Editorial

This paper sheds light on the important and mostly neglected role that parents play in raising their children, namely empowerment through character development, impartment of knowledge and skills. The key objective of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the concept of empowerment of children from the Islamic perspective and the importance of character and values education in today’s society. The paper is structured around six core sections describing the role of parents in children’s (1) virtues and character formation and development, (2) physical development, (3) emotional development, (4) mental development, (5) intellectual development, and lastly their role in preparing children for the realities of life and death. The focus of this paper is character formation and development. Character development and impartment of knowledge and skills are the three crucial and mandatory requirements for children’s empowerment. The paper outlines the ideas underlying character refinement or character education focusing on its meaning, aims, importance, and the role of parents, teachers, and community as character educators. It outlines some of the moral qualities of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as the universal model of all virtues and goodness. This is qualitative research employing descriptive methods with literature review analysis. The primary sources of this paper comprise selected verses from the Qur’an and their exegesis (tafsir) and Hadith, both of which constitute the major source of guidance for Muslims. Its secondary sources consist of books, journals, and other materials. The English translation of the selected verses is based on Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an and The Qur’an: Arabic Text with Corresponding English Meanings by Saheeh International because of their simplistic and comprehensive language. Due to the multidimensional use of words in the Arabic language, it is difficult to translate them into one specific word, therefore, we have retained the Arabic concepts but given some of their meanings in the brackets. Our main contention in this paper is that: first, knowledge, skills, and values or personality traits need to be combined for a thriving life; second, moral values are of paramount significance to peaceful coexistence and harmony in society. They are critical for sustainable living. Without them, there is no cohesion and solidarity among people. Hence, there is no civilization; third, learning is of little value and with no soul unless core ethical values are added to it. Hence, one of the aims of education is to graduate ethical individuals; fourth, the development of character in children is not just the responsibility of parents and schools, it is also the responsibility of those who come into contact with them; last but not least, character education should be included as a core component of schools’ curriculum.

This Campbell systematic review examines the effectiveness of women's economic self‐help groups (ESHG) on individual women empowerment in low‐and middle‐income countries. It also examines the mechanisms that empower women through female participants' experiences of ESHG membership. The review summarises findings from 23 quantitative studies and 11 qualitative studies. The vast majority of these studies was conducted in South Asia. ESHG have positive effects on women's economic and political empowerment, as well as social empowerment ‐ such as, women's family size decision‐making power and social mobility. There is no quantitative evidence to indicate positive effects on women's psychological empowerment. However, the qualitative studies suggest that women participating in ESHG perceive themselves as psychologically empowered. ESHG with a training component, such as financial and business education or life skills training, have a larger effect than programs that do not involve training. Important mechanisms which facilitate empowerment are gaining financial skills (economic empowerment); gaining the capability to speak in front of others, access to household decision‐making (psychological empowerment); improved networks and the experience of mutual support from and solidarity with fellow group members (social empowerment); and access to wider social participation combined with an increased understanding of political contexts and individual rights (political empowerment). There is no evidence of increased levels of domestic violence. Qualitative data indicate that ESHG may decrease domestic violence as women gain respect from their partners, families and access to household decision‐making. Few qualitative studies report experiences of disappointment, mistrust and stigma among women who attended ESHG. ESHGs do not reach the poorest citizens. The ‘poorest of the poor’ do not participate for economic and religious reasons, and mechanisms of self‐selection. Plain language summary Motivation: Self‐help groups (SHGs) are implemented around the world to empower women, supported by many developing country governments and agencies. A relatively large number of studies purport to demonstrate the effectiveness of SHGs. This is the first systematic review of that evidence. Approach: We conducted a systematic review of the effectiveness of women's economic SHG programs, incorporating evidence from quantitative and qualitative studies. We systematically searched for published and unpublished literature, and applied inclusion criteria based on the study protocol. We critically appraised all included studies and used a combination of statistical meta‐analysis and meta‐ethnography to synthesize the findings based on a theory of change. Findings from quantitative synthesis: Our review suggests that economic SHGs have positive effects on various dimensions of women's empowerment, including economic, social, and political empowerment. However, we did not find evidence for positive effects of SHGs on psychological empowerment. Our findings further suggest there are important variations in the impacts of SHGs on empowerment that are associated with program design and contextual characteristics. Findings from qualitative synthesis: Women's perspectives on factors determining their participation in, and benefits from, SHGs suggest various pathways through which SHGs could achieve the identified positive impacts. Evidence suggested that the positive effects of SHGs on economic, social, and political empowerment run through the channels of familiarity with handling money and independence in financial decision making, solidarity, improved social networks, and respect from the household and other community members. In contrast to the quantitative evidence, the qualitative synthesis suggests that women participating in SHGs perceive themselves to be psychologically empowered. Women also perceive low participation of the poorest of the poor in SHGs due to various barriers, which could potentially limit the benefits the poorest could gain from SHG membership. Findings from integrated synthesis: Our integration of the quantitative and qualitative evidence suggests there is no evidence for adverse effects of women's SHGs on the likelihood of domestic violence. Women's perspectives in the qualitative research indicate that even if domestic violence occurs in the short term, in the long term the benefits from SHG membership may mitigate the initial adverse consequences of SHGs on domestic violence. Executive Summary BACKGROUND Women bear an unequal share of the burden of poverty globally due to societal and structural barriers. One way that governments, development agencies, and grassroots women's groups have tried to address these inequalities is through women's SHGs. This review focuses on the impacts of SHGs with a broad range of collective finance, enterprise, and livelihood components on women's political, economic, social, and psychological empowerment. OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this review was to examine the impact of women's economic SHGs on women's individual‐level empowerment in low‐ and middle‐income countries using evidence from rigorous quantitative evaluations. The secondary objective was to examine the perspectives of female participants on their experiences of empowerment as a result of participation in economic SHGs in low‐and middle‐income countries using evidence from high‐quality qualitative evaluations. We conducted an integrated mixed‐methods systematic review that examined data generated through both quantitative and qualitative research methods. SEARCH METHODS We searched electronic databases, grey literature, relevant journals and organization websites and performed keyword hand searches and requested recommendation from key personnel. The search was conducted from March 2013–February 2014. SELECTION CRITERIA We included studies conducted from 1980–January 2014 that examined the impact of SHGs on the empowerment of and perspectives of women of all ages in low‐ and middle‐income countries, as defined by the World Bank, who participated in SHGs in which female participants physically came together and received a collective finance and enterprise and/or livelihoods group intervention. To be included in the review, quantitative studies had to measure economic empowerment, political empowerment, psychological empowerment or social empowerment. We also examined adverse outcomes including intimate partner violence, stigma, disappointment, and reduced subjective well‐being. We included quantitative studies with experimental designs using random assignment to the intervention and quasi‐experimental designs with non‐random assignment (such as regression discontinuity designs, “natural experiments,” and studies in which participants self‐select into the program). In addition, we included qualitative studies that explored empowerment from the perspectives of women participants in SHGs using in‐depth interviews, ethnography/participant observation, and focus groups. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We systematically coded information from the included studies and critically appraised them. We conducted statistical meta‐analysis from the data extracted from quantitative experimental and quasi‐experimental studies, and used meta‐ethnographic methods to synthesize the textual data extracted from the women's quotes in the qualitative studies. We then integrated the findings from the qualitative synthesis with those from the quantitative studies to develop a framework for assessing how economic SHGs might impact women's empowerment. RESULTS We included a total of 23 quantitative and 11 qualitative studies in the final analysis. Initially, we reviewed 3,536 abstracts from electronic database searches and 351 abstracts from the gray literature searches. We found that women's economic SHGs have positive statistically significant effects on various dimensions of women's empowerment, including economic, social and political empowerment ranging from 0.06‐0.41 SD. We did not find evidence for statistically significant effects of SHGs on psychological empowerment. We also did not find statistical evidence of adverse effects of women's SHGs. Our integration of the quantitative and qualitative evidence indicates that SHGs do not have adverse consequences for domestic violence. Our synthesis of women's perspectives on factors determining their participation in, and benefits from SHGs suggests various pathways through which SHGs could achieve the identified positive impacts on empowerment. Women's experiences suggested that the positive effects of SHGs on economic, social, and political empowerment run through several channels including: familiarity with handling money and independence in financial decision making; solidarity; improved social networks; and respect from the household and other community members. Our synthesis of the qualitative evidence (key informant interviews and focus groups) also indicates that women perceive there to be low participation of the poorest of the poor in SHGs, as compared to less poor women. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE AND RESEARCH</jats

Character and moral education of children plays a crucial role in shaping a quality person. This research aims to analyze the role of parents in children's character and moral education in Rotonongo Hamlet, Gerdu, Karangpandan. This hamlet was chosen because its unique social and cultural context can provide in-depth insights into how the local environment influences children's character and moral development. A qualitative approach was used in data collection, through observations and interviews to understand parental behavior, values instilled, and character education strategies in the family environment. The results of the study are expected to provide a better understanding of the relationship between the role of parents and children's character education in Rotonongo Hamlet, as well as its implications for the development of effective character education programs that are appropriate to the local context. The conclusions of this study are expected to provide valuable contributions to efforts to improve the morality of the younger generation through the role of parents in the family environment.

CHIEF EDITOR Ahmad Faris Ismail, IIUM, Malaysia TECHNICAL EDITOR Sany Izan Ihsan, IIUM, Malaysia EXECUTIVE EDITOR AHM Zahirul Alam, IIUM, Malaysia ASSOCIATE EDITOR Nor Farahidah Za’bah, IIUM, Malaysia LANGUAGE EDITOR Lynn Mason, Malaysia COPY EDITOR Hamzah Mohd. Salleh, IIUM, Malaysia EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Abdullah Al-Mamun, IIUM, Malaysia Abdumalik Rakhimov, IIUM, Malaysia Ali Sophian, IIUM, Malaysia Erwin Sulaeman, IIUM, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hazleen Anuar, IIUM, Malaysia Konstantin Khanin, University of Toronto, Canada Ma'an Al-Khatib, IIUM, Malaysia Md Zahangir Alam, IIUM, Malaysia Meftah Hrairi, IIUM, Malaysia Mohamed B. Trabia, United States Mohammad S. Alam, Texas A&amp;M University-Kingsville, United States Mustafizur Rahman, National University Singapore, Singapore Ossama Abdulkhalik, Michigan Technological University, United States Othman O Khalifa, IIUM, Malaysia Razi Nalim, IUPUI, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Rosminazuin AB. Rahim, IIUM, Malaysia Waqar Asrar, IIUM, Malaysia INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Anwar, United States Abdul Latif Bin Ahmad, Malaysia Farzad Ismail, USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hany Ammar, United States Idris Mohammed Bugaje, Nigeria K.B. Ramachandran, India Kunzu Abdella, Canada Luis Le Moyne, ISAT, University of Burgundy, France M Mujtaba, United Kingdom Mohamed AI-Rubei, Ireland Mohamed B Trabia, United States Syed Kamrul Islam, United States Tibor Czigany, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary Yiu-Wing Mai, The University of Sydney, Australia. AIMS &amp; SCOPE OF IIUM ENGINEERING JOURNAL The IIUM Engineering Journal, published biannually (January and July), is a carefully refereed international publication of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Contributions of high technical merit within the span of engineering disciplines; covering the main areas of engineering: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering; Automation and Mechatronics Engineering; Material and Chemical Engineering; Environmental and Civil Engineering; Biotechnology and Bioengineering; Engineering Mathematics and Physics; and Computer Science and Information Technology are considered for publication in this journal. Contributions from other areas of Engineering and Applied Science are also welcomed. The IIUM Engineering Journal publishes contributions under Regular papers and Invited review papers. It also welcomes contributions that address solutions to the specific challenges of the developing world, and address science and technology issues from an Islamic and multidisciplinary perspective. REFEREES’ NETWORK All papers submitted to IIUM Engineering Journal will be subjected to a rigorous reviewing process through a worldwide network of specialized and competent referees. Each accepted paper should have at least two positive referees’ assessments. SUBMISSION OF A MANUSCRIPT A manuscript should be submitted online to the IIUM-Engineering Journal website at http://journals.iium.edu.my/ejournal. Further correspondence on the status of the paper could be done through the journal website. Whilst every effort is made by the publisher and editorial board to see that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appears in this Journal, they wish to make it clear that the data and opinions appearing in the articles and advertisement herein are the responsibility of the contributor or advertiser concerned. Accordingly, the publisher and the editorial committee accept no liability whatsoever for the consequence of any such inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement. IIUM Engineering Journal ISSN: 1511-788X E-ISSN: 2289-7860 Published by: IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia Jalan Gombak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Phone (+603) 6421-5014, Fax: (+603) 6421-6298

CHIEF EDITOR Ahmad Faris Ismail, IIUM, Malaysia TECHNICAL EDITOR Khairul Azami Sidek, IIUM, Malaysia EXECUTIVE EDITOR Teddy Surya Gunawan, IIUM, Malaysia ASSOCIATE EDITOR Nor Farahidah Za’bah, IIUM, Malaysia LANGUAGE EDITOR Lynn Mason, Malaysia COPY EDITOR Aliza ‘Aini Md Ralib, IIUM, MalaysiaSuriza Ahmad Zabidi, IIUM, Malaysia MALAY TRANSLATOR Nurul Arfah Che Mustapha, IIUM, Malaysia EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Abdullah Al-Mamun, IIUM, MalaysiaAbdumalik Rakhimov, IIUM, MalaysiaAishah Najiah Dahnel, IIUM, MalaysiaAlya Naili Rozhan, IIUM, MalaysiaAni Liza Asnawi, IIUM, MalaysiaHanafi Ani, IIUM, MalaysiaHanafy Omar, Saudi ArabiaHuda Adibah Mohd. Ramli, IIUM, MalaysiaKonstantin Khanin, University of Toronto, CanadaMa'an Al-Khatib, IIUM, MalaysiaMeftah Hrairi, IIUM, MalaysiaMohamed B. Trabia, United StatesMohammad S. Alam, Texas A&amp;M University-Kingsville, United StatesMohd Sultan Ibrahim Shaik Dawood, IIUM, MalaysiaMustafizur Rahman, National University Singapore, SingaporeNoorasikin Samat, IIUM, MalaysiaNor Fadhillah Mohamed Azmin, IIUM, MalaysiaNorsinnira Zainul Azlan, IIUM, MalaysiaOssama Abdulkhalik, Michigan Technological University, United StatesWaqar Asrar, IIUM, Malaysia INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Anwar, United StatesAbdul Latif Bin Ahmad, MalaysiaFarzad Ismail, USM, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaHanafy Omar, Saudi ArabiaHany Ammar, United StatesIdris Mohammed Bugaje, NigeriaK.B. Ramachandran, India KunzuAbdella, CanadaLuis Le Moyne, ISAT, University of Burgundy, FranceM Mujtaba, United KingdomMohamed AI-Rubei, IrelandMohamed B Trabia, United StatesSyed Kamrul Islam, United StatesTibor Czigany, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, HungaryYiu-Wing Mai, The University of Sydney, Australia. AIMS &amp; SCOPE OF IIUMENGINEERING JOURNAL The IIUM Engineering Journal, published biannually (January and July), is a carefully refereed international publication of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Contributions of high technical merit within the span of engineering disciplines covering the main areas of engineering: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering; Automation and Mechatronics Engineering; Material and Chemical Engineering; Environmental and Civil Engineering; Biotechnology and Bioengineering; Engineering Mathematics and Physics; and Computer Science and Information Technology are considered for publication in this journal. Contributions from other areas of engineering and applied science are also welcome. The IIUM Engineering Journal publishes contributions under Regular papers and Invited review papers. It also welcomes contributions that address solutions to the specific challenges of the developing world, as well as science and technology issues, from an Islamic and multidisciplinary perspective. REFEREES’ NETWORK All papers submitted to the IIUM Engineering Journal will be subjected to a rigorous reviewing process through a worldwide network of specialized and competent referees. Each accepted paper should have at least two positive referees’ assessments. SUBMISSION OF A MANUSCRIPT A manuscript should be submitted online to the IIUM-Engineering Journal website at https://journals.iium.edu.my/ejournal. The journal website can also be used for further correspondence on the paper's status. Whilst every effort is made by the publisher and editorial board to see that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appears in this Journal, they wish to make it clear that the data and opinions appearing in the articles and advertisement herein are the responsibility of the contributor or advertiser concerned. Accordingly, the publisher and the editorial committee accept no liability whatsoever for the consequence of any such inaccurate or misleading data, opinion, or statement. IIUM Engineering Journal ISSN: 1511-788X E-ISSN: 2289-7860 Published by:IIUM Press,International Islamic University MalaysiaJalan Gombak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaPhone (+603) 6421-5014, Fax: (+603) 6421-6298

CHIEF EDITOR Ahmad Faris Ismail, IIUM, Malaysia EXECUTIVE EDITOR AHM Zahirul Alam, IIUM, Malaysia ASSOCIATE EDITOR Nor Farahidah Za’bah, IIUM, Malaysia LANGUAGE EDITOR Lynn Mason, Malaysia COPY EDITOR Hamzah Mohd. Salleh, IIUM, Malaysia EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Abdullah Al-Mamun, IIUM, Malaysia Abdumalik Rakhimov, IIUM, Malaysia Ali Sophian, IIUM, Malaysia Amir Akramin Shafie, IIUM, Malaysia Anis Nurashikin Nordin, IIUM, Malaysia Erry Yulian Triblas Adesta, IIUM, Malaysia Erwin Sulaeman, IIUM, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hazleen Anuar, IIUM, Malaysia Konstantin Khanin, University of Toronto, Canada Ma'an Al-Khatib, IIUM, Malaysia Md Zahangir Alam, IIUM, Malaysia Meftah Hrairi, IIUM, Malaysia Mohamed B. Trabia, United States Mohammad S. Alam, Texas A&amp;M University-Kingsville, United States Mustafizur Rahman, National University Singapore, Singapore Ossama Abdulkhalik, Michigan Technological University, United States Razi Nalim, IUPUI, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Rosminazuin AB. Rahim, IIUM, Malaysia Waqar Asrar, IIUM, Malaysia AIMS &amp; SCOPE OF IIUMENGINEERING JOURNAL The IIUM Engineering Journal, published biannually, is a carefully refereed international publication of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Contributions of high technical merit within the span of engineering disciplines; covering the main areas of engineering: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering; Automation and Mechatronics Engineering; Material and Chemical Engineering; Environmental and Civil Engineering; Biotechnology and Bioengineering; Engineering Mathematics and Physics; and Computer Science and Information Technology are considered for publication in this journal. Contributions from other areas of Engineering and Applied Science are also welcomed. The IIUM Engineering Journal publishes contributions under Regular papers and Invited review papers. It also welcomes contributions that address solutions to the specific challenges of the developing world, and address science and technology issues from an Islamic and multidisciplinary perspective. REFEREES’ NETWORK All papers submitted to IIUM Engineering Journal will be subjected to a rigorous reviewing process through a worldwide network of specialized and competent referees. Each accepted paper should have at least two positive referees’ assessments. SUBMISSION OF A MANUSCRIPT A manuscript should be submitted online to the IIUM-Engineering Journal website at http://journals.iium.edu.my/ejournal. Further correspondence on the status of the paper could be done through the journal website. INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE A. Anwar, United States Abdul Latif Bin Ahmad, Malaysia Farzad Ismail, USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hany Ammar, United States Idris Mohammed Bugaje, Nigeria K.B. Ramachandran, India Kunzu Abdella, Canada Luis Le Moyne, ISAT, University of Burgundy, France M Mujtaba, United Kingdom Mohamed AI-Rubei, Ireland Mohamed B Trabia, United States Syed Kamrul Islam, United States Tibor Czigany, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary Yiu-Wing Mai, The University of Sydney, Australia. Published by: IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia Jalan Gombak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Phone (+603) 6421-5014, Fax: (+603) 6421-6298 Whilst every effort is made by the publisher and editorial board to see that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appears in this Journal, they wish to make it clear that the data and opinions appearing in the articles and advertisement herein are the responsibility of the contributor or advertiser concerned. Accordingly, the publisher and the editorial committee accept no liability whatsoever for the consequence of any such inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement. IIUM Engineering Journal ISSN: 1511-788X E-ISSN: 2289-7860

Women's empowerment, which refers to feminist thinking, is a process of awareness and capacity towards greater participation to produce equality of degrees between women and men. It is because women are considered helpless. The economic factors that characterize women's empowerment make it partial and ignore the role of women in other aspects. In Islam, women's empowerment is holistic and multidimensional and covers religious, social, political, and economic aspects. Based on this, this study aims to describe women's empowerment in Islamic perspective and economic empowerment under women's empowerment in Islam. This research is literature research with a qualitive approach. In terms of analytical methods, this study uses critical analysis methods with data collection techniques through a literature review that examines women's empowerment from an Islamic perspective and its economic empowerment. The first research results show that the model of women's empowerment in Islam is a holistic preparation of empowered women that includes four religious, social, political, and economic dimensions. It means that the empowered woman in the Islamic perspective carries out her role with full awareness, including all aspects of her role, in the aspects of creation, character, and roles in the family and society, as well as the sufficiency of fardhu 'ain science as a guide to life. Second, women's economic empowerment in the women's empowerment in Islamic perspective is an effort to make women able to maintain, manage, use property, and develop the property for the benefit of themselves, their families and society in order to realize their optimal role.

CHIEF EDITOR Ahmad Faris Ismail, IIUM, Malaysia TECHNICAL EDITOR Sany Izan Ihsan, IIUM, Malaysia EXECUTIVE EDITOR AHM Zahirul Alam, IIUM, Malaysia ASSOCIATE EDITOR Nor Farahidah Za’bah, IIUM, Malaysia LANGUAGE EDITOR Lynn Mason, Malaysia COPY EDITOR Hamzah Mohd. Salleh, IIUM, Malaysia MALAY TRANSLATOR Nurul Arfah Che Mustapha, IIUM, Malaysia EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Abdullah Al-Mamun, IIUM, Malaysia Abdumalik Rakhimov, IIUM, Malaysia Aishah Najiah Bt. Dahnel, IIUM, Malaysia Alya Naili Binti Rozhan, IIUM, Malaysia Norsinnira Bt. Zainul Azlan, IIUM, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hazleen Anuar, IIUM, Malaysia Konstantin Khanin, University of Toronto, Canada Ma'an Al-Khatib, IIUM, Malaysia Meftah Hrairi, IIUM, Malaysia Mohamed B. Trabia, United States Mohammad S. Alam, Texas A&amp;M University-Kingsville, United States Mustafizur Rahman, National University Singapore, Singapore Ossama Abdulkhalik, Michigan Technological University, United States Mohamed Hadi Habaebi, IIUM, Malaysia Mohd. Sultan Ibrahim Bin Shaik Dawood, IIUM, Malaysia Muhammad Ibn Ibrahimy, IIUM, Malaysia Nor Fadhillah Mohamed Azmin, IIUM, Malaysia Waqar Asrar, IIUM, Malaysia INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE A. Anwar, United States Abdul Latif Bin Ahmad, Malaysia Farzad Ismail, USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hany Ammar, United States Idris Mohammed Bugaje, Nigeria K.B. Ramachandran, India Kunzu Abdella, Canada Luis Le Moyne, ISAT, University of Burgundy, France M Mujtaba, United Kingdom Mohamed AI-Rubei, Ireland Mohamed B Trabia, United States Syed Kamrul Islam, United States Tibor Czigany, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary Yiu-Wing Mai, The University of Sydney, Australia. AIMS &amp; SCOPE OF IIUM ENGINEERING JOURNAL The IIUM Engineering Journal, published biannually (January and July), is a carefully refereed international publication of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Contributions of high technical merit within the span of engineering disciplines; covering the main areas of engineering: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering; Automation and Mechatronics Engineering; Material and Chemical Engineering; Environmental and Civil Engineering; Biotechnology and Bioengineering; Engineering Mathematics and Physics; and Computer Science and Information Technology are considered for publication in this journal. Contributions from other areas of Engineering and Applied Science are also welcomed. The IIUM Engineering Journal publishes contributions under Regular papers and Invited review papers. It also welcomes contributions that address solutions to the specific challenges of the developing world and address science and technology issues from an Islamic and multidisciplinary perspective. REFEREES’ NETWORK All papers submitted to IIUM Engineering Journal will be subjected to a rigorous reviewing process through a worldwide network of specialized and competent referees. Each accepted paper should have at least two positive referees’ assessments. SUBMISSION OF A MANUSCRIPT A manuscript should be submitted online to the IIUM Engineering Journal website at http://journals.iium.edu.my/ejournal. The journal website could conduct further correspondence on the paper's status. Whilst the publisher and editorial board make every effort to see that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion, or statement appears in this Journal, they wish to make it clear that the data and opinions appearing in the articles and advertisements herein are the responsibility of the contributor or advertiser concerned. Accordingly, the publisher and the editorial committee accept no liability whatsoever for the consequence of any such inaccurate or misleading data, opinion, or statement. IIUM Engineering Journal ISSN: 1511-788X E-ISSN: 2289-7860 Published by: IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia Jalan Gombak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Phone (+603) 6421-5014, Fax: (+603) 6421-6298

CHIEF EDITOR Ahmad Faris Ismail, IIUM, Malaysia TECHNICAL EDITOR Sany Izan Ihsan, IIUM, Malaysia EXECUTIVE EDITOR AHM Zahirul Alam, IIUM, Malaysia ASSOCIATE EDITOR Nor Farahidah Za’bah, IIUM, Malaysia LANGUAGE EDITOR Lynn Mason, Malaysia COPY EDITOR Hamzah Mohd. Salleh, UNISSA, Brunei Darussalam MALAY TRANSLATOR Nurul Arfah Che Mustapha, IIUM, Malaysia EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Abdullah Al-Mamun, IIUM, Malaysia Abdumalik Rakhimov, IIUM, Malaysia Aishah Najiah Bt. Dahnel, IIUM, Malaysia Alya Naili Binti Rozhan, IIUM, Malaysia Norsinnira Bt. Zainul Azlan, IIUM, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hazleen Anuar, IIUM, Malaysia Konstantin Khanin, University of Toronto, Canada Ma'an Al-Khatib, IIUM, Malaysia Meftah Hrairi, IIUM, Malaysia Mohamed B. Trabia, United States Mohammad S. Alam, Texas A&amp;M University-Kingsville, United States Mustafizur Rahman, National University Singapore, Singapore Ossama Abdulkhalik, Michigan Technological University, United States Mohamed Hadi Habaebi, IIUM, Malaysia Mohd. Sultan Ibrahim Bin Shaik Dawood, IIUM, Malaysia Muhammad Ibn Ibrahimy, IIUM, Malaysia Nor Fadhillah Mohamed Azmin, IIUM, Malaysia Waqar Asrar, IIUM, Malaysia INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE A. Anwar, United States Abdul Latif Bin Ahmad, Malaysia Farzad Ismail, USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hany Ammar, United States Idris Mohammed Bugaje, Nigeria K.B. Ramachandran, India Kunzu Abdella, Canada Luis Le Moyne, ISAT, University of Burgundy, France M Mujtaba, United Kingdom Mohamed AI-Rubei, Ireland Mohamed B Trabia, United States Syed Kamrul Islam, United States Tibor Czigany, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary Yiu-Wing Mai, The University of Sydney, Australia. AIMS &amp; SCOPE OF IIUM ENGINEERING JOURNAL The IIUM Engineering Journal, published biannually (January and July), is a carefully refereed international publication of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Contributions of high technical merit within the span of engineering disciplines; covering the main areas of engineering: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering; Automation and Mechatronics Engineering; Material and Chemical Engineering; Environmental and Civil Engineering; Biotechnology and Bioengineering; Engineering Mathematics and Physics; and Computer Science and Information Technology are considered for publication in this journal. Contributions from other areas of Engineering and Applied Science are also welcomed. The IIUM Engineering Journal publishes contributions under Regular papers and Invited review papers. It also welcomes contributions that address solutions to the specific challenges of the developing world and address science and technology issues from an Islamic and multidisciplinary perspective. REFEREES’ NETWORK All papers submitted to IIUM Engineering Journal will be subjected to a rigorous reviewing process through a worldwide network of specialized and competent referees. Each accepted paper should have at least two positive referees’ assessments. SUBMISSION OF A MANUSCRIPT A manuscript should be submitted online to the IIUM Engineering Journal website at http://journals.iium.edu.my/ejournal. The journal website could conduct further correspondence on the paper's status. Whilst the publisher and editorial board make every effort to see that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion, or statement appears in this Journal, they wish to make it clear that the data and opinions appearing in the articles and advertisements herein are the responsibility of the contributor or advertiser concerned. Accordingly, the publisher and the editorial committee accept no liability whatsoever for the consequence of any such inaccurate or misleading data, opinion, or statement. IIUM Engineering Journal ISSN: 1511-788X E-ISSN: 2289-7860 Published by: IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia Jalan Gombak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Phone (+603) 6421-5014, Fax: (+603) 6421-6298

CHIEF EDITOR Ahmad Faris Ismail, IIUM, Malaysia TECHNICAL EDITOR Sany Izan Ihsan, IIUM, Malaysia EXECUTIVE EDITOR AHM Zahirul Alam, IIUM, Malaysia ASSOCIATE EDITOR Nor Farahidah Za’bah, IIUM, Malaysia LANGUAGE EDITOR Lynn Mason, Malaysia COPY EDITOR Hamzah Mohd. Salleh, IIUM, Malaysia MALAY TRANSLATOR Nurul Arfah Che Mustapha, IIUM, Malaysia EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Abdullah Al-Mamun, IIUM, Malaysia Abdumalik Rakhimov, IIUM, Malaysia Ali Sophian, IIUM, Malaysia Erwin Sulaeman, IIUM, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hazleen Anuar, IIUM, Malaysia Konstantin Khanin, University of Toronto, Canada Ma'an Al-Khatib, IIUM, Malaysia Md Zahangir Alam, IIUM, Malaysia Meftah Hrairi, IIUM, Malaysia Mohamed B. Trabia, United States Mohammad S. Alam, Texas A&amp;M University-Kingsville, United States Mustafizur Rahman, National University Singapore, Singapore Ossama Abdulkhalik, Michigan Technological University, United States Othman O Khalifa, IIUM, Malaysia Razi Nalim, IUPUI, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Rosminazuin AB. Rahim, IIUM, Malaysia Sharifah Imihezri Syed Shaharuddin, IIUM, Malaysia Waqar Asrar, IIUM, Malaysia INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Anwar, United States Abdul Latif Bin Ahmad, Malaysia Farzad Ismail, USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia Hanafy Omar, Saudi Arabia Hany Ammar, United States Idris Mohammed Bugaje, Nigeria K.B. Ramachandran, India Kunzu Abdella, Canada Luis Le Moyne, ISAT, University of Burgundy, France M Mujtaba, United Kingdom Mohamed AI-Rubei, Ireland Mohamed B Trabia, United States Syed Kamrul Islam, United States Tibor Czigany, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary Yiu-Wing Mai, The University of Sydney, Australia. AIMS &amp; SCOPE OF IIUM ENGINEERING JOURNAL The IIUM Engineering Journal, published biannually (January and July), is a carefully refereed international publication of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Contributions of high technical merit within the span of engineering disciplines; covering the main areas of engineering: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering; Automation and Mechatronics Engineering; Material and Chemical Engineering; Environmental and Civil Engineering; Biotechnology and Bioengineering; Engineering Mathematics and Physics; and Computer Science and Information Technology are considered for publication in this journal. Contributions from other areas of Engineering and Applied Science are also welcomed. The IIUM Engineering Journal publishes contributions under Regular papers and Invited review papers. It also welcomes contributions that address solutions to the specific challenges of the developing world, and address science and technology issues from an Islamic and multidisciplinary perspective. REFEREES’ NETWORK All papers submitted to IIUM Engineering Journal will be subjected to a rigorous reviewing process through a worldwide network of specialized and competent referees. Each accepted paper should have at least two positive referees’ assessments. SUBMISSION OF A MANUSCRIPT A manuscript should be submitted online to the IIUM-Engineering Journal website at http://journals.iium.edu.my/ejournal. Further correspondence on the status of the paper could be done through the journal website. Whilst every effort is made by the publisher and editorial board to see that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appears in this Journal, they wish to make it clear that the data and opinions appearing in the articles and advertisement herein are the responsibility of the contributor or advertiser concerned. Accordingly, the publisher and the editorial committee accept no liability whatsoever for the consequence of any such inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement. IIUM Engineering Journal ISSN: 1511-788X E-ISSN: 2289-7860 Published by: IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia Jalan Gombak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Phone (+603) 6421-5014, Fax: (+603) 6421-6298

This article examines the concept of family empowerment and role transformation from an Islamic perspective, emphasising the need for integrated value-driven frameworks to address issues of family roles and empowerment. The literature on the subject reveals that studies and research on family empowerment have increased in recent years, enshrining the discourse, and providing insights and solutions to the questions associated with family empowerment. There are numerous efforts in the Islamic world to strengthen family empowerment within the Islamic worldview and cultural context. The article goes on to explain the main elements that comprise the Islamic perspective of family empowerment, as well as how role transformation is required if we are to advance the cause of empowerment. The article concluded that Islam emphasises the importance of understanding the goals and roles of family as a social entity and agent entrusted with the mission of Istikhalf (vicegerency) and I'mar (civilisation) on earth. This implies a more complex articulation of family roles, one that connects them to the higher goals of Islam on the one hand and to human and family well-being on the other.

This study investigates character education from the perspective of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren), addressing a significant gap in previous studies that have largely emphasized cognitive outcomes while marginalizing the emotional and spiritual dimensions of character formation. Although prior research has acknowledged the importance of character education in pesantren, limited attention has been given to how pesantren-based values are systematically conceptualized, implemented, and evaluated as an integrated educational model. Employing a qualitative field research design with a descriptive-analytical approach, data were collected through observation, documentation, and in-depth interviews, and analyzed using an interactive model comprising data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that character education at MTs Salafiyah Syafi’iyah Tebuireng Jombang is fundamentally rooted in the five basic principles formulated by the founder of Tebuireng Islamic Boarding School, KH. Hasyim Asy'ari, namely honesty, responsibility, hard work, tolerance, and discipline. These values are implemented through a structured three-stage process: planning (identification of character values and development of character-based teaching modules), implementation (learning activities and habituation practices conducted both inside and outside the classroom), and evaluation (assessment of students’ character development and program effectiveness). Theoretically, this study contributes an integrated pesantren-based character education model that bridges cognitive, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, thereby enriching the discourse on Islamic character education. Practically, it offers a systematic framework that underscores the necessity of coherent planning, implementation, and evaluation in character education programs. Nevertheless, as the study focuses on a single institution, its findings are context-specific and invite further multi-site research to enhance generalizability.

Women's participation and empowerment in value chains are goals of many development organizations, but there has been limited systematic, rigorous research to track these goals between and within value chains (VCs). We adapt the survey-based project-level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI) to measure women's and men's empowerment in the abaca, coconut, seaweed, and swine VCs in the Philippines and to investigate the correlates of empowerment. Results show that most women and men in all four VCs are disempowered, but unlike in many other countries, Filipino women in this sample are generally as empowered as men. Pro-WEAI results suggest that respect within the household and attitudes about gender-based violence (GBV) are the largest sources of disempowerment for both women and men, followed by control over use of income and autonomy in income-related decisions. Excessive workload and lack of group membership are other important sources of disempowerment, with some variation across VCs and nodes along VCs. Across all four VCs, access to community programs is associated with higher women's empowerment, and access to extension services and education are associated with higher men's empowerment. Our results show that, despite the relatively small gender gaps in the Philippines, persistent gender stereotypes influence men's and women's empowerment and VC participation.

It is a well-worn refrain that more attention must be paid to the moral character of our youth. Such pleas are prevalent in the mass media and in professional forums, and typically are justified by data reflecting the misdeeds of youth; e.g., crime, substance use, unwed teen pregnancies, suicide. Whereas it is unclear that the state of youth morality is at a nadir and imprudent to suggest that character education is a panacea (Bebeau, Rest, & Narvaez, 1999), it is nonetheless clear that character education should and can be part of the solution (Developmental Studies Center, 1998). This article represents an attempt to investigate what we know about character development in early childhood, in order to suggest how we can effectively promote character in early childhood education. For the purposes of this manuscript, early childhood will be defined as 18 months to 6 years of age. Research has suggested that a moral sense begins around 18 months (Lamb & Feeny, 1995) and formal schooling typically begins around 6 years of age. The challenge is to implement character education so that it has the desired impact on the development of children's character (Bebeau et al., 1999). There are numerous obstacles to such effective implementation, including a lack of an empirical base to justify character education (Leming, 1993), poor dissemination of character education information to practitioners, contentiousness among disagreeing proponents of character education (Berkowitz, 1997), and very limited training of pre-service teachers (Berkowjtz, 1998; Jones, Ryan & Bohlin, 1999). Central amongst these challenges is the fact that we do not have a clear empirically-grounded sense of what teachers must do in the early childhood classroom (or any classroom, for; that matter) to promote character development. This paper will address that limitation by drawing from the literature on teaching for character development and even more substantially on the literature on parenting for character development. Bridges between the two literatures will be suggested. Finally, we will offer some suggestions from a more clinical perspective on how early childhood teachers can deal with character dysfunction in students. First, however, we will need to define some terms.

The examination of the convergence between digital rights and women's empowerment is conducted within the socio-legal framework in Pakistan, with particular emphasis on the influence of contemporary Islamic legal perspectives amidst increased social media engagement. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the evolving dynamics of women's participation in the digital space and the attendant impact on empowerment in Pakistan. The analysis discussed the origins and expansion of digital landscape and the influence of social media on people's lives. The qualitative study focused on Islamic teachings and the implications for rules in the digital world. In addition, data was collected through interviews with several women of different ages and backgrounds. Social media and digital platforms offered access to information, education, and opportunities for skills development. The results showed that women used digital platforms for entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. This supported economic independence and ethical business practices, in line with Islamic principles to seize opportunities. In the face of challenges and opportunities, the ethical dimensions were considered from an Islamic perspective. Emphasizing values such as justice, privacy, dignity, and the pursuit of knowledge could guide efforts to promote digital rights for women's empowerment in line with Islamic principles.