The Islamic Studies Network Project

Following the government’s designation of Islamic Studies as a strategically important subject, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has funded the Higher Education Academy to develop a national Islamic Studies Network. UKCLE and four other Subject Centres are supporting Academy York in developing the network.

The Islamic Studies Network will provide academics from a range of disciplines and institutions with opportunities to share good practice and develop resources. Network support activities may take the form of events, project grants and publications. View the events programme 2010-11.

Islamic Law Special Interest Group

The Islamic Law Special Interest Group was established to share experiences and further the development of learning and teaching Islamic Law within UK higher education. Presentations and reports from the inaugral meeting in November 2010 are available.

Developing an Islamic Law curriculum and resources

UKCLE’s contribution will build on its existing project on Developing an Islamic Law curriculum. It has been recognised that the teaching and learning of Islamic law has been hindered by a lack of affordable and accessible resources, including online documentation. The Islamic Law Curriculum Project is therefore producing a series of Islamic Law teaching manuals, and a working bibliography. A Glossary of Arabic terms has also been created to support the manuals and this is regularly being updated and expanded.

Plans for the future

UKCLE’s main contributions to the network project will involve:

• extending the main bibliography to include a list of publications by research centres and universities which are based in both the UK and other parts of the world and offer courses on Islamic Law and Islamic Studies
• developing thematic bibliographies for the various topics in the curricula. We will also endeavour to upload articles and chapters from books as well as other relevant documentation where these are available
• developing a comparative study of the four schools of Sunni thought and presenting the same in tabulated form. It is intended that we also present in similar form the English translations of certain Quranic verses, as derived by three Islamic scholars. The selected verses include those which relate to women, children, property rights, purdah and charity.

Network links

Higher Education Academy Islamic Studies Network

Islamic Studies provision in the UK – report commissioned by HEFCE, published March 2010

International approaches to Islamic Studies in higher education – report commissioned by HEFCE, published June 2008

Last Modified: 23 February 2011