Portrait of the Islamic Scholar

Abstract

With the growth in the number of departments, institutions, publications and scholarships dating to Islam and Muslims, concerns are increasing over bias and misrepresentation of the Islamic faith and its subscribers. Muslims tend to attribute this to two factors: American institutions rely mostly on non-Muslims to provide crucial information pertaining to Islam; and most institutions are secular, so it is against their policies and regulations to advocate that any religion holds the absolute truth. Although these factors pose a real threat to the spread of correct Islamic knowledge, they by no means stand alone. While it is natural for Muslims to object to the idea of non-Muslims teaching Islam because they lack familiarity with it, one is emmusly led to believe that the resolution of the. problem is in Muslims taking the task of teaching theii religion into theii own bands. Two myths must be dispelled: first, that all Muslims a~ qualified to teach their religion; and second, proficiency in Islamic knowledge sufficiently qualifies a Muslim for the challenging role of accurately transferring this knowledge to those whose perception is so different from hidher own. This article shows the diversity of the fields of study in which Islam and Muslims may be involved. either directly or indirectly. It then examines the. criteria set forth by many educational institutions for determining the qualifications for teaching in these fields. Because higher degrees awarded in pehent departments in American institutions are not sufficiently educating theii recipients in Islamic knowledge, the majority of non-Muslim candidates are unqualified to tackle the issues that involve Islam and Muslims. In an ever-changing world, the qualifications required to teach about Islam and Muslims must not be merely based on Islamic knowledge. but must also encompass a proficiency in global affairs. This immediately disqualifies the typical Muslim scholar. A presenter of Islam must be capable of responding to the challenges of the time, place, and people, without violating the policies and secular nature of the institution and without distorting or altering the religion. Since a real lasting solution is not presently in sight, some Islamic communities, in an attempt to put an end to bias and misrepresentation, have come up with quick fixes. This article describes how Muslim communities in Youngstown, Ohio, and Syracuse, New York, have become involved in educating their non-Muslim neighbors by responsibly cooperating with various local academic institutions. The author hopes that this study will prove helpful to other communities of Muslims and non-Muslims in their attempt to reach out to each other.