7. ALTERNATE VALUES:
I
am sure that gatherings and conferences host peoples from diverse traditions. Countries
like USA, Germany and South Africa might have a predominant religion, i.e.,
Christianity, with varying percentage of denominations Catholic, Protestants,
Evangelical and minorities committed to Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and
others. Other countries, e.g., Pakistan, predominantly follows Islam with
minorities committed to other faiths. Questions arise as to the differences in fundamental
values and how should education differ? The following are translations of
relevant Islamic verses from the Quran indicating fundamental values and world
view.
On
reality, “And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your
colors. Indeed, in that are signs for those of knowledge.”[1] (Al Quran 30:22) Seeking
Knowledge, “O mankind! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and a
female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to
know one another.” (Al Quran 49:13) On meaning of life, “I have created the
jinn and humankind only to worship.” (Al Quran 51:56) On education, “Recite in
the name of your Lord who created. Created man from a clinging substance
(clot). Read: And your Lord is the Most Generous. He Who taught by the pen.
Taught man what he never knew.” (Al Quran 96:1/5).
On reality, a diverse
reality is affirmed. Revealing
that man and woman are condemned to worship forwards that idea that prejudice
is structured in reality. In an environment of diversity and prejudice, man and
woman are directed to know about one another.
On personal character, Imam
Muslim has recorded the narration on the authority of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah,
that the prophet said, “A strong believer is better and more beloved in the
sight of Allah than a weak believer, [however], there is good in [both types]
(Hadith). On piety: Being
mindful (Taqwa), being an essential element of our faith (Iman), embodies the
purely internal and contemplative attitude of heart. It leads us to
righteousness, makes us moral, gives us comfort, and carries the spirit of all
rituals. And it is only through being mindful we acknowledge the presence of
the Divine in our lives and acknowledge Him being the creator and us being His
faithful creation.
On economy, trade (or
commerce) plays a vital role in human life. It has a central role in the
economy of each and every society. It is a source of income as well
as a way of human practices. Interests of human being in industries, agriculture
or any other profession is for the purpose of trade. In society
collective economic activities and division of labor satisfies needs and
develops the community. Buy and sell or barter (exchange of goods and
services) is one of these collective activities. Trade is
the exchange of goods and services for the purpose of earnings.
On education, we have to
ask what does "taught by the pen" mean or refer to, especially that
the pen is a metaphor for both tool and language? First, regarding the
fundamentals of human nature, the pen refers to tools that are discovered by anticipation
and play, as well as the role of tools in the development of objectivity,
gestures, symbols, language and consciousness. Second, tools refer to text both
discursive and graphic, the endurance of text that enables revisiting, i.e.,
temporal distance, to be surprised by the text, to understand one’s biases, and
bring about a new understanding of its open message. The endurance of text also
enables the transfer knowledge across geography and time, acquisition of new
knowledge, and enables the accumulation of knowledge, i.e., civilization. In
extension, the pen refers to language as a medium through which we understand
and communicate, through which we live and engage in the world, and one that
transforms cognition to social constructions of reality. The pen also refers to
writing where our contemplation separated us from every-day-life, where we
express personal conviction about the message or theory we etch in stone. Third,
the pen refers to tools and productivity that enables the development of
knowledge embodied in the first verse: What knowledge and tool development were
required since the 8th century to know that human creation starts from the
“clinging clot”? Pen in referring to text, gives priority to acquisition of
knowledge not habits; knowledge about our natural and human reality.
The differences between
faiths is clear regarding reality as constituted of good and evil as opposed to
diverse cultures as a positive creation, on the mission of service vs mission of
knowledge, on the character of believer as being weak or strong, as meaning of
life in service or worship, on prejudice to seek ‘freedom’ as opposed to be
condemned to prejudice, and the primacy of service as opposed to the primacy of
trade (service included), all point to the fundamental differences in core
values.
An educational
curriculum, i.e., ‘progressive’ pedagogy, cannot be justified in reference to
Islamic tradition. For Islam, and in extension to the idea of humanity being
diverse in order to know one another, I propose an education of acquaintance. In
education of acquaintance, instead of subjecting the student to the diverse
nature of reality, the student is encouraged to know about this diverse reality
without necessarily committing to, or tacitly adopting to the habits of, one
tradition or another; or cleansing the student of commitment that maybe freely re/contemplated.
In educational as acquaintance, the teacher performs to uncover his (or her)
tradition, visitors should also deliver their commitments, that is without
judging or e.g., forcing students to comply. Opinions are mere preferred points
of view to be reflected upon and maybe discussed. The core of the new pedagogy
is to brief students about the hazards of diversity. In this approach,
intellect has primacy, adaptability and conformity is a willful decision not habit.
On
scientific research, being true to the fundamental conditions of human
existence is the mandate of scientific research. The goal of uncovering the
diversity of existence, not its erosion, permits human freedom and choice. The
world view underlying the research agenda acknowledges and reveals diversity
and prejudices as fundamental indestructible structure in reality, and one that
seeks the freedom to reflect and choose one’s prejudices. Science that explains
existence should be true to that existence by recognizing its diversity.