"The Teaching and Study of Islam in Western Universities"
Edited by Paul Morris, William Shepard, Paul Trebilco, Toni Tidswell.
London and New York: Routledge, 2014
Review by Nevad Kahteran
is a collection of articles discussing the role of Islamic studies in Western universities.
The book focuses on the key issues of the relationship between the study of Islam and the cultures created by the religion, as well as the acceptable public role of an Islamic scholar. The book is part of a larger attempt to convey real Islamic teaching in light of current issues in Western colleges. The University of Otago and Victoria University of Wellington co-host the New Zealand Centre for the Study of Islam and Muslim Cultures, which is becoming increasingly diversified with Muslim migrant and refugee groups. This book is the result of a joint effort to have a better knowledge of Islam.
To which extent would western universities benefit from teaching Islam? and What are the methods to teaching Islam to student living in AI sphere?
To what extent will western universities benefit from Islamic teaching?
The answer depends very much on the glasses we use. If post-colonialist glasses are used, then what Bacon postulated applies. Knowledge is power. And power can be operationalized and the ability to control. The more you have (reliable and valid) knowledge, the more you have power. The more you have power, the more yon can control (whoever).
But if egalitarian glasses are used, then there is the possibility of sharing perspectives, and then sharing understanding, which ultimately leads to the ability to understand each other.
The problem is, in the AI environment, there is no one or a small group of authorities that can dictate the truth. Everything that is circulating in the AI world is post-truth, which is open to being questioned, debated, and even destroyed by AI algorithms.
In fact, truth should be accepted as an essential value, while benefits should be seen as instrumental values. All truths are certainly useful, but not everything that is useful is true. Seek the truth, then we will get both: truth and benefits.
This is not a scientific or academic answer, but simply a common sense answer that arises spontaneously.