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Islamization of Social and Humanistic Sciences An Action Plan for Islamization Through Discipline-Oriented First or Second Majors, Through Secular Colleges and Universities in North America and World Wide (Proposed for IIIT, International Institute of Islamic Thought; AMSS, Association of Muslim Social Scientists; and others Worldwide) by Prof. S. Waqar Ahmed Husaini Abstract
A. Introduction Islamization of knowledge/`ilm and the 'two cultures' (ideological and technological) is an individual duty/fard `ayn. Secularism and secularization are kufr (lit. "rejection") of Islam since they reject the jurisdiction of God and Islamic ideology in the 'two cultures'. Islamization is also a necessity as secular ideologies of Muslims have failed to promote al-din (the complete Islamic system), reason, life, posterity, wealth, and honor: al-din, `aql, hayat, nasl, mal, `ird. Muslim "religious mentality" and cultures are dominated by takhsis (reductionism) and Sufism which are akin to and worse than secularism. Takhsis (Imam Ghazali, d.505 AH/1111 CE) restricted fiqh to family law, and "Islamic studies" to humanities, while rejecting the natural sciences, technology, and even many social sciences. Sufism is anti-reason, anti-science, etc., and made a Muslim "apolitical; asocial; amilitary; anethical; unproductive; an egoist... shaken neither by the misery, poverty, disease, and subjugation of his own society nor of mankind" (Shaheed Ismail & Lamya al-Faruqi, The Cultural Atlas of Islam, p. 304 ). Today, even "Islamic" movements and organizations, "Islamic" schools and universities, are drowned in takhsis, Sufism, and secular kufr. Modern "Islamists" are a brain-dead and blinded people (qawmun `ameen, Quran 7:64); often Muslim vision of Islam does not extend beyond halal-meats, hijab, beards, and rituals. Muslims must make Islamization their duty/fard and, like their noble ancesters/as-salaf as-saliheen, bring in for the benefit of mankind the two cultures "under the whole of Islam" (fis-silmi kaafah, Quran 2:208). B. Islamization needs a two-pronged strategy once we have amassed "Islamic knowledge" Islamization is both reclamation of the Islamic parts of "modern secularized knowledge" and the "two cultures", and their re-Islamization through modern Islamic philosophical sciences:
C. Proposed Action Plan for IIIT, AMSS, and others to Islamize Socio-Humanistic Sciences and Education through Secular Colleges and Universities in North America and Worldwide AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THIS “ACTION PLAN” IS TO GRADUALLY/BI-TADREEJ ISLAMIZE EXISTING SECULAR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, NOT ESTABLISH NEW TAKHSISIYYAH ONES; NEITHER SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF CIVILIZATION. IDEALLY, ISLAMIZATION MUST BE PURSUED RIGOROUSLY IN 'ISLAMIC' STATES BY INDIVIDUAL SCHOLARS AND INSTITUTIONS AS WAS DONE DURING THE EARLY CENTURIES OF ISLAM THROUGH UNEASY COOPERATION WITH THE RULING ELITES OF UMAYYID, ABBASID AND OTHER DYNASTIES. FREEDOM, PROMOTION OF DIVERSITY, ETHNICITY AND MULTI-CULTURALISM, AND THE FLEXIBLE ACADEMIC STRUCTURE IN NORTH AMERICA, PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ISLAMIZATION FOR THE BENEFIT OF MANKIND. The following must be adopted and adapted to suit the situations in each country and region. Some salient aspects of this Proposed Action Plan addressed to AMSS and IIIT, and others are: 1) AMSS/IIIT must have a Secretariat supported by a Waqf/Trust founded through the cooperation of Islamic centers, ISNA, ICNA, IMA, Ministry of Imam Warith Muhammad, etc. 2) The 20+ Discipline Groups of AMSS/IIIT must be revived and expanded under active "believers" in Islamization. They must post on web sites of AMSS and IIIT the "Description of Courses" for every discipline, with a Plan similar to and more advanced than that of IISTD. 3) Initially these will be Self-Study courses for Muslim and non-Muslim students. Gradually, these must be added to curriculum of Departments, Centers, and inter-disciplinary Institutes. 4) AMSS, IIIT, and other web sites must identify "focal points" or advisors for each course for students to interact. Such courses must be taken in any secular 2-year college/university through a student's initiative as General Education Requirements, Electives, and an "Islamic Discipline-Oriented First or Second Major, or a Minor". Muslim Students Association and the local community and Islamic centers should play a key role in advocating such courses. 5) This Action Plan will produce students with a Double Major or Minor in every discipline, competent for the private and public job markets in USA and worldwide; the Second Major is Islamic discipline-oriented. As faculty members in 2-year colleges to universities, they must be devoted to Islamization through teaching, publications, consultancy, and professional practice. 6) Islamization of Muslim pseudo-Islamic takhsisiyyah/reductionist lower and higher education systems (e.g., madarasah) must also be undertaken. The 'traditionalist' systems will easily and willing accept Islamization if their "modernization" is not an excuse to impose secularization.
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