On the Nature and Scope of the Islamization Process: Towards Conceptual Clarification

Abstract

The Islamization of Knowledge movement seems to be at a point in its history where a conscious effort is needed to clarify the concepts and the different ways in which it is being used. This paper is meant to generate some discussion that may hopefully help to bring about some measure of conceptual clarity. The first part of the paper is an attempt to identify the different approaches to understanding the basic nature of the Islamization process itself. Here, we differentiate between two approaches: the "engagement" of modern social sciences scholarship and the "disengagement" therefrom. It is pointed out that the truth seems to lie somewhere in between the two approaches. The second part of the paper asserts that the term "Islamization" is being used in many confusing ways. A case is made for limiting the use of this term to Islamization of “Knowledge," rather than expanding it to Islamization of societies, or reducing it to the level of talking about the Islamization of "curricula."