Islamic colleges need new curriculum
Islamic colleges need new curriculum
JAKARTA (JP): Islamic higher learning institutes need to revamp their curriculum to reflect more the values of the religion, noted intellectual Emha Ainun Najib, said.
Speaking during a seminar on Saturday, Emha said he found most of the curricula used by Indonesia's Islamic universities and colleges to be rather "secular" because they are adopted from the western education tradition.
Citing an example, he said most curriculum put biology and mathematics into the category of general subjects, while Nahwu Sharaf, or Arabic grammar, is considered a religious subject. "It's got nothing to do with religion whatsoever," he said.
Emha made the remarks during a discussion on the future of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Institute for Islamic Studies in Jakarta, which marked its 38th anniversary this month. The institute, which has produced some of the country's top Moslem thinkers, will soon become a full-fledged university.
Emha, who was the guest speaker at the discussion, said the Western education system makes a clear distinction between science and religious studies. Islam, however, regards science as a component of the religion, not separate.
He said even the Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals has been trapped into the Western way of thinking when it coined the phrase iman dan takwa (faith and worship) to distinguish it from ilmu dan technology (science and technology).
"Why make the distinction at all?" he asked, adding that this approach leads to the impression that ilmu dan technology is secular.
The association, under the leadership of State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, stressed recently the need for Moslem intellectuals to master both iman dan takwa, as well as ilmu dan technology.
Emha said Islam's view on science is clearly stipulated in the Koran's verse Iqro (Read), the first verse given by God to Prophet Muhammad commanding him to read.
The verse has been broadly interpreted as a command for Moslems to study and to learn.
Emha said the challenge facing Moslem students is how to give religious interpretation to the subjects they are studying.
This means that the curriculum must bring harmony to religious values and science. "This is something that the western education system does not have," he added.
Mastuhu M.A, the Jakarta institute's deputy rector, reported at the discussion on the preparations to turn the institute into a full university.
The Jakarta institute is waiting for a green light from Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher, Mastuhu said. "We have reported to the minister the result of a study to support the plan."
The Jakarta institute is one of 14 such institutions run by the government. While universities are supervised by the Ministry of Education and Culture, these institutes throughout Indonesia are supervised by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Some of the country's leading public figures, such as Amin Rais (current chairman of Muhammadiyah and deputy chairman of the Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals) and Zainuddin M.Z., a religious leader with a million followers, are among the institute's alumni.
The institute in Jakarta has faculties in Tarbiyah (Education), Syariah (Law), Ushuludin (History), Adab (Ethics), Dakwah (Missionary).
With 4,600 students enrolled, the Jakarta institute is the largest of all other institutes in Indonesia. It is also the only institution that has a doctoral program.
Along with Emha, Saturday's discussion also presented Haidar Bagir, Republika's editor, as speaker. (01)