The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988 327 

views and Comments 

Islamization of Knowledge: A Response 

It is customary among the Muslims in this nation to criticize abstractly 
those who have accepted the burden of da’wu and the program they implement. 
The most vocal opposition, and the most unreasonable and, therefore, 
destructive, comes from other Muslims who have not themselves consistently 
put forth the effort required of those involved in du’wu. There is in this nation 
a tradition of catcalls from the sidelines of any struggle. We have a historic 
love of castigating moving targets as we sit on our doffs. This nation is a 
place where the concept of fan (derivative of fanatic) has grown to mean 
non-participative critic. I know that this is the case because I have been the 
moving target of this criticism and, at other times, the critic who sits. 

This is why your request that I read and critique ZsZamimtion of Knowledge: 
General Principles and Work Plan published by the International Institute 
of Islamic Thought has made me somewhat uneasy. What would validate 
my criticism? The fact that for nearly ten years I have been disassociated 
from those who have dedicated themselves to the Islamic movement? The 
fact is that I would like to reengage myself in the struggle without false 
portrayals of the last ten years. The fact that you asked me in such a kind 
and understanding way to express myself in the context of the International 
Institute of Islamic Thought’s primary document is the only reason for my 
composing the following comments. 

I have paralleled the outline of the book in the presentation of these 
comments and notes. 

Preface 

I was surprised that the preface was written by one of my former teachers 
because when I was a student, he impressed upon me the need for precise 
language. To translate mau biqum as “fate” instead of “condition” may seem 
minor but within the context of a text discussing the Islamization of knowledge 
it is not a small matter. “Fate of a people” is not really an Islamic concept. 
Fate is generally understood to mean an inevitable and often adverse outcome. 
This is certainly not what the author intended, especially in the context of 
the ayah referred to. 

The crux of the preface rests on the non-neutrality of the sciences. It 
is important to realize that the sciences are, in fact, value-laden and that 



328 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988 

they were constructed to rationalize the dominant views of the cultures from 
which the nation-states emerged. All expressed knowledge has purpose and 
that generally is to strengthen the position of those who express it. 

Muslims have always integrated knowledge from other systems. The 
difference between the past and the present is that in the past Muslims perceived 
themselves as leaders, while today they perceive themselves as the victimized 
followers and subjects of an ill-defined “Western Society”. The Muslims of 
today do not, therehe, integmte knowledge anymore. They receive it as value- 
laden sciences by the operatives of universities which are inextricably tied 
to the mission of the nation and the corporate “super-states” from which they 
derive not only their financial support but the vehicles necessary to pmmulgate 
their knowledge throughout the world. 

The author should have used another textual style to hishllght the definition 
of Islamization of knowledge. It is somewhat of a struggle to see how the 
definition is articulate in the preface and that, after all, is its purpose. 

So far, I have avoided the main problem I found with the preface because 
it is a problem endemic to the entire piece and, furthermore, it pmides 
a convenient transition for the presentation of my thoughts. Structural 
anthropologists, apothmsized by hi-Strauss, have led us far astray from 
the correct view of social systems by insisting that we could effectively isolate 
a social subsystem and manipulate it without substantially altering other social 
subsystems. As a matter of fact, the defeat of the imperialist French in Algeria 
represented a historic denial of what hi-Stmuss had articulated about human 
societies. Nevertheless, some of us still assume that by isolating a particular 
system or subsystem and manipulating it, we can predict with some certainty 
the outcome. 

This approach leads us to the error of mistaking a subsystem for the 
process. In other words, when we think of education, we may think of schools 
and what transpires in those buildmgs as education. Of course, to some extent, 
that assumption is valid. However, the process of education finds many 
expressions outside of the formal system and prepares the objects of education 
(that is to say, students) for the formalized process. Those most prepared 
to enter the educational subsystem are identified by I.Q. tests and other measures 
of their socialization. The elements that are somehow fused into the social 
experience of a people are obviously value-laden and so difficult to manage 
that they may be avoided by the analyst-worker. But they are insidious and 
may undermine or mitigate whatever modifications are put in place within 
the hrmal system. The analysis of hrmal and informal structures is a necessary 
departure for those who want to design successful inkmentions or, in a larger 
sense, d e f i n e  the subsystem. 

The racism that all Americans, white, d, black, and brown, are heir 
to only very subtly finds its expression in the educational system. Of course, 



The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988 329 

it is still there but it is not one of the subjects taught in any of the schools 
accredited in this nation. But racism is very much alive and well. How is 
it learned? Well, racist concepts exist within the language, both its deep 
structure formation and its lexicon. Within the lexicon, color co~lcepts are 
value-laden. For examples, white knight as heroic, black hats as bad guys, 
yellow streak for cowardice, black as death,etc. These lexical expressions 
of preference connect in the mind as the learner associates meanings and 
integrates those meanings into his cosmology. 

In this regard, the power of myth must not be overlooked or under- 
estimated. For example, all American children learn the Superman myth. 
This myth, as I have demonstrated elsewhere, is laden with information about 
the origin of Europeans, their preeminence in the world in the same manner 
that Nietzsche intended. Thus, when we encourage our children to this world 
view (we buy them Superman pajamas, comic books, take them to the movies), 
as they evolve their cosmologies using the codes already extant in their lexicons, 
they will integrate racist concepts unknowMy. Imagine the harm this causes 
a child otherwise predisposed to justice. Imagine the harm this causes the 
child who is the target of the racism. That child will necessarily hate himself 
until someone is able to articulate a pathway out of the malaise. 

This example holds for Muslims as well. The portrayal of Muslims in 
the popular culture of the United States is very negative. I imagine the same 
negativity exists in the Muslim countries. How this may be addressed there 
as well as here is somethug I will discuss later. 

Islamization of Knowledge 

I. The Problem 

The problem is clear although its presentation sometimes lacks a focus 
or apparently is not consistent with the basic principles elucidated in the 
prehce. This is quite understandable and represents the kind of change called 
for in the premise. I hope that the following comments are not hurtful because 
they are not intended to be. I know that I have a sharp way of presenting 
my thoughts and from this sharpness I hope to engage you and others in 
a dialogue which will allow us to grow mutually. 

A. Malaise of the Ummah 

I wonder whether nationalism is the proper context for comparison of 
the Ummah with other peoples. The concept of Ummah is, to my mind, 



330 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988 

more cultural than political although the political nature of cultural groups 
cannot be ignored. It is possible, as Hasan Turabi indicates in his brilliant 
piece for the AMSS journal (Vol. 4, No. l), Sept. 1987, for the Ummah 
to express itself in multiple nation-states, at least in a transitory stage headed 
toward its realization. As a matter of fact, the destruction of the integrity 
of the Ummah was foreshadowed by its fractionalization into nation-states 
unsupported by a oneness of vision for the Ummah by the leaders and, probably, 
the people as well. So, there is some relative value associated with the concept 
of nation on strictly Islamic terms; but, that does not mean that we should 
idealize the Ummah for it is not a nation in a strictly political sense. 

What the Western world did to the Muslims is what the Western world 
does to its enemies. It is simply a necessary part of its conquest that the 
West dehumanize its enemy in order to rationalize the victimization. As long 
as the Muslims have something that the West values, the dehumanization 
will continue. 

B. Major Eflects of the Malaise 

The focus of this section is too external. The Muslims must accept 
responsibility for the decline of the Ummah, for the misappropriation of its 
resources, both human and material. 

The rise of military-based governments is simply another manifestation 
of the influence of the West. These governments represent the fragments of 
Western power in the sense that the Western nations wanted to leave some 
trusty guardians of the exploitive industries they turned over after the dawn 
of the neo-colonial states. I believe that Muslims are ruled by military 
governments as a matter of convenience. 

I have some difficulty with defining people as “backward” because 
ordinarily this term is used to imply that the West is forward and that Western- 
style development is, therefore, positive. One of the most difficult tasks facing 
Third World nations is the creation and implementation of development plans 
that do not mimic the West. Those that do end up in the same hazardous 
landscape that many Western nations find themselves today, totally out of 
sync with the Sunnah of Allah. The environment reacts to every action of 
man. A great example is the Aswan Dam. United States engineers refused 
to build the dam due to obvious environmental hazards so Nasser had the 
Russians do it and the Egyptian people have been paying for that blunder 
ever since. We cannot segregate the development plans of the West from the 
problem of the non-Islamic sciences they promulgate. I believe that if the 
task that this paper identifies is really undertaken, we will develop science 
and ways of mobilizing the fruits of science that are consistent with the 



The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988 331 

environment. It is a much more complex question than how to manuhcture 
finished goods-the question goes to the purposes and practical bases of 
industry. 

The development of fundamentalism can be associated with the general 
confusion of the spirit and the concomitant hopelessness people feel when 
they are overwhelmed by social circumstances. They want answers now and 
they have been told that the answers are within a fundamentalist approach. 
After all, did not those who led them astray interpret allegorically all that 
they could in the Quran and the Hadith before totally abandoning them in 
some mad rush toward modernization? The natural response is to flee and 
attempt to create something that sadly never was. 

C. The Self-Peipetuating Core of the Malaise 

I agree that the educational system may be at the core but I must 
reemphasize the points I have raised earlier concerning the social context 
from which the educational system emerged and the socializing systems, hrmal 
and informal, which ready the students for their formal indoctrination. 
Consciousness is molded initially in the womb, then at the mother’s/fdher’s 
lap, then in the play with siblings and neighborhood children, cousins, etc. 
Long before the child attends school, the consciousness and its personal 
expression (that is to say, the child’s personality) is formed. As you know, 
this point of view finds its rationalization in the Hadith which describes the 
angelic visitation to the fetus in utero and its consequences. 

I do not doubt the harm that modernist and secularist schools have and 
continue to wreak on the Muslim people. 

While the portrayal of “the highest model of Muslim university teacher” 
may, in fact, describe some, it is essentially the straw man argument which 
many use to illustrate the point. There is a level of dishonesty within that 
argument because the question looms as to who has defined this model as 
the highest? And for what purpose? 

As for the matter of “Islamic vision”, I am not certain as to what the 
concept means and I found no definition within the text. The problem that 
it presents to the reader is obvious: if we are uncertain as to the definition 
of that vision, how do we know that the vision is our vision and, furthermore, 
how do we know that we maintain the correct vision? These are real dilemmas 
especially sensitive to the premise of this paper. After all, we, as readers, 
may have integrated into our consciousness a non-Islamic vision passed off 
on us by Muslim orientalists as the correct vision. Therefore, as we seek 
to fulfill this misapprehended vision, we are actually working against the 
cause of Islam and its correct vision. 



332 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988 

11. The Task 

The task presented here is consistent with the statement of the problem 
and many comments that I would make would be redundant. 

With the educational system as its focus, the recommendations are well 
thought out and well presented. The degree of modesty I found in the 
presentation was welcomed because the task is immense and does require 
much work from the ground level. How do we develop a self-perpetuating 
core of thinkers and teachers committed to the Islamization process? This 
is a difficult task and perhaps the collaboration between the International 
Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) and the Islamic University of Islamabad 
is the important first step. 

111. The Methodology and IV. The Workplan 
The presentation on Fiqh is very refreshing and mirrors many of the 

discussions I have had over the years since my student days. I have a strong 
suspicion that Faruqi had a great deal to do with this section because it reminds 
me of some of his best lectures. This, to me, is the most exciting and rewankg 
aspect of this treatise. The mobilization of Muslims toward the realization 
of the principles enumerated here is an honorable and noble struggle worthy 
of the highest honors from the Ummah. Although the path is found only 
through the process of protracted struggle, the direction is clear. This, in 
effect, could represent the finest struggle of our times. 

Other than this endorsement, there are few comments I would offer other 
than editorial emendations. 

There are some bold and innovative concepts presented here and I 
personally have no qualms about endorsing the work they call for. The concept 
of excellence in thought and action as a defense against corrupting influences, 
from within and without, is refreshing and necessary. 

In fact, these views are precisely what mobilized my consciousness when 
I was studying with Faruqi at Temple. However, the recalcitrance I found 
later so disappointed me that I felt quite justified in departing. Where was 
this vision then? I guess to everything there is a season . . . 

Summary Comments 

The stress placed on the educational system early in this treatise does 
not do adequate service to the premise upon which it is based. The vibrancy 
of the later sections is not foreshadowed in the statement of the problem. 



The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Vol. 5, No. 2, 1988 333 

It is, in some ways, provincial because many Muslims cannot identify with 
the problems of the Muslim world because of our rather tangential relationship 
with it; whereas, the problems of Muslims as presented in the later sections 
are close to all of our hearts. 

The IIIT should also consider the role of the other socializing processes 
and events which set the stage for the introduction of Muslim youth to the 
formal system. 

If we were to design a comprehensive program of Islamic education, 
it would include some objectives which address the following: 

The preparation of Muslimahs for motherhood. This would include 
prenatal care. By this I mean more than nutritional concerns. We know now 
that the fetus learns while in utero. We should suggest activities for mothers 
and fathers which help them bond with the baby and create a calming 
environment . . . 

The creation of learning activities such as games, using various media, 
which stress the Islamic perspective. Video games, group games, crossword 
puzzles, children's books, videotapes and films, outdoor activities such as 
scouting, hiking, sailing, etc. presented in a manner in which children will 
learn to look at the environment and their relationship with it from an Islamic 
perspective. 

The children must be led to the realization of an Islamic identity that 
stresses the same basic goals we know that the Prophet (SAAS) stressed for 
children. We must enable them to be strong both in body and mind. They 
should be accomplished in all of the arts and they should be required to 
not just survive but to be leaders in their communities and schools. 

We need to examine what it means to give our children a "good name". 
Superficially, this could mean one of the names of the Prophet (SAAS) or 
his companions. But it can also mean a name in the community that is respected 
because the people know what is behind it. 

In short, we must prepare them for success within an Islamized world 
including all of the social systems. The question is, of course, how to do 
these things! Selective du'wu could be used to gain the support of those who 
you feel could best aid in this endeavor. In regard to this last point, please 
let me know of anything that you feel I can do to aid in this work. Your 
brother in Islam, 

Umar A. Hassan 
Los Angeles, CA