The 'Islamic' in Islamic Education: Assessing the Discourse

Keywords:Muslims, Islam, Education, Mongol, Sharia, modernity, Abdolkarim Soroush, diversity, Islamic education, Qur’an, Christianity.

The paper assesses the dominant discourse on Islam and education that argues for an education derived from an exclusively 'Islamic' vision. In addition to exploring the historical roots of this discourse, the paper analyses it with respect to its (i) arguments for an Islamic vision of education, (ii) conception of Islam, and (iii) proposals for the implementation of such a vision. Through a critical analysis of a wide range of writings on the subject, the paper will argue that, at all three levels, the discourse suffers from serious philosophical, empirical and pragmatic shortcomings. It will conclude by offering alternatives that may help overcome these shortcomings.