About the Project:
This project aims to begin an academic and practitioner dialogue on the broad field of Islam, Science and Education, particularly in Muslim contexts. Our long term aim is to support educators seeking to address and navigate perceived conflicts between the teaching of Islam and the teaching of Science and to address challenging questions from their learners.
We acknowledge that competing epistemologies, ontologies and ethical perspectives make this a challenging and controversial field. The project aims to develop critical consciousness in both educators and learners to consider challenges to a positivist approach that sees Science as ‘objective knowledge’ and to recognise the role of Science as part of a wider modernist and colonial project. Further, we seek to develop educator confidence to approach the teaching of Science through an ethical orientation that supports Scientific research from within an Islamic worldview and to acknowledge that there are multiple ways of doing this. Finally, we seek to support educators to draw on the Islamic intellectual tradition and scholarly adab to begin to navigate the teaching of Science in Muslim contexts. As always, the Islamic Educator Learning Community Platform is a space for respectful dialogue towards education in Muslim contexts. The views expressed by individuals in this project are their own and are not the policy or views of the platform or those running it.
The Islam, Science and Education Conference is part of the Cambridge Dialogues: Rethinking Islamic Education project at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. The educator workshops are in partnership with the Islamic Educator Learning Community Platform
About the Conference:
- Conference Details: Please see this overview at the University of Cambridge site.
- Conference Location: Online
- Conference dates: 1st – 2nd July 2023
- Conference Timings: 12pm – 4.45pm British Summer Time
- Conference Programme available here
- Some of the sessions are available as videos on our Youtube channel.
Reconciling Islamic Worldviews and Science Education: The Darajat Pedagogy in Muslim Schools – Afsan Redwan
Islam, Sci & Ed: The Role of Madrasa Teachers in Navigating Complexities & Shaping Student Attitudes – Muhammad Bilal
Theology for the 21st Century: Lessons from Teaching Islamic Theology to STEM University Students – Hisham Jafar Ali
Said Nursi, Science and Education: A Panel Presentation – Dr Necati Aydin, Aisha Al Owais, Uzma Ahmed
Re-blossoming as a Theoretical Framework for Muslim Science Educators – Usama Javed Mirza
Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Islam, Science and Education: A Panel Discussion – Arnold Yasin Mol, Dr Shoaib Malik and Dr Farah Ahmed
Queries can be directed via email to:
- Usama Javed Mirza (ujm20@cam.ac.uk)
- Dr Farah Ahmed (fa287@cam.ac.uk)
- Dr Shoaib Ahmed Malik (sm02@cambridgemuslimcollege.ac.uk)
- Dr Nadeem Memon (Nadeem.Memon@unisa.edu.au)
- Dr Fella Lahmar (fella.lahmar@open.ac.uk)
We are working with:
- University of Cambridge Faculty of Education
- Camtree: the Cambridge Teacher Research Exchange
- Leverhulme Trust
