Teaching about Islamic morality, working towards a balanced view of Islam
Terence Lovat
Research Summary
Islam’s reputation has been seriously compromised. Islamophobia and Islamism have been unlikely allies in this: Islamophobia thrives on negative stereotypes of Muslims, whilst Islamism thrives on the divisive effects of these stereotypes, which make it easier to portray Islam and ‘the West’ as enemies. The author calls for a balanced, evidence-based study of Islam’s morality (and contribution to human values) as a responsible way between these extremes. Four areas of Islamic morality are traced – inter-religious tolerance, scholarship, social welfare and gender equality. They stand in contrast to much of the popular image of Islam today, and need urgently to be studied. This would have the benefit of creating better understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim people and communities. Given the need for the RE curriculum and RE teachers to represent religious traditions fairly and accurately, the research presented in this article is highly relevant to both.
Researcher
Terence Lovat
Research Institution
University of Newcastle, Australia
What is this about?
- This is about the need for balanced teaching about Islamic morality; a vital task, since much ‘knowledge’ about Islam in western societies is driven by radical Islamist versions of Islam.
- Examples of Islamic morality are presented, to shed light on Islam’s more positive contribution to human values and moral behaviour.
- The examples are from the following areas: inter-religious and inter-cultural tolerance; scholarship and science; social welfare; and gender equality.
What was done?
This is a scholarly essay which examines historical and contemporary sources and discussions of Islamic morality, making the case for a balanced and evidence-based treatment of these within education.
Main findings and outputs
- There are plentiful passages in Islam’s sacred texts that insist on respectful treatment of members of other faiths, e.g. in the Qur’an: Sura 21: 107 reads: ‘We have not sent you except to be a provider of mercy and peace to all humankind.’ Sura 109:: ‘to you be your religion and to me be mine.’
- Many scholars view Islamic societies such as medieval Cordoba as models of inter-religious tolerance, though this is also disputed.
- Against the stereotype of Islam as intellectually backward, for Islam, knowledge is God’s and the more knowledgeable we are, the more we can come to understand God. Medieval Islam pioneered scientific methodology, in areas such as engineering and medicine.
- The third pillar of Islam, zakat, is evidence of a strong commitment to social welfare. From the earliest days, a proportion of income, usually 2.5%, was deducted to support anyone in need. While an ethic towards assisting the poor is to be found in the other Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Christianity, only Islam spells out the obligation in the form of a tax.
- There are mixed views of Islam’s contribution to gender equality, some positive, others not. But the Qur’an guaranteed women’s right to inheritance, including of property, as well as rights for women to initiate divorce and testify in court. It protected women’s rights against coercion, including against sexual violence in marriage. Today, some scholars see the struggle to recover the voice of women as a recovery of Islam itself.
Relevance to RE
The material provided is of direct use to RE curriculum and pedagogy. The overall model (of steering a middle path between Islamism and Islamophobia) can be employed by curriculum developers and teachers in the service of balance, and the individual examples given can be used as teaching points when teaching about Islam. Lack of space permits only brief indications of the main points (above); teachers interested in using them as lesson items are advised to read the original article.
Generalisability and potential limitations
The material is of general use and relevance in preparing resources on and teaching about Islam. The research data come from a very broad and carefully considered base.
Find out more
Islamic morality: Teaching to balance the record, Journal of Moral Education 45.1 pages 1-15 (published online 4 May 2016), 10.1080/03057240.2015.1136601
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03057240.2015.1136601