The phrase "Islamisation of knowledge" was first used and proposed by the Malaysian scholar Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas in his book "Islam and Secularism" . It was also proposed by the PalestinianphilosopherIsmail Al-Faruqi, in 1982, in response to what he called "the malaise of the ummah". He argued that by using tools, categories, concepts and modes of analysis that originated wholly in the secular West, there was a disconnect between the ecological and social reality of Muslim nations, and worse, a total inability to respect or even notice the violations of ethics of Islam itself. In his view, clashes between traditionalist ulema and reformers seeking to revive Muslim society with modern science and professional categories, were inevitable without the strong ethical constraints that applied to methods of early Muslim philosophy. He proposed therefore to revive those methods, restore ijtihad and integrate scientific method within Islamic limits. A significant example of the movement to islamize knowledge is the International Institute of Islamic Thought, based in the US state of Virginia.
Criticism and debate
Critics argue that there are vast differences between the kind of ethics that are applied in the modern labour movement or the anti-globalization movement, for example, and those that would be applied by any believer in the literal interpretation of the Qur'an. Thus, any cooperation of modern ethical reformers and those seeking guidance from classical Islam would be doomed from the start. There are, however, debates regarding Islamic feminism and ethics of technology wherein secular concerns seem to often echo the terms of reference of a classical critique: Catholic theology was well integrated with scientific knowledge from the time of Aquinas to the time of Galileo, and that too was a deliberate program. Critics suggest that this also demonstrates the futility of trying to inhibit scientific research with reference to any religious fundamentalism. In modern times, Pope John Paul II called at times for restraining the sciences to work strictly within a Christian ethical framework, and respect the boundaries between what is known by faith versus reason - his "Fides et Ratio" and "Gospel of Life" make some points in common with Al-Faruqi, calling likewise for strong ethical limits and a curtailment of curiosity or "knowledge for knowledge's sake".
