these challenges through understanding the Quran and promoting moderate Islamic teachings of patience, mutual respect among cultures, and not judging all by the actions of a few. This research aims to identify challenges faced by secondary students and ways to resolve them based on Quranic guidance and scholarship.
ABSTRACT: Acquiring the knowledge to serve the people is the main theme of knowledge and Education in Muslim perspective. Historically this is rooted and integrated with knowledge and education. While Islamic education has been introduced all levels of education at present
time, its graduates are not satisfying the Muslims’ expectations in terms of achievement such as having a sense of complementing each other, ability to manage personal affairs as well as to manage the social and state affairs competently. This paper argues that this failure is the result of their intellectual poverty, and it will be resolved if the authority of contemporary Islamic education integrates Islamic epistemological views with the contents of education. This paper depicts history of emancipatory worldview of Islam to shape modern Muslims’
epistemological view. The conceptualization of this history is founded on the syntheses of the history of education of past Muslims, their practices of teaching and learning, goal of the Quran as a content of education, prophet’s services towards his fellow people. Therefore, in order to empower the Muslim learners with the capacity to emancipate the human, this paper suggests looking back to the history. Then only Muslims will succeed to benefit the world otherwise they may fail to do so. The history that is discussed here will affect the attitude of Muslim learners to other contemporary civilizations, teaching learning practice.
While emancipatory worldview is quite a sociological subject matter in order to model it, this paper explains from the history, the Quran’s illustrations regarding role and position of Muslims in this world, prophet’s manner as an educationist, value system rooted in Muslim contents, and foundation of Muslim education. This paper finds that the emancipatory worldview can be propelled among the Muslims if the current pedagogy acts as a moderator
between the content and the history.
History of emancipatory worldview of muslim learnersTareq Zayed
This document summarizes a paper on the history of the emancipatory worldview of Muslim learners. It argues that current Islamic education is failing to empower graduates with the ability to serve society and manage social and state affairs competently. This is due to a lack of integrating Islamic epistemological views with educational content. The paper depicts the emancipatory worldview of early Muslims, which was based on integrating religious and conventional knowledge and instilling values of service and solidarity. It suggests looking back to how Muslim scholars and leaders worked together in the past to build successful civilizations through knowledge, in order to empower modern Muslim learners to benefit the world.
This resource provides teachers with guidance on embracing cultural diversity in primary education. It begins with an introduction that defines cultural diversity and the purpose of the resource. It then presents a scenario about a classroom with culturally diverse students and describes issues that arose. Specifically, it discusses how cultural relocation can affect students' learning, the importance of an effective curriculum that embraces diversity, and how children's ideologies can be influenced by important relationships. Finally, it proposes two defensible strategies for teachers - open classroom discussions to challenge stereotypes and creating culturally inclusive learning environments. It links these strategies to principles of the Australian curriculum. The overall summary is that the resource alerts teachers to issues of cultural diversity, provides analysis to understand these issues,
The CSRCS at Elon University promotes interdisciplinary study of religion, culture, and society. In 2014-15, the center convened discussions on prominent global religious issues, including the conflicts in Israel/Gaza, the rise of ISIS, and global refugee crises. Events explored the complex political and religious roots of these issues through panels of experts, including officials from the Syrian opposition coalition. The center aims to foster understanding of religion's role in society through rigorous intellectual programs and dialogue.
Globalization and its Impact on Education and Cultur (journal paper)Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
In the history of Islam, the fall of Baghdad in 1258 indicates the decline of the Islamic empires.
The fall of the empires also marked the fall of the Islamic civilization and intellectualism. As the Islamic empires
fell one after another, starting with Baghdad, this left the Muslims in a pathetic condition, hardly able to regain
the prestigious position once they held on the world stage. The internal conflicts within the Ummah, also in a
way failed them in making any significant contribution during the great Industrial Revolution that happened
in the West. After that, Western colonization of Muslim lands, to some extent deprived them the success of
reconstructing and regaining the great civilization once they had during their heydays. Ever since the fall of
Baghdad,the Muslims are constantly bombarded with challenges they have to face in maintaining their faith,
culture and heritage. In modern times, after their independence, one of the serious problems they have to face is globalization. Globalization which started sometime ago is an ongoing thing that cannot be stopped. It is a
multifaceted phenomenon which ramifies into all areas of the human life. Since the idea of globalization is a
thing that comes from the rich and affluent countries of the West, many in the developing and third world
countries welcome it with much delight as it offers them a great deal in terms of capital flow which promises
prosperity.Others perceive it with a doubtful and skeptical attitude by questioning as to what are the hidden
agendas of globalization. To them, globalization is a new agenda of the West to re-colonize the East. It is seen
as a new approach of how the Western hegemony can be imposed on the political, economic, social, cultural
and other aspects of the people in the East, particularly in the Muslim world. In the light of the present world
scenario,this paper intends to explore what globalization is all about, what sort of impact it has on the Islamic
civilization, very particularly in the areas of education and culture. Since globalization is irreversible, the paper
also aims at discussing on how the Muslim countries should strategize in facing the ferocious onslaught of
the tidal waves of globalization that have touched their shores.
Education involves facilitating learning and acquiring knowledge, skills, and habits through both formal and informal means. Formal education is commonly divided into stages such as preschool/kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, and college/university. A right to education has been recognized in many places. Education aims to teach both practical skills and social values from one generation to the next.
A christian response to the right to educationOpenSpace
The document discusses the historical role of Christianity in promoting education and sharing of knowledge. It notes that Christianity helped democratize knowledge by translating the Bible and other texts into local languages and establishing schools. This opened up education beyond the elite. However, over time Christian schools lost their focus on values and came to mirror mainstream exclusionary practices. The RTE Act is seen as another opportunity to continue Christianity's pioneering role in promoting inclusion and universal access to education.
This document provides an overview of the historical use and experiences of indigenous boarding schools around the world. It discusses that boarding schools were generally used to assimilate indigenous children into dominant societies by separating them from their families and cultures. It describes how boarding schools operated in different regions, including North America, Central/South America, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Russia, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Overall, the document analyzes the common goal of assimilation but also acknowledges there was diversity in how boarding school policies were implemented for indigenous groups in different nation-states.
The document summarizes a study on the practices of Muslim pupils attending a public primary school in Metro Manila. The study found that Muslim pupils maintained a strong cultural identity and social solidarity with other Muslim students. They preferred to associate with fellow Muslims over non-Muslim students. However, Muslim pupils also valued education highly and saw it as important for helping their families and future employment opportunities. While maintaining their cultural practices, the Muslim students accommodated the mainstream school culture by conforming to academic expectations.
This document summarizes the keynote speech given by Ambassador Hussein Hassouna at the Fourth Annual Global Perspectives on Literacy Forum. In his speech, Ambassador Hassouna emphasized the importance of literacy and education in addressing today's global challenges such as poverty, conflict, extremism, and environmental issues. He noted that education opens minds, fosters tolerance, and helps people understand different perspectives. Ambassador Hassouna also discussed the importance of education in Arab and Muslim tradition, citing references from the Quran and statements by the Prophet Muhammad and Egyptian philosopher Taha Hussein. He highlighted the historical contributions of Arab culture to fields like mathematics, science, and language.
Islam seeks to develop the human minds to a total submission to Allah the
Almighty. Through its divine guidance, the Qur’an ushered a large section of
the masses in Arabia from the darkness of ignorance into knowledge and
enlightenment of their souls. Islam grew from a humble beginning into a
mighty civilizational force. Islamic civilization like all other civilizations,
started to decline after reaching its pinnacle of success. Ever since the fall of
Baghdad in 1258, the Muslim world has been confronted with endless
problems in all fields of life. Colonization of Muslim lands by the West had
created the knowledge and technological gap between them and their
colonizers. Being subjected to colonization, neo-colonization, and now
globalization, Muslims are lagging behind other communities of the world. The
Muslim minds which once came up with great ideas, discoveries, innovation
and inventions, at the moment somehow become less prolific, and experiencing
a state of lethargy and malaise. In realizing the great challenges faced by the
Muslims in the modern world, this research intends to re-visit Iqbal’s ideas to
remedy the awful situations experienced by the Ummah.
The document summarizes an honors graduate program event at the University of Sydney. It provides biographies of 5 student speakers who presented on their honors thesis topics related to government and international relations. The topics included food policy in Indonesia, the impact of class on education transitions in Australia, Bolivia's decolonization process, Israeli religious settlers, and the efficacy of US drone strikes. It also provides information about the university's department of government and international relations and acknowledges contributions to the event.
The document discusses research into how international students develop information literacy in a new academic setting. It finds that students face various risks like legal issues and financial pressures. Students mitigate these risks by practicing information literacy, like calibrating which areas are safe and repositioning themselves to avoid hostility. Information literacy helps students negotiate their transition by mediating social interactions and activities within the new environment. The implications suggest designing support with a focus on students' transition, negotiation of information, and development of social connections.
This document provides an overview of publicly funded Islamic education programs in 9 Western countries. It finds that approaches vary significantly based on each country's political and historical context. Some countries like Germany and Austria offer Islamic religious education in public schools, while others like the UK and Sweden teach about Islam academically. France and the US do not provide religious education in schools. Despite differences, the document recommends 3 good practices: 1) high academic standards for teacher training programs, 2) fact-based textbooks, and 3) international exchange to improve practices. Publicly funded Islamic education lies at the intersection of debates around religious freedom, integration, and countering Islamophobia.
The Rich Tapestry of Islamic Learning: Tradition, Scholarship, and Contempora...faizalkhan1393
Islamic learning is an expansive realm of knowledge that transcends time and place, encompassing a diverse array of disciplines, methodologies, and perspectives. At its core lies a rich tapestry woven from threads of tradition, scholarship, and contemporary insights, each contributing to a deeper understanding of Islam and its multifaceted dimensions.
curriculum and Islamic values2 The impact of the linguisti.docxdorishigh
curriculum and Islamic values 2
The impact of the linguistic hegemony of English on the Islamic values of English text books in
Saudi Arabia: evaluating the content of English textbooks of secondary stage (Super Goal 6).
Mona Al-Qahtani
Thesis Proposal (December 13, 2018)
University of King Khalid University, Dept. of Applied Linguistics, Languages and Translation
curriculum and Islamic values
curriculum and Islamic values
Abstract
This paper attempts to propose ways to merge Islamic values in English textbooks and teaching methods in the secondary stage. These values include: optimizing the use of instructional materials to contain Islamic values, as well as preparing teachers to be with multiple efficiencies. Furthermore, this paper includes the teaching of English materials in a context that is compatible with Islamic objectives. By doing so, Saudi Students can maintain their Islamic identity and values. Moreover, this integration of Islamic teachings in textbooks would protect students of the split personalities that occur when Muslim youths learn English from textbooks that are heavily full of Western values. Simultaneously, Saudi Students in youth age will have English competence as a fort fortified to encounter their future.
1 Introduction
One day, I had a class titled as "They said, we said" and the lesson was designed inappropriately for Muslim students. In the coursework, there were pictures representing a group of people in a coffee shop named "The gossip café". In the picture, the group of people is shown talking and laughing in an inappropriate way. When I wanted to extract the Islamic aspects in the picture, I felt that there was something wrong. Nevertheless, I continued talking to my students about backbiting. I said that we should not listen to what others say about people, as it is extremely against the teachings of our religion. However, a student named Ahlam stopped me and said that this thing is being done mostly by all students, and she thought it is normal because everyone has the right to talk freely about whomever he/she wants. A year after the incident took place, I had been admitted to complete a Master’s degree. In one of his classes, professor Abdullah asked us a question "What is the role of you as English student to serve Islam?" at the same time, I remembered my student, Ahlam, who was the main rational reason to select this topic. My reasoning for this quick memory was an entrance to this research.
As Kachru's divided (1985, 1992),Saudi Arabia is considered one of the Expanding Circle countries where English is used as a foreign language. Saudi Arabia devoted great attention to English teaching and training. However, such efforts faced enormous resistance by people in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who think that English is still carrying Judeo-Christian values and Western beliefs(Karmani, 2005a; b; c as cited in Alshammari,2015,366).Therefore, Ratnawati (2005) said that one of the point convergence.
This document is a presentation by Laiba Yaseen on the topic of World Englishes focusing on power, ideology and identity. It discusses several key concepts related to the global spread of the English language including linguistic imperialism, cultural politics, the ideological bases of applied linguistics, and strategies used in post-colonial contexts such as discursive appropriation, avoidance, reinterpretation, and accommodation. The presentation covers theorists like Robert Phillipson who analyzed linguistic imperialism, and Tomlinson who identified four approaches to analyzing cultural politics.
This document summarizes the evolution of Islamic studies as a discipline in both Muslim-majority and Western contexts. It discusses how Islamic studies was traditionally focused on transmitted religious texts and principles in Muslim lands, while taking a more external perspective in the West. Over time, both approaches have evolved, with Western universities incorporating more social science perspectives and Muslim universities introducing more modern subjects, though imbalances remain. The document also traces the historical development of Islamic education institutions from early informal settings to formalized schools and universities under successive Islamic empires.
Critical Literacy and Second Language Learning discusses two major approaches to critical teaching of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL): critical pedagogy and critical text analysis. Critical pedagogy focuses on empowering students and transforming unequal social relations through dialogue and curriculum focused on learners' experiences. Critical text analysis examines how power relations are represented in various texts and media to develop students' ability to critique and produce alternative texts. The document outlines the development of these approaches and their goals of promoting educational equity and inclusion for linguistic and cultural minorities.
Curriculum, history and elements of curriculumUmair Ashraf
The document defines curriculum in several ways and discusses its history and key elements. It provides definitions from various perspectives, such as curriculum being all planned learning, the totality of a student's experiences, or a set of subjects. The history of curriculum development in the US is reviewed from colonial times through the 20th century. Basic elements of curriculum are outlined as having components like subject matter, instructional plans, goals and objectives.
This study aims to recognize effectiveness methods of teaching skills in primary school in English , the researcher used the numbered heads together strategy as an effective method in education skills, the researcher used an experimental design with two groups (control group and experiment group), with a post-test for the achievement of Al-Khamaal Primary school , Fifth class , The sample of the study consisted of (60) pupils at Al-Khamaal Primary school in English, for the academic year (2018-2019). The researcher equaled the two research groups statistically by ( age by months, the marks of the last year, the achievement of the parents), so there were no statistical significance between the two groups in variables. The researcher used a test to collect data. The analysis of the data showed that the numbered heads together strategy has a great effect in teaching skills at primary schools. At the end of this study, the researcher presented some recommendations. These recommendations that focus on paying more attention to the learning strategies that used to improve educational process, moreover, teacher at primary schools should use effective strategies and effective methods in teaching skills.
A Critic of the Orientalist Approaches Towards Islamicjerusalemislamicjerusalem
This document provides a critical analysis of Orientalist approaches towards Islamic Jerusalem. It discusses how some Orientalist and Israeli scholars have propagated religious and political agendas that distort the historical understanding of Islamic Jerusalem.
The document examines claims made by some Orientalists that cast doubt on Muslim sources and deny the significance of Umar ibn al-Khattab's visit to Jerusalem in 637 CE. It argues these approaches aim to undermine the importance of Jerusalem in Islam for political reasons. However, other scholars have affirmed the reliability of Muslim accounts and accepted Umar's visit as a documented historical event.
The author aims to highlight the religious and political biases within Orientalist works. Recognizing these biases is important for countering
Aquest es el resultat del treball del Georg Eckert Institute. Amb la Cristina M. vàrem fer una primera aproximació al tema l'any 2006, en un dels primers tallers que organitzà l'Insititut.
This document discusses the Islamization of knowledge movement and its importance for Muslim intellectuals and schools. It argues that while many Muslim schools in Nigeria have added Islamic studies and Arabic to their curriculum, they have not fully grasped the intent of Islamizing all aspects of the curriculum. The document then examines what a fully Islamized curriculum would look like for Islamic nursery schools in Nigeria, ensuring that all programs of study, activities and guidance have an Islamic perspective and do not lose the children's Islamic identity.
This resource provides teachers with guidance on embracing cultural diversity in primary education. It begins with an introduction that defines cultural diversity and the purpose of the resource. It then presents a scenario about a classroom with culturally diverse students and describes issues that arose. Specifically, it discusses how cultural relocation can affect students' learning, the importance of an effective curriculum that embraces diversity, and how children's ideologies can be influenced by important relationships. Finally, it proposes two defensible strategies for teachers - open classroom discussions to challenge stereotypes and creating culturally inclusive learning environments. It links these strategies to principles of the Australian curriculum. The overall summary is that the resource alerts teachers to issues of cultural diversity, provides analysis to understand these issues,
The CSRCS at Elon University promotes interdisciplinary study of religion, culture, and society. In 2014-15, the center convened discussions on prominent global religious issues, including the conflicts in Israel/Gaza, the rise of ISIS, and global refugee crises. Events explored the complex political and religious roots of these issues through panels of experts, including officials from the Syrian opposition coalition. The center aims to foster understanding of religion's role in society through rigorous intellectual programs and dialogue.
Globalization and its Impact on Education and Cultur (journal paper)Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
In the history of Islam, the fall of Baghdad in 1258 indicates the decline of the Islamic empires.
The fall of the empires also marked the fall of the Islamic civilization and intellectualism. As the Islamic empires
fell one after another, starting with Baghdad, this left the Muslims in a pathetic condition, hardly able to regain
the prestigious position once they held on the world stage. The internal conflicts within the Ummah, also in a
way failed them in making any significant contribution during the great Industrial Revolution that happened
in the West. After that, Western colonization of Muslim lands, to some extent deprived them the success of
reconstructing and regaining the great civilization once they had during their heydays. Ever since the fall of
Baghdad,the Muslims are constantly bombarded with challenges they have to face in maintaining their faith,
culture and heritage. In modern times, after their independence, one of the serious problems they have to face is globalization. Globalization which started sometime ago is an ongoing thing that cannot be stopped. It is a
multifaceted phenomenon which ramifies into all areas of the human life. Since the idea of globalization is a
thing that comes from the rich and affluent countries of the West, many in the developing and third world
countries welcome it with much delight as it offers them a great deal in terms of capital flow which promises
prosperity.Others perceive it with a doubtful and skeptical attitude by questioning as to what are the hidden
agendas of globalization. To them, globalization is a new agenda of the West to re-colonize the East. It is seen
as a new approach of how the Western hegemony can be imposed on the political, economic, social, cultural
and other aspects of the people in the East, particularly in the Muslim world. In the light of the present world
scenario,this paper intends to explore what globalization is all about, what sort of impact it has on the Islamic
civilization, very particularly in the areas of education and culture. Since globalization is irreversible, the paper
also aims at discussing on how the Muslim countries should strategize in facing the ferocious onslaught of
the tidal waves of globalization that have touched their shores.
Education involves facilitating learning and acquiring knowledge, skills, and habits through both formal and informal means. Formal education is commonly divided into stages such as preschool/kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, and college/university. A right to education has been recognized in many places. Education aims to teach both practical skills and social values from one generation to the next.
A christian response to the right to educationOpenSpace
The document discusses the historical role of Christianity in promoting education and sharing of knowledge. It notes that Christianity helped democratize knowledge by translating the Bible and other texts into local languages and establishing schools. This opened up education beyond the elite. However, over time Christian schools lost their focus on values and came to mirror mainstream exclusionary practices. The RTE Act is seen as another opportunity to continue Christianity's pioneering role in promoting inclusion and universal access to education.
This document provides an overview of the historical use and experiences of indigenous boarding schools around the world. It discusses that boarding schools were generally used to assimilate indigenous children into dominant societies by separating them from their families and cultures. It describes how boarding schools operated in different regions, including North America, Central/South America, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Russia, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Overall, the document analyzes the common goal of assimilation but also acknowledges there was diversity in how boarding school policies were implemented for indigenous groups in different nation-states.
The document summarizes a study on the practices of Muslim pupils attending a public primary school in Metro Manila. The study found that Muslim pupils maintained a strong cultural identity and social solidarity with other Muslim students. They preferred to associate with fellow Muslims over non-Muslim students. However, Muslim pupils also valued education highly and saw it as important for helping their families and future employment opportunities. While maintaining their cultural practices, the Muslim students accommodated the mainstream school culture by conforming to academic expectations.
This document summarizes the keynote speech given by Ambassador Hussein Hassouna at the Fourth Annual Global Perspectives on Literacy Forum. In his speech, Ambassador Hassouna emphasized the importance of literacy and education in addressing today's global challenges such as poverty, conflict, extremism, and environmental issues. He noted that education opens minds, fosters tolerance, and helps people understand different perspectives. Ambassador Hassouna also discussed the importance of education in Arab and Muslim tradition, citing references from the Quran and statements by the Prophet Muhammad and Egyptian philosopher Taha Hussein. He highlighted the historical contributions of Arab culture to fields like mathematics, science, and language.
Islam seeks to develop the human minds to a total submission to Allah the
Almighty. Through its divine guidance, the Qur’an ushered a large section of
the masses in Arabia from the darkness of ignorance into knowledge and
enlightenment of their souls. Islam grew from a humble beginning into a
mighty civilizational force. Islamic civilization like all other civilizations,
started to decline after reaching its pinnacle of success. Ever since the fall of
Baghdad in 1258, the Muslim world has been confronted with endless
problems in all fields of life. Colonization of Muslim lands by the West had
created the knowledge and technological gap between them and their
colonizers. Being subjected to colonization, neo-colonization, and now
globalization, Muslims are lagging behind other communities of the world. The
Muslim minds which once came up with great ideas, discoveries, innovation
and inventions, at the moment somehow become less prolific, and experiencing
a state of lethargy and malaise. In realizing the great challenges faced by the
Muslims in the modern world, this research intends to re-visit Iqbal’s ideas to
remedy the awful situations experienced by the Ummah.
The document summarizes an honors graduate program event at the University of Sydney. It provides biographies of 5 student speakers who presented on their honors thesis topics related to government and international relations. The topics included food policy in Indonesia, the impact of class on education transitions in Australia, Bolivia's decolonization process, Israeli religious settlers, and the efficacy of US drone strikes. It also provides information about the university's department of government and international relations and acknowledges contributions to the event.
The document discusses research into how international students develop information literacy in a new academic setting. It finds that students face various risks like legal issues and financial pressures. Students mitigate these risks by practicing information literacy, like calibrating which areas are safe and repositioning themselves to avoid hostility. Information literacy helps students negotiate their transition by mediating social interactions and activities within the new environment. The implications suggest designing support with a focus on students' transition, negotiation of information, and development of social connections.
This document provides an overview of publicly funded Islamic education programs in 9 Western countries. It finds that approaches vary significantly based on each country's political and historical context. Some countries like Germany and Austria offer Islamic religious education in public schools, while others like the UK and Sweden teach about Islam academically. France and the US do not provide religious education in schools. Despite differences, the document recommends 3 good practices: 1) high academic standards for teacher training programs, 2) fact-based textbooks, and 3) international exchange to improve practices. Publicly funded Islamic education lies at the intersection of debates around religious freedom, integration, and countering Islamophobia.
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Islamic learning is an expansive realm of knowledge that transcends time and place, encompassing a diverse array of disciplines, methodologies, and perspectives. At its core lies a rich tapestry woven from threads of tradition, scholarship, and contemporary insights, each contributing to a deeper understanding of Islam and its multifaceted dimensions.
curriculum and Islamic values2 The impact of the linguisti.docxdorishigh
curriculum and Islamic values 2
The impact of the linguistic hegemony of English on the Islamic values of English text books in
Saudi Arabia: evaluating the content of English textbooks of secondary stage (Super Goal 6).
Mona Al-Qahtani
Thesis Proposal (December 13, 2018)
University of King Khalid University, Dept. of Applied Linguistics, Languages and Translation
curriculum and Islamic values
curriculum and Islamic values
Abstract
This paper attempts to propose ways to merge Islamic values in English textbooks and teaching methods in the secondary stage. These values include: optimizing the use of instructional materials to contain Islamic values, as well as preparing teachers to be with multiple efficiencies. Furthermore, this paper includes the teaching of English materials in a context that is compatible with Islamic objectives. By doing so, Saudi Students can maintain their Islamic identity and values. Moreover, this integration of Islamic teachings in textbooks would protect students of the split personalities that occur when Muslim youths learn English from textbooks that are heavily full of Western values. Simultaneously, Saudi Students in youth age will have English competence as a fort fortified to encounter their future.
1 Introduction
One day, I had a class titled as "They said, we said" and the lesson was designed inappropriately for Muslim students. In the coursework, there were pictures representing a group of people in a coffee shop named "The gossip café". In the picture, the group of people is shown talking and laughing in an inappropriate way. When I wanted to extract the Islamic aspects in the picture, I felt that there was something wrong. Nevertheless, I continued talking to my students about backbiting. I said that we should not listen to what others say about people, as it is extremely against the teachings of our religion. However, a student named Ahlam stopped me and said that this thing is being done mostly by all students, and she thought it is normal because everyone has the right to talk freely about whomever he/she wants. A year after the incident took place, I had been admitted to complete a Master’s degree. In one of his classes, professor Abdullah asked us a question "What is the role of you as English student to serve Islam?" at the same time, I remembered my student, Ahlam, who was the main rational reason to select this topic. My reasoning for this quick memory was an entrance to this research.
As Kachru's divided (1985, 1992),Saudi Arabia is considered one of the Expanding Circle countries where English is used as a foreign language. Saudi Arabia devoted great attention to English teaching and training. However, such efforts faced enormous resistance by people in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who think that English is still carrying Judeo-Christian values and Western beliefs(Karmani, 2005a; b; c as cited in Alshammari,2015,366).Therefore, Ratnawati (2005) said that one of the point convergence.
This document is a presentation by Laiba Yaseen on the topic of World Englishes focusing on power, ideology and identity. It discusses several key concepts related to the global spread of the English language including linguistic imperialism, cultural politics, the ideological bases of applied linguistics, and strategies used in post-colonial contexts such as discursive appropriation, avoidance, reinterpretation, and accommodation. The presentation covers theorists like Robert Phillipson who analyzed linguistic imperialism, and Tomlinson who identified four approaches to analyzing cultural politics.
This document summarizes the evolution of Islamic studies as a discipline in both Muslim-majority and Western contexts. It discusses how Islamic studies was traditionally focused on transmitted religious texts and principles in Muslim lands, while taking a more external perspective in the West. Over time, both approaches have evolved, with Western universities incorporating more social science perspectives and Muslim universities introducing more modern subjects, though imbalances remain. The document also traces the historical development of Islamic education institutions from early informal settings to formalized schools and universities under successive Islamic empires.
Critical Literacy and Second Language Learning discusses two major approaches to critical teaching of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL): critical pedagogy and critical text analysis. Critical pedagogy focuses on empowering students and transforming unequal social relations through dialogue and curriculum focused on learners' experiences. Critical text analysis examines how power relations are represented in various texts and media to develop students' ability to critique and produce alternative texts. The document outlines the development of these approaches and their goals of promoting educational equity and inclusion for linguistic and cultural minorities.
Curriculum, history and elements of curriculumUmair Ashraf
The document defines curriculum in several ways and discusses its history and key elements. It provides definitions from various perspectives, such as curriculum being all planned learning, the totality of a student's experiences, or a set of subjects. The history of curriculum development in the US is reviewed from colonial times through the 20th century. Basic elements of curriculum are outlined as having components like subject matter, instructional plans, goals and objectives.
This study aims to recognize effectiveness methods of teaching skills in primary school in English , the researcher used the numbered heads together strategy as an effective method in education skills, the researcher used an experimental design with two groups (control group and experiment group), with a post-test for the achievement of Al-Khamaal Primary school , Fifth class , The sample of the study consisted of (60) pupils at Al-Khamaal Primary school in English, for the academic year (2018-2019). The researcher equaled the two research groups statistically by ( age by months, the marks of the last year, the achievement of the parents), so there were no statistical significance between the two groups in variables. The researcher used a test to collect data. The analysis of the data showed that the numbered heads together strategy has a great effect in teaching skills at primary schools. At the end of this study, the researcher presented some recommendations. These recommendations that focus on paying more attention to the learning strategies that used to improve educational process, moreover, teacher at primary schools should use effective strategies and effective methods in teaching skills.
A Critic of the Orientalist Approaches Towards Islamicjerusalemislamicjerusalem
This document provides a critical analysis of Orientalist approaches towards Islamic Jerusalem. It discusses how some Orientalist and Israeli scholars have propagated religious and political agendas that distort the historical understanding of Islamic Jerusalem.
The document examines claims made by some Orientalists that cast doubt on Muslim sources and deny the significance of Umar ibn al-Khattab's visit to Jerusalem in 637 CE. It argues these approaches aim to undermine the importance of Jerusalem in Islam for political reasons. However, other scholars have affirmed the reliability of Muslim accounts and accepted Umar's visit as a documented historical event.
The author aims to highlight the religious and political biases within Orientalist works. Recognizing these biases is important for countering
Aquest es el resultat del treball del Georg Eckert Institute. Amb la Cristina M. vàrem fer una primera aproximació al tema l'any 2006, en un dels primers tallers que organitzà l'Insititut.
This document discusses the Islamization of knowledge movement and its importance for Muslim intellectuals and schools. It argues that while many Muslim schools in Nigeria have added Islamic studies and Arabic to their curriculum, they have not fully grasped the intent of Islamizing all aspects of the curriculum. The document then examines what a fully Islamized curriculum would look like for Islamic nursery schools in Nigeria, ensuring that all programs of study, activities and guidance have an Islamic perspective and do not lose the children's Islamic identity.
English as an islamic language ahmar mehboobImran Nawaz
This document summarizes a study exploring how English is used in Pakistan and how it reflects Islamic values and South Asian Islamic sensibilities. It provides historical context on the introduction and spread of English in the region under British colonial rule. It then analyzes linguistic evidence showing how Pakistani English has developed with a distinct Pakistani Islamic character. Examples of English reflecting Islamic concepts and norms are given. The political debates around English in Pakistan and periods of both promoting and restricting its use are also summarized.
Volansky the israeli education system (english 22007)Daryll Dumz
This document provides an overview of the Israeli education system. It discusses the complex demographic and political backdrop in which the education system operates, including absorbing immigrant populations and socioeconomic disparities. The summary highlights:
1) The Israeli education system serves a diverse population of over 7 million people from various religious and ethnic backgrounds, and must operate within the geopolitical tensions of the Middle East.
2) The education system has undergone reforms over time, shifting from a uniform curriculum focused on social cohesion to a more individualized approach emphasizing differences in student needs.
3) Early childhood education enrollment has expanded significantly through government subsidies, though debates continue around curriculum standards versus a more relaxed pedagogy.
This document provides information about publications from the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC). It includes details about AKU-ISMC's publication series, books, ordering information, and the mission and research focuses of the Institute. Some of the key publication series highlighted are "In Translation: Modern Muslim Thinkers" which translates important works from Muslim scholars, and "Between Message and History" which examines the development of Islam from its core message to its institutionalization.
Islamic education a brief history of madrassas with islamic ...sugeladi
The document provides a history of Madrassas (Islamic religious schools) and discusses their structure, curriculum, and pedagogy. It notes that Madrassas originated in the 11th century to standardize Islamic teachings as the religion expanded. Originally they taught both religious and secular subjects, but their focus shifted primarily to religious topics after periods of decline. The structures and curricula of Madrassas vary significantly between regions such as West Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Pakistani Madrassas in particular have close political ties and some have been associated with radical teachings.
The Journey of Learning Quran in America_ Embracing Faith and Cultivating Und...elmadrasah
In the diverse and multicultural landscape of America, individuals from various backgrounds are embarking on a transformative journey of learning the Quran. While the United States is home to people of different faiths, cultures, and traditions, the pursuit of knowledge and understanding is a common thread that unites communities. This article explores the unique experiences and challenges faced by those seeking to learn and deepen their understanding of the Quran in America.
Exercising Eco-Linguistic Approach in Teaching English: Proposed Conventions for TESOL/TEFL Pedagogy
Dr. Elena Shelestyuk, Chelyabinsk State University, Russia
The linguistic ecology approach to teaching a language entails the preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity. To be legitimized as an international auxiliary language (IAL) for world communication, English should …
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Call for Papers/Ahwaz Conference
Academics and university lecturers are cordially invited to present their research in English, Arabic or Persian:
The Fourth Annual International Conference on Languages, Linguistics, Translation and Literature
Ahwaz, Iran
1-2 February 2020
For more information, please visit the conference website:
WWW.LLLD.IR
CHALLENGES FACED BY STUDENT AFFAIRS PRACTITIONERS IN EMBEDDING INDIGENOUS KNO...ijejournal
The drive to mainstream indigenous knowledge into student leadership development in Zimbabwean higher education has recently gained currency. Student leadership development has a Eurocentric historical background and it has continued on this paradigm in the post-independence era. Framed on decolonial theoretical framework this study interrogates the challenges that are faced by student affairs practitioners in their efforts to include indigenous epistemologies into student leadership development programmes. The research was designed as a case study that employed qualitative methods of data collection and analysis focussing on student development practice at three state universities in Zimbabwe namely Bindura University of Science Education, Chinhoyi University of Science Education and Great Zimbabwe University. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with student Affairs practitioners and analysed through NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Research findings indicate that student affairs practitioners face a myriad of problems which hinder the mainstreaming of the knowledge of the local indigenous people into leadership development. These problems include lack of training to empower them with skills to include indigenous epistemologies into student leadership training, lack of funding and policy guidelines. Theorising on this complexity the research recommends the designing of leadership programmes that imbue indigenous epistemologies of the local people in student development such as hunhu/ubuntu values.
Linguistic imperialism, cultural integrity, and EILIELTS Council
Linguistic imperialism, cultural integrity, and EIL
Linguistic imperialism, cultural integrity, and EIL
Linguistic imperialism, cultural integrity, and EIL
Linguistic imperialism, cultural integrity, and EIL
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Linguistic imperialism, cultural integrity, and EIL
The aim of this study is to explore the Islamic culture in English for Islamic Studies (EIS) classroom. In the course of EIS, the priority should not only be given to increase international understanding by enabling the students to speak another language but also understanding the cultural values. The study conducted an exploratory approach in which data were collected through in-depth interviews with English lecturers, and a questionnaire was distributed to the Islamic education students. The findings identified Islamic education has included EIS as part of its curriculum in its current advancement. In this regards, the study showed that how EIS in Indonesia has developed, what challenges it experiences and what opportunities it possesses in the context of Islamic higher education in Indonesia. The implications of the study provide a number of valuable insights into the expectations of EIS classroom. It is expected that the Muslim students could both achieve the foreign language skills and, the same time, become more aware filtering the culture, which is irrelevant with theirs, contained in the foreign language they are learning. The results of this study also indicated that EIS in Indonesia needs to incorporate Islamic values and show that EIS learning put no threats and negative influences on Indonesian culture in general and Islamic religious values in particular
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English Materials develpoment, spiritual&humanistic perpectives, TEFL/TESL
1. Session 6
Spiritual and humanistic
perspectives towards
materials development
Material Development Course MA
Instructor: Dr. Nafissi
Developed by: Somayeh Sorouri
Fall 2020
2. We will examine two articles:
Parsaiyan, S. F. (2018). Divine perspectives in designing English
teaching materials: The case of teaching body organs to young English
language learners. Journal of Language Horizons, 2(1), 9-29.
Khairuddin, Z., Shukry, A. S. M., & Sani, A. N. (2014). Reading
Trends and Perceptions towards Islamic English Websites as Teaching
Materials. English Language Teaching, 7 (8), 124-133.
doi:10.5539/elt.v7n8p124
3. 1.
Divine Perspectives in Designing
English Language Teaching Materials:
The Case of Teaching Body Organs to
Young English Language Learners
Seyyedeh Fahimeh Parsaiyan
4. Abstract
Upon the continuing spread of English as the global language, there have been dissenting
voices, albeit not resounding ones, from Muslim scholars lamenting the hegemony of
Western patterns of thoughts and the relegation or denigration of Islamic ideology,
values, and culture in education in general and ELT curricular and pedagogic thinking in
particular.
Despite the current qualms, the practice of reviving language teachings based on Islamic
sources and the socio-religious concerns of Muslim communities is still infrequent.
Feeling the necessity of designing educational materials, I narrate an experience of
composing nursery rhymes targeted at introducing body organs and their divine rights to
young English learners through deriving inspiration from Islamic references like the
Sublime Qur’an and Imam Sajjad’s Treaties on Rights (Risalat al-Huquq).
Inspirational for other language teachers and materials developers interested in carving
out identity and ownership in foreign language teaching.
4
6. Over the last three decades Muslim scholars in the Islamic societies critiquing the
Western and European values and ideological patterns like:
materialism, utilitarianism, skepticism, relativism,
and hedonism.
secularism,
6
7. They are spread headed through English language teaching.
Muslim children are not exempt from its consequences.
calls for:
Confronting the world-wide penetration of secular intellectual
traditions and educational policies_ antithetical to the Islamic
worldviews in ELT.
Reviving teachings based on the Sublime Qur’an and prophetic
traditions, with reference to Islamic values, history, civilization,
heritage, culture and literature, and topics arising from Muslims’
every-day life contexts.
7
8. This has fueled an academic movement in a number of Muslim countries like
Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nigeria for Islamization and decolonization of
contemporary knowledge in general and English teaching in particular, though it
has not brought the dawn of a new era yet.
makes it ambiguous to determine the status of English language education
in Iran.
8
The situation of Iran
An Islamic country
with anti-Western
policies on the one
hand
One of the devoted consumers, or purveyors,
of Western theories, teaching methodologies,
scholarly publications, pedagogical practices,
and products on the other hand
9. Imported foreign course books, with their ancillary materials such as
workbooks, CDs, DVDs, teacher guides, and annexed interactive multimedia,
and companion websites for teachers and learners build the backbone of
instruction in a good number of language institutes.
Such course books are presented to the local market with some degrees of
monitoring by the Ministry of Education, including occasional sort of
censorship or deletion of a few controversial subjects, contents, and images
that are potentially at variance with Iranian-Islamic norms and values.
The so-called localization efforts may be seen as window dressing serving
the interests of ELT industrial market.
9
10. Discussions among Iranian researchers:
Linguistic imperialism and cultural invasion in
imported ELT products.
Investigations of ideological underpinnings in ELT
chiefly internationally distributed textbooks and
their hidden curricula :
revealed the preponderance of socio-economic
and political worldviews imbued with American
and European lifestyles and norms like
materialism, McDonaldization, neo-liberalism,
capitalism, Western individualism, and
consumerism
10
11. professional calls for
If not resolved may put the cultural and religious identities of Iranian learners
of English in jeopardy.
Nevertheless, practical cases of “innovative work” derived from Islamic-Iranian
philosophical, academic, and intellectual traditions are still infrequent.
The language policies planned & English textbooks developed, published, and
distributed nationwide within the purview of the Ministry of Education have not
yet fared well in meeting the needs of Iranian learners.
11
assessment of English language teaching in Iran
figuring out effective solutions for the problems
12. How alternative views derived from Islamic-Iranian sources could possibly
replace the current materials in language teaching, especially those targeted at
young Iranian-Muslim EFL learners?
The case in view is designing materials (nursery rhymes) targeted at teaching
body organs to young English learners through deriving inspiration from Islamic
references like
The Sublime Qur’an
Exegeses
Imam Sajjad’s Treaties on Rights (Risalat al-Huquq)
elaborates on various types of duties, obligations, or responsibilities of
humans to observe in their relationship with Allah and his creatures and the
rights of the various organs of the body.
12
13. Islamization of Knowledge and English Language Teaching
The outset: the time of the holy Messenger of Islam
Later: the Islamic Golden Ages like the time of Abbasid caliph, Harun ar-
Rashid, who founded a renowned Academic Research Centre known as Bayt al-
Hikmah (House of Wisdom) in Baghdad;
Introduced many eminent Muslim scholars and philosophers
the center for translation from Greek, Syriac, and Pahlavi
the basis of a caliphal library that survived for more than a century
13
14. The emergence of different branches of science necessitated translating
manuscripts from different languages into Arabic and vice versa.
The rise of a multilingual culture began during the Prophet’s lifetime
and remains ongoing.
The program of Islamization of knowledge came to a halt later due to:
Tartar and Crusader invasions
the advent of colonialism in the Islamic world
invasion of Western thoughts
relegation and stagnation of Islam and Muslims.
14
15. instigated a drawn-out legacy of non-Islamic “educational dualism”
in the Muslim world which is more an imitation, copy or caricature of
Western education offered in the name of science and modernism, while
being bereft of either Western vision or Islamic vision.
“Muslim youth are being Westernized by Muslim teachers in Muslim
Universities.” (AbuSulayman, 1995, p. 18)
Calls for a genuine revival of education system based on Islamic
principles, objectives, values, and spiritual legacy.
15
16. Islamization of modern knowledge:
An “epistemological revolution” aimed at “the liberation of man from
-magical, mythological, animistic, national-cultural tradition opposed to Islam.
-secular control over his reason and his language.
Western sciences and their philosophical underpinnings are fallacious due to their
adherence to empirical experimentations, rational reasoning, veneration of secular
logic, and negation of metaphysical and spiritual dimensions of the reality.
This view of knowledge is in contrast with Islamic knowledge which hinges
primarily on revealed truth and the concept of Tawhid.
(Islam and Secularism, 1978)
16
17. Islamic education should gear towards harmonious, holistic development of
human beings through nurturing physical, mental, social, emotional, ethical,
moral, and religious capacities while the ultimate goal is submission or servitude
to Allah and his commandments.
The murky domain of English language teaching and Islam
17
Allah in the Sublime Qur’an holds a firm position on
multilingualism “And among His signs is the creation
of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your
languages and your colors: verily in that are signs for
those who know” (The Sublime Qur’an, 30: 22), and
hence encourages the humans to appreciate the
existing linguistic and cultural diversity.
But
history reveals
“a tinge of
antagonism between
English and Islam”
18. Reasons for this cynical view :
-nexus between English teaching and colonialism
-missionary works:converting people to Christians via English teaching & anti-Islamic
values.
Nonetheless,
After the WWII the economic and political ascendance of the USA, non-English
speakers including Muslims found English instrumental for future careers,
access to information, scientific and technological advancement, and economic
growth.
Today, Muslims a large number of English speakers (both as NS & NNS)
exceeding to several hundred million in number, with renowned philosophers,
scholars, educators, re-searchers, writers, and poets communicating in English.
18
19. There are also vivid policies and planned programs by former owners of
English language for setting English teaching programs in Muslim countries.
e.g. James K. Glassman, the executive director of George W. Bush Institute:
“As for English, the United States teaches it because the world wants to learn it –
because governments and people … see English as a way to move up economically.
Everywhere, including difficult neighborhoods … .
In teaching English, we teach a language and tell America’s story. Spending on English
teaching programs by the State Department has risen from $6.8 million in fiscal 2004 to
$46.6 million this year” (Strategic Public Diplomacy, 2010, p. 15).
19
20. Such encounters lead to 3 levels of debate:
20
Linguistic
Ideological Methodological
21. Linguistic
21
Mistranslation/inappropriate translation of Arabic Islamic words and concepts to
English, particularly those carrying “divine provenance” obscure the true original
meaning of such terminologies.
e.g. “salaah” & “zakaah” erroneously translated as “prayer” & “charity or alms” while they
have a broader meaning.
Suggestions
Islamizing English language in accordance with the Islamic community’s
intellectual and cultural requirements
Creation of a distinct brand of English marked by integration of original Arabic
terms to protect them from incorrect spelling, semantic loss, distortion, and
mistranslation
It is not really a violation of English. Rather, it is an enrichment
22. Ideological
Muslim youths’ inadequate knowledge of Arabic language and their limited
appreciation of the religion of Islam made them adopt manners that are foreign to
Islam.
e.g. use of non-Muslim saluting and greetings like “hi”, “bye-bye”, “see you”, or “good
luck” instead of using conventional Islamic expressions.
Americano-Eurocentric perspective of the ELT has a negative effect on Muslims.
Suggestion
Muslim educators & linguists should work on developing “Islamic English corpora” to be
utilized by materials developers and textbook writers.
e.g. English textbooks for Pakistani schools: Arabic and Islamic markers (Mashaa-Allah and
Alhamdulillah) inserted to show the iconic power of this text and its relationship to Islamic
values and systems and with the function of indexing and projecting an Islamic identity”
22
23. Methodological
incongruence between the aims of Muslim education and the objectives of teaching
English.
The force of homogenization, hegemonization and Europeanization in the name of
globalization has eroded not only the Islamic culture from the innocent minds of the
young pupils, but also their natural language.
Suggestion
e.g. Teaching English alphabets not based on the “conventional secular ‘A for Apple, B for
Ball’ method”, but via substituting them with teaching “Allah’s attributes through an English
alphabetical rhyme”
e.g. A for Allah,
B for Beneficent,
C for Compassionate...
23
24. 24
Course books could contain Islamic messages and themes
embedded cultures not in conflict with the values and cultures
of Muslim learners of English.
Explicit mentioning of the Islamic topics & expressions in
English
e.g. the ways of doing religious rituals like “wudhu” or “Muslims’ habits
of preparing a special appetizer during the fasting month of Ramadan”
Mentioning of Islamic themes through pictures, Muslim names or
Muslims’ daily language activities, and using available authentic
materials, like newspapers with Islamic messages or Islamic songs.
e.g. By a song like “We love Muhammad”: students can focus on lexical sets
and grammar points while listening to the song and then speaking about the
Prophet.
Direct
Strategies
Indirect
Strategies
Mohd-Asraf (2012)
25. An ongoing movement on the part of materials developers for inclusion of
Islamic markers in English textbooks designed for Muslim learners
around the globe:
25
I Can Series (set of five books)
by Ghani and Ibrahim (2005) Introducing and illustrating some basic Islamic concepts and
manners to young Muslim children and answering children queries about Islam as faith.
26. 26
The Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim
Book of Colors
by Khan (2012) teaching English colors via elements of Islamic
culture like “Golden dome of the mosque” or “brown date in
Ramadan”
The Best Eid Ever
by Mobin-Uddin (2007) narrating the story of a Muslim family
celebrating an Eid related to Hajj pilgrimage
Under the Ramadan Moon
by Whitman (2011) introducing the month of Ramadan to young
readers and the particular rituals performed by Muslims during this
month
27. 27
Secrets of the Turtle
by Ghahremani Ghajar (2009) in which a turtle is depicted travelling to different places
like the holy city of Mecca and sharing its own stories with other people
There are also some Islamic smartphone apps and games.
28. Despite the reported cases, practical cases of Islamic English materials and
teaching practices are still infrequent, less known, or have not taken hold in a
widespread manner.
Rather than working for Islamic models of English, what actually could be seen
in much of the Muslim world is censoring teaching materials and removing
potentially controversial or un-Islamic subjects, words and phrases which is not
recommended.
Hence, the necessity of preparing creative and ingenuous Islamic
ELT materials is quite palpable, given the growing number
of Muslim English learners around the globe and in Iran.
28
29. In a very sensitive era in which Islam as a faith is
misapprehended, xenophobia and Islamophobia are
cunningly spearheaded by the global mass media, and
Muslims are biasedly imaged as nefarious, …
cultivating a generation of Muslim intellectuals who
can both:
- propagate true Islamic values and spirits and
- become insiders and use the language in their own
terms according to their own aspirations, needs, and
values … not as slaves, but as agents … creatively
and critically” is highly demanded.
29
31. Under the request of a Qur’anic Cultural Center which offers English
courses for young learners, but the manager is dissatisfied with the
imported materials, Dr. Parsaiyan took a planned action.
To have a more profound understanding of the learning needs of the
target group of the learners and the attitudes of the students and their
families towards inclusion of classroom materials with Islamic themes,
she talked with a number of parents and language teachers.
They held varied viewpoints, the majority of them agreed on the
necessity of an alternative education featuring Islamic moral values in an
entertaining way.
31
32. Topic selection
How in Islamic sources –most notably the Sublime
Qur’an and narrations– the body parts, their statuses,
the reasons for their creation, and their functioning
have been pictured? The creation and evolution of
physical organs– accompanied with sophisticated
processes, is seen as one of the signs of Allah, the
Almighty.
32
33. These Qur’anic verses refer to a number of senses endowed blessedly to human
beings by Allah and the necessity of showing appreciation and grateful thanks:
It is He Who has created hearing, sight and minds for you. What little thanks
you show! (The Sublime Qur’an, 23:78).
Allah brought you out of your mothers’ wombs knowing nothing at all, and
gave you hearing, sight and minds so that perhaps you would show thanks
(The Sublime Qur’an, 16:78).
Say: “What do you think? If Allah took away your hearing and your sight
and sealed up your hearts, what god is there, other than Allah, who could
give them back to you?” (The Sublime Qur’an, 6:46).
33
34. The way the body parts act, determine each individual’s destiny. The Creator
commands human beings to employ their physical organs in obeying Him by
performing good deeds and refraining from the evil ones.
Accordingly, in describing the Day of Judgment, Allah in the Sub-lime Qur’an
refers to the status of body parts and how they would be resurrected to speak and
bear witness to individuals’ actions:
That day shall We set a seal upon their mouths but their hands will speak to
Us, and their feet bear witness to all that they did (The Sublime Qur’an,
36:65).
... Surely the hearing and the sight and the heart, all of these, shall be
questioned about that (The Sublime Qur’an, 17:36).
34
35. Treatise on Rights attributed to Imam Sajjad elaborates on various
types of duties, obligations, or responsibilities–rights or Huquq–
upon human beings to observe in their relationship with Allah and
his creatures.
Among other rights, the holy Imam elaborates on the rights of the
various organs of the body like tongue, hearing, sight, hand, leg,
stomach, and private part as organs through which manners are con-
ducted.
RQ: How such views could possibly replace the current approach to
teaching the body parts to young (non-)Iranian-Muslim EFL
learners at pre/intermediate levels of English language proficiency?
35
36. Nursery rhymes, short poems or songs for children are rich resources that can be
used in teaching young language learners.
The theoretical & research-based literature acknowledging the pedagogical
implications of nursery rhymes as natural literacy development sources; particularly
for young learners was the instigation for the writer to compose poetic verses aimed
at introducing body parts through such divine perspectives.
Some features & advantages of these rhymes are:
Musical composition is easy to read, recite & dramatize
Creates pleasant learning atmosphere
Repetitive language: opportunity to learn sound patterns, word stress, pronunciation, etc.
Vocabulary & grammatical structures: presented in meaningful situational contexts
reflect the ideas and attitudes of societies and individuals that created them
imprint certain meanings and values onto the young learners’ minds 36
37. The journey of composing rhymes commenced with consulting:
The Sublime Qur’an & exegeses
Arabic, Persian, and English versions of Imam Sajjad’s The Treatise on Rights
Persian & English commentaries on the book like Imam Sajjad’s Treaties on
Rights
And some other books in Persian or English
Also:
Collecting and reading sample nursery rhymes to get a sense of literary devices
like rhymes, repetitions, and alliterations
surveying the popular English textbooks to see how the issue of body organs
has been presented
37
38. A fairly conventional approach:
Body organs are presented to young language
learners through nursery rhymes, short poems or
action songs in which vocabulary for parts of the
body (like head, finger, mouth, nose, eye and
ears…) plus a series of actions or movements
related to them are presented.
Ensuing TPR method–which theorizes that physical
movements can improve language acquisition by
creating mind-body associations–children are
encouraged to move each body part as they say the
body-related vocabulary.
The picture from Let’s go 2 (2012) depicts the above
claims.
38
39. The ideology in the excerpt:
physical organs of the body as units of life neutrally
responsible for performing a series of actions and movements
An orientation which might be suggestive of a humanistic and materialistic world
view devoid of any spiritual outlook.
The process of composing:
Thinking, writing, drafting, editing, and proofreading repeatedly
Finding the right homophonic words to rhyme together with right syllabic structure
Finding strings of words and phrases which are catchy and delightful to read and
remember, simple in terms of grammatical items yet meaningful
The meaningfulness element was prior to throwing ideas into verse lines because they
simply added a fun element.
39
40. Consultations:
A religious advisor to inspect the poems for possible misinterpretations in terms of
divine perspectives.
An ELT professor to comment on the poems & suggest on how the poems could be
improved by replacement of certain words or structures.
Three English language teachers with experience of working with young learners to
assess the work and even practice some excerpts with their learners.
Refine them with a view of the target audience in mind.
Further evaluation of the designed materials: in a real context of learning via considering
teachers’ and learners’ perceptions.
They may replace conventional, often pointless nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star”, “Baa, baa black sheep”, “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and the like which are
widely rehearsed and memorized by our language learners, often mindlessly.
40
41. Things that grow day by day Are all His signs to observe!
The poem starts with eye faculty and the sense of sight. Allah has drawn our attention to its
unique importance in the Sublime Qur’an:
Have We not made for him a pair of eyes? (Qur’an, 90:8)
eyes are windows to the world for seeing, pondering over, and appreciating the countless signs
and blessings of Allah:
And the example of the disbelievers is similar to one who calls upon one that hears nothing
except screaming and yelling; deaf, dumb, blind–so they do not have sense (Qur’an, 2:171)
In the Treaties of Rights:
Eyes are gateway to reflection, tools for learning, taking lessons, gaining knowledge &
insight.
The right of sight: lower it before everything which is unlawful to you & abandon using it
except in situations that you gain insight or acquire knowledge by it.
41
42. The nursery rhyme
preludes with mentioning
the role of eyes in seeing
signs of Allah including
“Night and day”, “Rain
that falls and wind that
breaks”, “Red roses on the
earth”, and “Mom that
loves and dad that cares”.
It then encourages young
readers to “use our eyes
for His sake” and “close
our eyes to what He hates”
42
Night and day
Sun in the sky everyday
Rain that falls and wind that breaks
Are all His signs to observe!
Things that grow day by day
Red roses on the earth
Apple, orange and sweet pears
Don’t forget vegetables
Are all His signs to observe!
Mom that loves and dad that cares
Friends we can count on them
Are all His signs to observe!
43. We can hear what is there! What if we could not hear??
Like eyes, ears and the faculty of hearing: construed in Islamic references as a
great blessing endowed to human beings for which they are responsible.
Ears and what they lend themselves to are seen to play a determining role in the
prosperity or misery of human beings in the hereafter.
They will then say: “if only we had listened and reasoned, we should not now
be among the inhabitants of the hell” (the Sublime Qur’an, 67: 10).
Humans are admonished not to lend their ears to evil words, rumors, slanders,
and backbiting.
Similarly, Imam Sajjad delineates the rights of hearing among which is keeping
it “pure from listening to backbiting.
43
44. The poetic episode starts with numerating a number of common sounds we can hear in our
daily life, like the various sounds of birds and animals, tools, as well as the human voices
including family members and friends.
44
Birds’ singing above there
Cats’ meowing below there
Dogs’ barking over there
Sheep’ bleating far away
Cows’ mowing so near
We can hear what is there!
What if we could not hear??
Thank you Allah for ears!
The part then ends with a moral part inviting readers to
observe the rights of hearing by not listening to “what
He hates” and closing ears “to those fakes”
We care about what He hates
Close ears to those fakes!
Mocking, laughing at others!
How awful are slanders!
Making our hearts far away
Filling ears with nonsense!
45. Watch what we say is not wrong! And keep it from lies and harms!
The faculty of speaking which is known as a distinctive feature endowed on humans. As
Allah, the Almighty explicitly states speech or the power of expressing inner thoughts,
intentions, and covert feelings is the quality graciously imparted to the man:
He has created man. He has taught him speech (The Sublime Qur’an, 55:3-4).
speaking faculty is reflective of individuals’ character, personality, reasoning and
intellect. We are recommended to be diligent of what we say and not take lightly the
words that come out of our mouths as they are recorded by divine “sentinels”.
Believers are warned to preserve their tongue from telling lies, slander, mocking,
spreading rumors and scandals, bragging, backbiting, false testifying, using bad mouth or
obscene language, unnecessary talk, flattery, and finding faults and defects in others.
Imam Sajjad: “The right of the tongue is that you consider it too noble for obscenity,
accustom it to good, direct it to politeness…” .
45
46. To partially reflect such
sophisticated ideas, the
poetic episode starts with
some lines mentioning the
abilities performed by
“little tongue inside”. It
then refers to a number of
rights we should consider
about the speech faculty.
46
Let’s be thankful of our tongue,
Speak kind and be polite
Watch what we say is not wrong
Keep it from lies and harm
Words breaking others’ heart
In making fun or finding fault
By which grudges would come up
Time of anger we keep calm
And stop bad words coming out…
47. We don’t hasten to eat up, Chew it calmly with no rush
stomach as the main digestive system, has also spiritual role in the Islamic sources.
The closest thing attributed to stomach is the process of foods’ preparation and
attainment.
By placing a special emphasis on foodstuffs, Allah in the Sublime Qur’an orders
the man to assiduously “watch his food” and “eat of what is on earth, lawful and
good”.
There are also numerous recommendations for food consumption like filling the
stomach moderately and avoiding over eating, under eating or malnutrition and
more significantly consuming legitimate (Halal) food supplies and drinks and
avoiding forbidden (Haram) meals.
Imam Sajjad advises us on how over/under eating can cause “indigestion,
sluggishness, indolence, and it will hinder you from nobility and any good deeds”
47
48. The nursery rhyme invites the young learners to think about healthy items for our life
like “Milk, honey, apple pie”…. and then refers to a number of etiquettes like saying
“Bismillah” “Before taking the first bite”…
48
Milk, honey, apple pie
Orange, grape, banana
Rice, bread, cereal
Healthy items for our life
Halal foods by Allah
We don’t forget “Bismillah”
Before taking the first bite
We don’t hasten to eat up
Chew it calmly with no rush
Overeating is so wrong
Making body weak and dull… .
49. The other poetic episodes focus on hands and legs as two other
body parts and explain a few of their rights as elaborated on the
Islamic sources.
Beyond superficial repetitions and memorization, the students
could be encouraged to chant and sing while performing the
actions, apply their personal creativity to add lines and compose
verses, and make the language ‘theirs’.
The final composition, containing over sixty lines, is still in need
of modification, refinement and appropriation.
49
51. The increasing number of Muslim young learners, including Iranians, who are engaged in
English language learning through Western patterns of thought, necessitates preparing
creative and ingenuous Islamic ELT materials by materials developers.
In the composed lyrics: body organs as signs (ayats) of the Al-mighty not only promote
learning of the language but propagate spiritual values, beliefs, ethics and courtesy.
Textbook writers and materials developers illustrators, musicians, and language experts along
with other professionals in Muslim countries should loosen the ties of dependency on Western
imported products or emulating them. The ones which can keep abreast of the changing
climates of the modern time.
The crucial role of language teachers is having a clear understanding of the vision and mission
ahead and faith in the purpose.
Teacher education programs aimed at propagating Islamic perspectives on language education
should be planned and structured methodically.
51
52. 2.
Reading Trends and Perceptions
towards Islamic English Websites as
Teaching Materials
Khairuddin, Z., Shukry, A. S. M., & Sani, A. N. (2014).
53. Abstract
A study of the reading trends and perceptions of Muslim Malaysian undergraduate
students towards Islamic English websites as pedagogical materials in English
language classrooms. Data was collected through a set of questionnaires to 180
students from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and Universiti
Sultan ZainalAbidin (UniSZA). The findings revealed that the students were self-
motivated to read the materials to gain spiritual knowledge and to use the
knowledge to deal with personal challenges. It also shows that the students
recommend that the materials are used for pedagogical purposes in the learning of
the English language. The study proposed that texts that bring enjoyment,
inspiration, spiritual knowledge and personal development are used as reading
materials in English lessons for Muslim students. This would enhance the
motivation to read more whilst improving the proficiency of the English language.
53
55. Malaysians do not read much for pleasure, nor pursue it as a hobby.
The reason for low interest in reading, especially in English, is the L2 learners
do not feel that their values and needs are portrayed in the English language
texts.
Islamic values: “a set of moral principles and guidance that recognizes what is
right behavior from what is wrong or what one should do or not.”
Due to the lack of fair representation of Islam and Muslims in books, English
Muslim views can now be read online where more and more English-speaking
M Muslim writers, scholars and Islamic organizations are writing on
I Islamic websites about Islam and discussing issues from the
Islamic Islamic world view.
55
56. An Islamic website: an Internet-based site created for and devoted to the service of
Islam as a religion and a way of life…whose main objective is to portray the
commandments of Allah and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.
Their four common features: beliefs, ethics, services and values.
Based on the growing statistics of readership on the Islamic websites, interests
towards Islamic writings among young Muslim readers are promising.
The Research Problem:
The culture of the native speakers is integrated into the classroom teaching
materials to teach the English language. This makes language learning more
successful.
However, it is a problem when other cultures are ignored which could lead to
further demotivation to learn a language.
56
57. L2 learners prefer to read authentic materials rather than pedagogical texts,
well-written Islamic English websites may offer an authentic reading
experience to replace the secular reading materials.
For Muslim English learners, Islamic content should be included when
teaching English.
This study is conducted to identify the reading trends of English Islamic
websites amongst Malaysian Muslim youths, determine the Malaysian youths’
perceptions towards the texts, and determine their perception of having
English been taught using materials from the English Islamic websites.
57
58. Research Questions
(1) What are the reading trends of English Islamic websites
amongst Malaysian Muslim youths?
(2) What are the Malaysian youths’ perceptions towards the trends
of reading English Islamic websites?
(3) What are their perceptions of having English taught using
materials from the English Islamic websites?
58
60. Sample
A quantitative study, a questionnaire was distributed to 180 students from
two Islamic universities.
The respondents: All Muslims from the Department of English Language;
all were required to take additional Islamic courses.
Simple random sampling technique was utilized.
Requirements: English proficiency for understanding the questionnaire,
prior exposure to English language and learning, familiarization in
reading Islamic texts.
60
61. Methods of Data Collection
The English-major students were informed of the study and its reasons. The
names of those who received the questionnaire were noted for recordkeeping
purposes. The researcher was present at the site. Students were given as much
time to answer the questions as needed. The questionnaires were collected
immediately to ensure that all students submitted the questionnaires. 13
questionnaires were incomplete. Only a total of 167 participants from 18 to 29
years of age were used as respondents
Methods of Data Analysis
The data obtained from the 39-item questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS. It
is presented in the form of related statistical measures including frequency,
percentages, means and standard deviation.
62
63. Students’ Current Reading Trends
Table 1. Ratings according to the types of English Islamic texts
Types of English Islamic texts that students
read according to genres. More than half of the
students rated English Islamic articles as most
read. The second most read is websites.
Findings also reveal that children books and
comics are the least read Islamic English texts.
It is likely due to the small number
of available Islamic English children books
and comics publications.
64
English Islamic
texts
Percentage
Never
Read
Least
Read
Most
Read
Articles 8.4 38.3 53.3
Websites - 50.9 49.1
Motivational books 11.4 52.7 35.9
Teaching books 15 50.9 34.1
Academic books 23.4 43.1 33.5
Magazines 22.2 50.9 26.9
Historical books 23.4 55.7 21
Fictions 36.5 45.5 18
Children books 37.1 46.7 16.2
Comics 54.5 29.3 16.2
64. A list of the most popular websites
according to a previous pilot study
conducted on 30 Muslims youths.
However, the results elicited from the
respondents showed contradictory
results. It appears that the respondents
were not as exposed to the listed
websites as it was assumed. A majority
of the respondents are not familiar with
the list.
The questionnaire requested that the
respondents provide their own list of
favorite Islamic English website.
65
English Islamic
Websites No% Yes%
Yasminmogahed.com 68.9 31.1
Muslimmatters.org 79.6 20.4
Productivemuslim.com 74.9 25.1
Suhailwebb.com 73.7 26.3
None of the above 64.7 35.3
Table 2. List of English Islamic websites students read
31.14% of the respondents suggested
www.iluvIslam.com as one of their
favorite Islamic websites.
65. 60.5% respondents were self-motivated; whilst friends and
lecturers have equal influence: the respondents perceived
lecturers’ influence is as important as peers’ influence.
Family influence however appears to be low.
Because the respondents came from diverse backgrounds, not
many family members were as exposed to the English
Islamic online texts. The option of other influences:
Only 6.6% wrote: assignment, work, curiosity and social network
websites.
66
No Yes
Myself 39.5 60.5
Friends 40.1 59.9
Teachers/Lectures 40.1 59.9
Family 64.1 35.9
Others 93.4 6.6
Table 3. Factors that influence students
to read English Islamic online materials
%
Every Day 6.0
5 to 6 Days A Week 6.6
Less than 4 Days A Week 61.7
Not Applicable 25.7
Table 4. Frequency of reading English Islamic websites per week
How often students read the articles on English Islamic websites per week?
This table reveals that 61.7% of the students read the articles less than four
days in a week, and only 6% of them read the articles every day of the
week. However, 25.7% of the students answered that this question is not
applicable to them, possibly because they only read the articles once a week
or intermittently.
66. 38.9% of the students read 1-3 articles in English Islamic
websites, and only 6% of them read more than 10
articles in a month. However, 9% of the students stated
that this question is not applicable, which is likely
because they might not read the articles as frequently.
67
Table 5. Frequency of reading English Islamic websites per month
The results in Tables 6-10 are based on the topic
and subthemes that students read most. The topics
and subthemes were selected from a collection of
Islamic websites that are popular amongst the
Muslims who took part in the pilot study. The
topics were Personal Relationship, Islamic
Studies, Personal Development, Society and
Productivity.
Table 6. Topic on personal relationship and subthemes
Personal Relationship %No %Yes
With God 15.6 84.4
Marriage and family 35.9 64.1
With others 55.1 44.9
With brotherhood/sisterhood 62.9 37.1
67. 68
Islamic Studies %No %Yes
Beliefs 44.3 55.7
Qu’ran and Prophet’s Traditions 43.7 56.3
Biography of The Prophet 68.3 31.7
Religious edict 74.9 25.1
Supplication and Prayers 27.5 72.5
Table 7. Topic on Islamic studies and subthemes Table 8. Topic on personal development and subthemes
Personal Development %No %Yes
Motivation 32.3 67.7
Seeking Knowledge 38.3 61.7
Overcoming Hardship 41.3 58.7
Spiritual Purification 41.3 58.7
Reflection 48.5 51.5
Islamic Character Development 52.1 47.9
Grooming 73.1 26.9
Society %No %Yes
Women 34.7 65.3
Youth 35.9 64.1
Men 61.7 38.3
International Affairs 67.1 32.9
Domestic Affairs 71.9 28.2
Converts 71.9 28.1
Table 9. Topic on society and subthemes
Productivity %No %Yes
Work/Studies 24.0 76.0
Health/Fitness 52.7 47.3
Time Management 61.1 38.9
Table 10. Topic on productivity and subthemes
68. Table 11: positive results towards the items listed. The highest mean for “my knowledge of
Islam has increased”. The 2nd & 3rd are the items “my motivation level towards my religion
has increased” and “I am more optimistic towards life” respectively. The students agree
that their character, their relationship with people have improved through reading the
Islamic values. The lowest mean, ‘my fluency in the English language has improved’
means that their English has
improved somewhat after
they started reading English
Islamic websites.
69
Students’ Perceptions on the Effects of the Reading Trends and English Islamic Websites
69. Table 12: the students’ perceptions on the trends of reading English Islamic websites.
The highest mean, “more Muslims should read the websites” and “more should be done to
publicize Islamic English websites in Malaysian universities”. This is consistent with their
view that they enjoy reading it and would want more youngsters to be exposed to the
readings. The students are of the opinion that English language used in the websites is a
reliable and recommended source of knowledge for reverts because the English language
used in the online writings are also simple for them to understand.
The lowest item ‘people who read the English Islamic websites are fluent in the English
language’ implies that they do not consider themselves as fluent in English. The language
used is simple enough to attract wide readership regardless of the proficiency. English
classrooms should be able to accept them as teaching materials because the language and
content should appeal to many types and levels of readers’ proficiency.
70
70. 71
universities.
the writings can be used as teaching materials in the English language classroom in schools. 4.24
these articles should be common reading amongst all Muslims. 4.23
the Islamic writings make understanding Islam easier. 4.22
the English language used in the websites is an excellent way to spread Islam to non-Muslims. 4.22
there is a growing trend of reading materials from the English Islamic websites. 4.16
the English language used in the websites is an excellent way to spread Islam. 4.14
the English language used in the websites is an excellent source of knowledge for reverts. 4.11
the English language used in the online writings is simple for me to understand. 3.98
people who read the English Islamic websites are fluent in the English language. 3.47
72. The students recommend:
Use of Islamic English reading texts to gain knowledge, for their personal worship and
overall understanding of the religion & for learning the English language.
Read more of these materials in the English language in English classrooms
Readings that are less focused on facts and non-academic texts
Texts that address their personal problems and challenges
Read about personal relationship with God and personal relationship in marriage and
family
Malaysian Muslim students do read, but they are reading from online sources rather than
books, especially on topics like personal development and religion.
73
73. More Islamic materials should be recognized and accepted as teaching materials in English
classrooms in addition to the Western and secular teaching materials used throughout the
Muslim World.
Texts on spiritual knowledge and personal development, read and enjoyed by Malaysian
youths in their spare time.
Readings can be more meaningful when students learn more than just English.
Improving English proficiency whilst enhancing their knowledge of the religion Islamic
English contents are engaging and authentic for use in English classrooms.
Muslims find it more meaningful when the texts are addressing their needs whilst they
learn the English language
Suggestion: make pedagogical methods of teaching Islam fresh and engaging.
74