The Islamic Studies Network
&
The Department of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies,
School of Modern Languages and Cultures
University of Leeds
Teaching Islamic Studies
Methodological Concerns, Practical Solutions
1- Introduction:
There are pressing concerns revolving around Muslim and non-Muslim academics, male and
female, teaching Islamic Studies in British Universities. These relate to problems of
objectivity, authority to speak on the subject, the expectations of both Muslim and nonMuslim students of their tutor taking into account their gender and religious orientation, and
countless other concerns.
Some of these concerns are not confined to the teacher-student rapport, but are also shared by
the University as a whole, but especially by those who are new to teaching, as many of these
issues are left for the individual to negotiate. There are no clear guidelines, advice, support
networks, etc… which an academic member of staff might draw upon in their attempt to
resolve one or more of these problems.
This also brings into play the issue of authority. Who has authority to speak on the subject of
Islamic Studies? Although it is widely believed that this is a challenge mostly faced by young
lecturers, it has been proved that older academics are not excluded.
Furthermore, while lecturers/professors are often judged by their audience according to their
‘Muslim’ appearance or their faith, it is often the case that an unveiled female
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lecturer/professor will be negotiating a minefield when speaking about women in Islam to a
group of ‘Muslim-looking’ students. Likewise, a non-Muslim or Western-looking male
lecturer may be doubted or not taken seriously by his audience when addressing Islamic
themes.
2- Aims of the Project:
The primary aim of this project is to draw upon the experiences of Muslim and non-Muslim,
male and female academics in UK universities who lecture on subjects relating to Islamic
Studies. In order for us to reach this goal we opened up new scholarly spaces and a platform
for wider discussions on the subject.
Based on the dynamic of ‘reflexivity’ we aimed to invite the speakers and their audience into
the act of reflecting on delivery and reception bearing in mind both ‘authority’ and
‘subjectivity’.
To achieve this aim we have organised two symposiums, the first one was held on 28 January
2012 and the second one on 28 April 2012.
Both symposiums brought together students as receptors and academics as the
authors/presenters to debate and discuss a subject which for many years they feared or did not
dare to question. This in fact represented both a challenge and an opportunity.
Speakers covered the multifarious situations they face as they deliver their teaching to groups
of Muslim and non-Muslim, male and female students with the tantalising issue of objectivity
in mind. This latter issue does not only represent a concern for the lecturer/professor but also
for their students who may be Muslim or otherwise.
Despite experiencing this situation almost on a daily basis, it has been largely overlooked in
higher education as a matter which concerns the individual lecturer rather than the academic
community as a whole. Staff development units at universities have not made this issue one
of the topics they cover while training new lecturers who would lecture in religious studies in
general and Islamic studies in particular. In order to fill this gap we have opted for video
recording the presentations and the ensued discussion as an expression of free and
unrestricted reflexivity on the subject of authority and objectivity. It is hoped that this
material/document will constitute a solid base for further research and reflection on this issue
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both amongst academic researchers and members of learning and teaching bodies in higher
education institutions.
3- Programmes:
First Symposium
A Vision for Teaching Islamic Studies in the University
Dr Jon Hoover, University of Nottingham
My address will commend 'critical humanism' as an ethical foundation for teaching Islamic
Studies in the university. Critical humanism seeks knowledge for the sake of making space in
the heart for others and participating in wider experiences of human community rather than
for domination and control. This humanism will be elaborated in dialogue with Edward
Said's critique of Orientalism, Said's secular humanism and call for a return to philology,
and my own Christian humanism. I will also provide a defense of objectivity understood not
as neutrality but as fairness and intellectual rigor in advocating one's own views and
representing the views of others.
Faith, Culture and the Secular Mind: How Do We Engage All Three?
Dr Alison Scott-Baumann, University of Gloucester
Within Britain there are demands for better, more inclusive understanding of Islam and the
West. Internationally there are major changes afoot in the Arab world and it is likely that
these changes will have a significant impact on British Muslims: there is already considerable
debate about secularism and Islam within pluralist societies like Britain, and such debate
often polarises the secular and the Islamic as mutually exclusive and antithetical to each other
as in Huntington’s theory of the clash of civilisations. Aggression towards Islam is
encouraged from within the establishment, and increases the need for clarity and exposure
within the university sector. I believe that UK universities and Muslim institutions can
benefit from collaborative work and linkages which can potentially lead to cross-fertilisations
of pedagogy and intellectual context. Gender equality is also an issue that can be addressed
through development of new pedagogies. Such progress is attainable, yet requires that the
artificial polarization of Islam and the West is addressed directly and openly by all parties.
This requires a brutally honest analysis of capitalisms, secularisms and the supposed ‘Other’.
In my judgement as a philosopher this requires a new political will and a new pedagogy, and
I will propose a way forward with the use of several indicative case studies from
collaborative partnership work and gender studies. These are flawed yet perhaps more
feasible than a new political will.
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Between Neo-classical Methodology and Fiqh: The Methodological (Mis)Construction
of Islamic Economics and Finance
Dr Mehmet Asutay, University of Durham
Islamic moral economy (IME) emerged in the post-colonial period as a response to the
underdevelopment of Muslim societies with the objective of constructing an authentic
development strategy through essentialising the ontological and epistemological sources of
Islam. While identity politics shaped the initial debate and conceptualisation of IME, since
1990s Islamic finance (IF) diverged from the aspirational and moral economy worldview of
Islam by articulating itself within the methodology of neo-classical economics and
‘declaring’ its tacit ‘independence’.
This paper aims to explore the observed dichotomous methodological development of IME
and IF, as two different methodological paths. In doing so, it aims to draw attention to the
importance of teaching these subjects through their peculiar methodological frameworks
rather than a pragmatist approach in mixing and matching resulting in ‘no methodological’
approach base, which is the prevailing case in the teaching of these subjects in the academia
and beyond. Therefore, this paper suggests that in aiming to overcome taqlid (mimicking)
and contributing to knowledge through tahqiq (essentialisation of peculiar Islamic
knowledge), an essential methodological approach must be developed, so that new IF
products can be engineered within the IME framework rather than ‘Islamising’ whatever the
conventional finance offers.
The methodological incontinency of rational-legalistic position of ‘fiqhi’ process within the
‘Islamising’ process is also examined in this paper; as usul al-fiqh has developed within the
particular axiomatic and foundational base of a particular madhab. However, the fiqh process
in IF in engineering conventional products into Islamic domain use different madhab
positions in halallising the various stages of a particular product. Thus, an IF product is not
produced within the framework of one madhab as usul al-fiqh suggests but a number of
madhab injunctions is utilised to make a product Shari’ah compliant. This suggests a mixand-match approach rather than an internally consistent and externally coherent approach in
developing knowledge, which suggests the pragmatism of IF and the fiqhi process.
This paper, as a consequence, locates the current methodological failures of IF in the
‘Islamisation of knowledge movement’ attempted since 1970s. New methodological
developments, however, have to go beyond such a complacent and defeatist attitude towards
knowledge by adapting an ‘authenticating’ approach aimed at by IME beyond endogenising
‘modernity’ and ‘multiple modernities’.
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25 Years of Learning and Teaching about Islam and Muslim Societies in the UK: multidisciplinary locations, changing contexts and new objects/relations of study
Dr Sean McLaughlin, University of Leeds
In the last 25 years, changing social contexts and intellectual frames have gradually
challenged and transformed the location of the study of Islam and Muslims in British
universities, both in terms of a classroom and staff that is more religiously and ethnically
diverse but also theories of knowledge, objectivity and authority that are shaped by
postcolonial and postmodern thinking. In this presentation I provide some brief reflexive
snapshots of my experience as a non-Muslim, white but non-English, male, student and
teacher of Islam and Muslim societies in UK higher education since the late 1980s. However,
while personal identity has often positioned me in teaching as in research, in a location
towards the periphery of ‘Islamic Studies’ in terms of Religious Studies, South Asian Studies
has been at least as important.
Reflecting on how all these issues have played out practically in the content and approach of
my teaching on Islam, contemporary Muslim societies and the UK diaspora, as well as in
relation to different constituencies of students – secular, Christian and Muslim- I will sketch
some contrasting examples of how issues of ‘objectivity’ and ‘authority’ have been
confronted and negotiated more or less successfully in interactions with undergraduate and
postgraduate students.
Teaching Women in Islam
Dr Masoumeh Velayati, Al-Maktoum Institute
The teaching of Islamic Studies in British Universities has a long history of over one hundred
years. However, Muslim women have received little attention in academic courses and hardly
any specific course has been allocated to their issues. This is despite the fact there is a large
body of literature from both secular and Islamic perspectives about Muslim women and their
issues mostly within Muslim countries and to some extent in the West. Moreover, Muslim
women as a group, face many negative stereotypes which need to be challenged in a more
constructive manner.
Therefore, this course is important as it gives a fair amount of attention to Muslim women
and their issues. The course examines the debate on women in Islam within a feminist
framework to discuss gender relations and dynamics in Muslim societies and highlight the
historical aspect of these dynamics and the contemporary challenges facing Muslim women
both in Muslim countries and the West. It evaluates the relationship between Islamic
feminism and secular feminism. It examines and analyses historical roots and development of
Islamic discourses on woman and gender. It also covers some legal and political issues with
regard to women’s rights such as marriage, divorce, dress code, and political participation in
different national contexts.
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Teaching Islam beyond Orientalism: The double gaze of the Cross-cultural
Dr Shuruq Naguib, University of Lancaster
The compelling argument of Said (1978) in Orientalism transformed our view of Islamic
studies and its history by deconstructing the embeddness of knowledge produced on the
‘orient’ in colonial relations of power. This has had a significant impact on the study of
Islam and on the interrogation of the various categories through which an academic discourse
on Islam has essentialised it as the ‘other’. In the Islamic studies classroom, however, the
intellectual and ideological problematics of Orientalism are very often eschewed, or briefly
introduced as an instance of theoretical reflection at a later stage of a study programme. In
this paper, I suggest that, for a critical pedagogy, the study of Islam should be situated within
a framework of a double critique, one that interrogates constructions of both the ‘orient’ and
‘occident’ , not only to go beyond the limitations of Said’s one-sided analysis but also to
resist the resilient epistemological subjection of ‘Islam’ as an object of western fascination. I
propose that a cross-cultural framework, that is conscious of the double and reciprocal gaze it
invites, is a powerful way of achieving a double critique that allows those teaching and
studying Islam to also reflect upon the epistemological agency within Islamic discourses in
constructing the ‘occident’. This, on the basis of my teaching experience, has been a powerful
way to unsettle patterns of reproducing critical or apologetic discourses which objectify and
essentialise Islam and to bring the students of Islam to recognise and consciously question
their own positionality and their agency in knowledge production.
Teaching and Studying Islam: Consciousness and Engagement
Dr Saeko Yazaki, University of Cambridge
How do we teach Islam and monotheistic faiths in general? If religious truth is provided
through revelation, how can we discuss it logically when faith makes sense only to its
believers? Modern western academia is in general expected to demonstrate intellectuality,
rather than divine truth, using impartial scholarly accounts and conceptual tools. Towards
religion and ideology, secular universities are dominated by a neutralist and rationalist
atmosphere. The aim of Islamic studies, therefore, does not concern the authenticity or falsity
of the belief and practice of Muslims.
Nevertheless, the issue of authority and credentials often creeps into class, because of the
very presence of a teacher and the dialogical nature of classroom education. Some believers
may feel that their religion can be understood, and by extension taught, only by its followers.
Non-Muslim students may suspect that Muslim teachers are trying to promote a positive
image of Islam. One of the learning outcomes of secular universities, critical analytical skills,
complicates the matter further by asking believers to divorce themselves from their belief
emotionally. In front of non-Muslims and fellow believers, Muslim students (and possibly
teachers) may feel uncomfortable in demonstrating intellectual scepticism about their belief,
even though they remain firm religiously.
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This paper seeks to emphasise the importance of consciousness and engagement in teaching
and studying Islam. Drawing on two different patterns of my experience in teaching about
Islam as a researcher, and Japanese religious traditions as someone from Japan, I argue that it
is unavoidable to take account of the difference in knowledge of religion through
participation and observation. In this pluralistic society, it seems more important and realistic
to learn constructive ways to cope with disagreements, not only to seek for agreement.
Challenging and being challenged through discussion should equip us with an understanding
both experientially and intellectually that particular views of the world should not be given
privilege.
Second Symposium
Teaching Jihad: Identity Politics and University
Dr Amir Saeed, Senior Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies
The events of 9/11 and the subsequent levels of hostility events have made me question my
own notion of identity and hybridity. Increasingly I experience and see Muslims having to
emphasise their Britishness. It seems they are given a stark choice between being British or
being Muslim. In short assimilate not just integrate. This paper examines the current political
situation from a personal perspective and argues that Muslims in the West are now starting to
increasingly question and debate issues of belonging.
As a Muslim lecturer teaching media studies this piece reviews the concepts of objectivity
and subjectivity in terms of informing research methodology. It suggests that a subjective
approach informed by feminist methodology has informed not just research interests but also
my teaching/lecturing pedagogy post 9/11. It further argues that such an approach does not
hinder or restrict knowledge but can help illuminate the research process and how Muslim
academics can reflect on teaching/research processes given the current social/political
climate.
Confronting the Elephant in the Room: Teaching Islamic Studies from a Critical
Insider Perspective
Dr Mustapha Sheikh, Lecturer in Islamic Studies
Beginning with a brief overview of the insider/outsider perspectives in the study and teaching
of religion, this paper will make a case for the teaching of Islamic Studies via a critical
insider perspective, particularly (though not exclusively) for those “problem” subjects that are
of an ethical, philosophical, sociological or political nature. Whilst it is understandable that
some lecturers will want to circumvent the “problem” subjects, the paper argues that such
issues do not go away just because they are being ignored. More importantly, to avoid them is
to potentially deny students the opportunity to develop key academic skills such as critical
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thought and problem-solving. As well as demonstrating some of the advantages (and indeed
disadvantages) of the critical insider perspective, the paper will suggest some of the key tools
required for the approach to work successfully.
Judged by Appearance: Muslimness and Performativity, on Balancing Authority and
Objectivity
Dr Ameena Al-Rasheed, Assistant Professor in Gender and Peace Education
The authority and capacity of speaking about the subject is intrinsically related to our gender,
religious performativity, ethnicity and social class. Mainstreaming a particular performativity
of Muslimness, creates a hierarchal power dynamics that makes Muslims’ appearances and
performativities the yard stick for inclusion and exclusion. Drawing from the experience of
working with Muslim Sudanese women, this presentation will interrogate the cross cutting
edges of Muslimness, ethnicities, social class and performativity, highlighting the pros and
cons of being an insider (Muslim and African) and an outsider ( not-veiled, outside the
mainstream Islam as constructed in the UK context). The deconstruction of the social
structure that is built in hierarchies would help addressing issues of representation, exclusion
and inclusion.
Between Authority and Objectivity: Teaching Women, Islam and Society
Dr Hiam El-Gousy, Research Fellow in Islamic Studies
The representations of Muslim women in the West usually capture the main image of the veil,
as well as the Hareem society as depicted in the early periods of Orientalism. These
stereotypical images go beyond the veil, towards portraying images of gender based inequity,
subjugation, and lack of intellectuality as authentic characteristics of Muslim societies. These
images are produced in the West within specific politics of representation. Such generalized
portrayals do not render a genuine delineation of the Muslim woman. The aim of this paper is
to reflect on my current experience in teaching women, culture and Islam and to capture the
responses around authority and objectivity in presenting alternative images of Muslim
women that challenge the prevailing standardized images of these women and their society.
4- Concluding Remarks:
This project brought together Muslim and non-Muslim, male and female academics from UK
universities who lecture on subjects relating to Islamic Studies together with students of both
genders and of various faiths and walks of life. In a friendly and collegial atmosphere they
discussed a subject which they found new on the one hand while on the other hand it invited
them to reflect on a recurring situation which occurs in the classroom almost on a daily basis.
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Speakers exposed and discussed the multifarious situations they face as they deliver their
teaching to groups of Muslim and non-Muslim students with the tantalising issue of authority
and objectivity in mind. Consensus was reached that this latter issue does not only represent a
concern for the lecturer but also for their students who may be Muslim or otherwise.
The produced document (video recording of the symposiums) both contextualises the issues
and proposes guidelines and advice for those new and not too new Islamic Studies
professionals.
What proved to be another area for investigation, which we would keenly pursue in the future
– provided funds become available – is the students’ perspective and the basis on which they
base their opinion in granting, or otherwise, authority to their lecturer or speaker. One
participant explained that a veiled lecturer/speaker is considered to have authority to
speak/lecture on ‘Women in Islam’. From my perspective as an unveiled Muslim woman it
proves more difficult for me to convince my audience that I have the same authority to
address the same subject; very often students would ask me whether I was a Muslim woman
or a mere ‘feminist’ who is critical on all things to do with the faith, etc...
We consider that the two symposiums were successful. This is partly because of the subject
matter they addressed and the variety of speakers we invited. Many found that this topic is
very original and were never before given the opportunity to reflect on such an issue which is
part of the learning and teaching process and at the same time a valuable subject for
academic research. Testimony to this is the feedback we received from those who attended
and those who found the subject very interesting but could not attend and requested access to
the recorded resource. This impact resulted in attracting the media; two magazines will report
on the event in their forthcoming volumes.
The numbers of delegates who attended these symposiums is also testimony to their success
(60 for 1st symposium and 50 for 2nd symposium). A reading into the names of the attendants
shows that the audience was made of Muslim and non-Muslim, male and female,
undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as members of staff from across the
University of Leeds and from other UK universities including Manchester, York and
Bradford.
Zahia Smail Salhi
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