Islamic education needed to solve future problems
Monday, August 27, 2007
THE world is facing many problems: global warming, epidemics, extinction of species and dwindling natural resources. An expertise in science and technology is not sufficient to solve such problems; but there is a fundamental tool for humankind to survive in this ageing planet: spiritual intelligence.
If you have spiritual intelligence, you will manage to face any problem gracefully, even if science and technology cannot solve it.
The belief that disaster can only happen because of God's will, and that God will help us face it, gives us a positive attitude toward life.
Positive attitude is one of several important factors enabling success in our work and in facing future challenges.
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, early this year, announced the establishment of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (Unissa). Starting this month, the University has started its operation as the second such institution in Brunei, distinguishing itself with an emphasis on Islamic teaching.
At the moment, 150 students have been accepted as new students, among 400 applicants.
It is a good step for Brunei to have an Islamic university, which is hoped not only to educate and produce intellectuals, but intellectuals with strong attachments to spirituality.
Despite its size, Brunei Darussalam was cited by Unesco as one of the most educated countries in Asia. In 2005, a report on World Human Development also cited Brunei in the "High Human Development" world short list. For such a small population, the country has done a lot to guarantee that every citizen receives a good education.
His Majesty the Sultan expressed, in a titah, his desire to see graduates have "marketable knowledge" to fulfill the needs of employers both in the government and the private sector.
He emphasised that the goal was to have a centre of Islamic studies that would become a Bruneian landmark in this world and in the afterlife.
Unissa is the ideal seedbed for the development of Islamic solutions not only for the country but also to help face the problems that many Muslims are facing in the world whether in economy, politics or justice.
It is also time for Islam to regain its glory in science. History tells us that many of the modern sciences were invented and/or developed by Muslim scientists.
Muslim leaders were among the best in history of humankind. The 12-year reign of the Caliph Umar is simply unparalleled in excellence. Unfortunately, Muslims have not been able to maintain the first place in the development of science, technology and social politics.
The Islamic core of higher education is paramount in light of the very small number of Islamic universities throughout the world, although the global Muslim population is booming. There are now about almost two billion Muslims in the world.
For every four people there is one Muslim. There are two Muslims for each Hindu or Buddhist, and even 100 Muslims for each Jew. Yet most scientists come from European descent (mostly Jewish), and now — more and more — from India and China. Where are the Muslim scientists?
Another reason why Unissa is promising is that it will not only cater to domestic needs but also give an alternative for young people from neighbouring Muslim countries, including those coming from Philippines and Thailand, who want to study Islam.
In the 57 OIC countries there are only 500 universities, one for every three million Muslims. In the US alone there are 5,758 universities while India has 8,407. Thus, Unissa is most certainly the fruit of leadership with vision.
The Brunei Times
If you have spiritual intelligence, you will manage to face any problem gracefully, even if science and technology cannot solve it.
The belief that disaster can only happen because of God's will, and that God will help us face it, gives us a positive attitude toward life.
Positive attitude is one of several important factors enabling success in our work and in facing future challenges.
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, early this year, announced the establishment of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (Unissa). Starting this month, the University has started its operation as the second such institution in Brunei, distinguishing itself with an emphasis on Islamic teaching.
At the moment, 150 students have been accepted as new students, among 400 applicants.
It is a good step for Brunei to have an Islamic university, which is hoped not only to educate and produce intellectuals, but intellectuals with strong attachments to spirituality.
Despite its size, Brunei Darussalam was cited by Unesco as one of the most educated countries in Asia. In 2005, a report on World Human Development also cited Brunei in the "High Human Development" world short list. For such a small population, the country has done a lot to guarantee that every citizen receives a good education.
His Majesty the Sultan expressed, in a titah, his desire to see graduates have "marketable knowledge" to fulfill the needs of employers both in the government and the private sector.
He emphasised that the goal was to have a centre of Islamic studies that would become a Bruneian landmark in this world and in the afterlife.
Unissa is the ideal seedbed for the development of Islamic solutions not only for the country but also to help face the problems that many Muslims are facing in the world whether in economy, politics or justice.
It is also time for Islam to regain its glory in science. History tells us that many of the modern sciences were invented and/or developed by Muslim scientists.
Muslim leaders were among the best in history of humankind. The 12-year reign of the Caliph Umar is simply unparalleled in excellence. Unfortunately, Muslims have not been able to maintain the first place in the development of science, technology and social politics.
The Islamic core of higher education is paramount in light of the very small number of Islamic universities throughout the world, although the global Muslim population is booming. There are now about almost two billion Muslims in the world.
For every four people there is one Muslim. There are two Muslims for each Hindu or Buddhist, and even 100 Muslims for each Jew. Yet most scientists come from European descent (mostly Jewish), and now — more and more — from India and China. Where are the Muslim scientists?
Another reason why Unissa is promising is that it will not only cater to domestic needs but also give an alternative for young people from neighbouring Muslim countries, including those coming from Philippines and Thailand, who want to study Islam.
In the 57 OIC countries there are only 500 universities, one for every three million Muslims. In the US alone there are 5,758 universities while India has 8,407. Thus, Unissa is most certainly the fruit of leadership with vision.
The Brunei Times
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