Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization

Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ITC) – Categorized Objectives

1. Intellectual and Philosophical Aims

   • To initiate critical dialogue on the multiple dimensions of Islamic civilization and its enduring relevance to contemporary times.
   • To deliberate upon the issues and challenges confronting Muslim societies today, with the objective of addressing them constructively and building consensus on the way forward.
   • To remain mindful of all previous attempts—internal and external—to reconstruct, revise, redefine, reshape, and renew what Islam means and how this meaning is socially practiced.
   • We recognize that there can be no sufficient intellectual service to Islam without engagement and dialogue with scholars and thinkers beyond the fold of Islam, or outside dominant sectarian frameworks. We therefore aim to sustain critical dialogue with external discourses, informing our broader mission of harmony and peace studies.

2. Educational and Pedagogical Goals

   • To develop new frameworks of learning and teaching, innovative methodologies, and research that can positively influence and reshape the identity and intellectual fabric of Muslim society.
   • To design rigorous and comprehensive courses in research methodology, providing students full exposure to conceptual orientations, theoretical foundations, and practical research skills.
   • Each doctoral thesis should constitute a distinct and original contribution that advances the frontiers of knowledge, demonstrating critical awareness of both classical and contemporary perspectives.
   • Through education and scholarship, to strengthen intellectual capacities for understanding Islam as an ideology that is both historical and contemporary, capable of addressing the evolving challenges of our times.

3. Civilizational and Cultural Exploration

   • To highlight the diverse facets of Islamic civilization and the many dimensions of Islamic thought as reformed through historical experience, while maintaining a strong focus on the future as embedded in the present.
   • To study contemporary and innovative reinterpretations of conservative Islam, creating inclusive spaces for dialogue among the diverse sects, traditions, and dogmas that span the breadth of Islam.
   • As Islamic civilization affirms innovative knowledge, advancement, peace, harmony, universalism, and a forward-looking orientation, the program adopts these as its cornerstones, shaping both curriculum and research endeavors.

4. Interdisciplinary and Institutional Integration

   • To design curricula and programs that meaningfully contribute to other professional fields within the university, addressing the needs of those engaged in policy formulation, management, and technological practice — fostering cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration.
   • The Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilization (ITC) shall distinguish itself from conventional Islamic Studies programs. It aims to offer innovative programs, state-of-the-art facilities, and a forward-looking administrative and pedagogical approach that attract faculty and students committed to broad, bold, and creative research.

5. Research Orientation and Thematic Areas

   • To ensure research remains cutting-edge, critically conscious of past and contemporary perspectives, and directed toward advancing knowledge.
   • Suggested Research Fields include (but are not limited to): Muslim Civilization: Decline and Reform; Islam in the 21st Century; Globalization and Islam; The Modern Muslim Identity; Islam and the West; Islamic Arts and Culture; Islamic Law; Political Islam; Islam and Technology; Islamic Economics; Islam and Medicine; Islam and Fashion; Islam and Business; and Islam and Science.