Islamic Emancipation as alternative Maarifa in education: decoloniality as a holy mission

Abstract

ABSTRACT Decolonial scholars endeavour to evade the construction of another singularity by rejecting the allure to universalise a single definition of decoloniality and difference, which may claim narratives and praxis that would liberate all peoples but would re-enact other forms of irreflexive violence. For this rationale, we draw on our loci of enunciation to argue for ‘Islamic Emancipation’ as a decentring ‘Maarifa’ that resonates with the logics of a substantial number of people (2 billion Muslims as of 2023) to whom Islamic philosophies are legitimate epistemologies for navigating social realities. Islamic Emancipation is an onto-epistemological compass through which we generate novel epistemic readings of religious texts into the debates on decoloniality in education. The applied modalities of Islamic Emancipation within education can be unpacked through three main approaches. First, by orienting students to process colonial organisation as the oppressive imposition of unequal systems, some assumptions about those who had/have been subject to subtle workings of colonial structures are undermined. Second, educators are epistemic and activist subjects who are entitled to intellectual freedom but with a comparable level of responsibility to act, challenge and intervene. Third, critique and re-interpretation are essential cognitive skills promoted by Islamic Emancipation to be prioritised in education.