A Speculative Inquiry into the Islamization of the curriculum

Curriculum is inherently ideological in nature; thus, it can be proposed that any curriculum perspective rests on a certain philosophy. Values with which an ideology is defined distinguish it from other ideologies and points of view, resulting in ideological confrontations. Accordingly, one can propound a curriculum, along with its elements, that is founded on monotheistic innatism rooted in the educational philosophy of Islam. Need analysis, which is the first element considered within the process of curriculum planning, is carried out based on a simultaneous analysis of idealism and realism to strike a dynamic balance between the two. Although needs reflect contextual realities, they cannot be limited to those realities. Thus, it is important to bear in mind that curriculum needs need not be exclusively grounded in reality; rather, it is necessary to ensure that curriculum needs closely and meaningfully correspond to basic Islamic values. In this view, curriculum objectives, as another element of the curriculum, are in a clear vertical relationship with closeness and servitude to God. Objectives, while rooted in social needs and realities, maintain a divine orientation. Other components of the curriculum, including content, method, context, education, and family, also follow the same divine orientation.