The Changing Era

These and several other aspects necessitate a thorough revision of the current curriculum. Such revisions can only be accomplished through the cooperation of madrasas. One of the major tasks of the Madaris Center will be to facilitate the conditions required for this important revision. 5. It would be fair to say that the current curriculum of madrasas is largely focused on reforming the Muslim community and promoting religious understanding. The intention of those who designed this curriculum was likely to prepare students in such a way that, after graduating from the madrasa, they could effectively carry out the work of religious guidance within the community and raise awareness of divine values at a universal level. While this was an appropriate approach at the time, the world has now changed so significantly that, in practice, our madrasas are training speakers and writers for an audience that no longer exists. For example, the curriculum equips students to intellectually counter the ancient Mu‘tazilah sect, but it does not prepare them to address the modern rationalists who embody similar ideologies today. Similarly, students are trained in the art of traditional debate (munazara), even though this method has become obsolete and has been replaced globally by serious and constructive dialogue. However, madrasa graduates are often not equipped to participate effectively in such modern forms of dialogue. Additionally, these graduates are trained in the old methods of analogical reasoning, whereas today’s