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This chapter provides an overview of Islam's historical experiences in interreligious dialogue through highlights of its 'golden ages' in this particular domain of multicultural societal living within its civilization. It examines these golden ages in interreligious dialogue in three notable geo-cultural and historical settings--Muslim-ruled Spain, Chinese Islam in Ming-ruled China, and Indian Islam under Mughal rule--following an introductory discussion of Muslim exemplary treatment of non-Muslims during the rule of the first four Caliphs succeeding the Prophet Muhammad. On the basis of this discussion the author concludes that it is generally the case that interreligious dialogue and cooperation presents itself as a necessary contributory factor of the Golden Age of all religiously pluralistic societies, especially of Islamic civilization.

The past two decades of academic work, have cemented the idea that childhood is a social construction. As such, how children are conceptualized, educated, protected and interacted with differs from society to society, given the values inherent in each social construction. Culture, history and geography all influence the daily lives of children, and the inherent protections that children are offered in each society. This paper examines child protection provisions embedded in Brunei Darussalam by critically reviewing the sparse literature available. While much academic work has been done on Brunei Darussalam’s political system and unique ideology, little has been written on the children of Brunei. Specifically, the focus taken is on the protections offered by the Bruneian legal and education systems, family and cultural institutions, and on Brunei’s international commitments to ensuring child wellbeing. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

The main aim of this article is to discuss the meaning and characteristics of Islamic civilisation and its global presence, particularly in the field of knowledge culture. Since both terms have been contested in contemporary scholarship to the point of their critics denying epistemic legitimacy to the concept of Islamic civilisation itself, the article devotes a lengthy discussion to defending its continuing validity and legitimacy. The most serious challenge comes from the concept of world-system developed by a number of Western thinkers, especially Immanuel Wallerstein. The article also explains the meaning of a civilisation’s global presence, which it argues exists at three different levels, namely territorial presence, cultural presence, and intellectual-spiritual presence. It argues that in the case of Islamic civilisation, its global presence exists at all the three levels. Since knowledge culture is presented as the very heart of Islamic civilisation given the fact that Islam claims to be the religion of knowledge, the article provides an introductory discussion of some important aspects of knowledge culture originating from Islamic civilisation that have become accepted through the West as integral parts of our common modern civilisation. The article concludes with suggestions for further studies and research on the theme of Islamic civilisation’s global presence but from new perspectives in the light of new realities in intercultural and inter-civilisational relations.

In the popular understanding of science education, there is no role for nonempirical knowledge. The purpose of this article is to show that from the perspective of a holistic (Tawhidic) science education, as insisted by Islamic epistemology, a spiritual dimension is not only possible, but desirable. The spiritual dimension of science education could be broad, since it encompasses many types of spiritual knowledge. Within the article’s scope, it is only possible to discuss one limited aspect of this dimension, namely, the spiritual meaning and significance of some natural phenomena mentioned in the Qur’an and their implications for science education. Attempts have been made in a number of Muslim countries to incorporate elements of spiritual knowledge into the science curriculum in schools aiming to enhance the quality of both science and religious education. As a case study, this article looks at the initiative taken thus far by the Ministry of Education in Brunei Darussalam to introduce spiritual knowledge into the school science education and examines the various issues raised that need to be addressed, especially by the authorities.

Islam teaches the virtue of the progressive acquisition of new knowledge as the Qur’an calls upon man to constantly pray to his Lord for increase in knowledge. However, this teaching does not legitimise the pursuit and acquisition of just any kind of knowledge regardless of its ethical implications. The Prophet’s well-known prayer seeking God’s protection from knowledge that is useless serves to remind Muslims of the kind of knowledge that ought to be shunned for the sake of their wellbeing. According to Islamic ethics, each human virtue is attained through the moderation of two extremes. In the case of the virtue of pursuing new knowledge, it is attained as a result of moderating two extreme tendencies, namely, shunning acquiring new knowledge so as to remain in a state of ignorance and indulging actively in the pursuit of non-beneficial knowledge without any constraint. Thus, Islamic ethics of knowledge, by which the pursuit of science and technology (ST second, in the period of decline when they no longer dictated the direction of science and third, in the possible ‘history’ of the future as may be gauged from present Muslim trends in the field. The paper concludes with some suggestions on how today’s Muslims can help pave the way for the creation of a more enlightened scientific and technological culture in Muslim societies of the twenty-first century.

The main aim of this article is to discuss the concept of family and its values and its place and role as a multi-dimensional institution from the Islamic perspective. The author seeks to show that the Islamic family institution as envisaged by the Quran and as practised by Muslims throughout the history of Islam is at once a religious, an educational, and a socio-economic institution. The family is first of all a religious institution since it is based on the principle of sacred marriage and it exists to serve as an instrument to help man realise the twin goals of his existence in accordance with God’s cosmic plan. The twin goals in question are of servitude (ubudiyyah) and vicegerency (khilafah) and equivalently of man’s perfect relationship with God (hablun min Allah) and man’s perfect relationship with fellow men (hablun min al-nas). The author then discusses the role of the family as an educational institution in the sense of it being the first school for its children dependants where basic religious and ‘secular’ knowledge are both provided. Next to be discussed is the family’s role as a socio-economic institution with particular emphasis on household governance and economic health. This article emphasises the view that societal health, particularly its economic dimension, presupposes family health. A crisis in the family institution can have grave consequences on the well-being of society as a whole. Finally, the author discusses the challenges faced by the family institution in the twenty-first century and presents several recommendations on what needs to be done in response to these challenges.

The author of this article argues that - from the point of view of the ideals of human civilisation as set forth by the Qur'an - modern civilisation, which is largely of Western inspiration and making, has undergone a progressive inner decay while displaying marvels of scientific and technological achievements unmatched in human history. He sees this decay as referring to human degradation or dehumanisation. In order to address his concern, he argues for a restoration of a previously lost unity, balance and equilibrium to contemporary civilisation. He argues that Islam’s main contribution to a possible solution would be an approach based on maqasid al-shari'ah. He concludes by stating that an Islamic agenda of civilisational renewal (al-tajdid al-hadari) is ultimately congruent with civilisational renewal for humanity as a whole.

This article is intended to comment on the civilisational history of Islam in Southeast Asia. The history is explained and accounted for in terms of the three major waves of globalisation that have impacted the region since the arrival of Islam as early as the eleventh century. The first wave, itself initiated and dominated by Islam, was responsible for the introduction and establishment of Islam in the region to the point of becoming its most dominant civilisation. The expansion of Islam and its civilisation was in progress when the second wave hit the shores of the Malay-Indonesian Archipelago with the arrival of the Portuguese and other Western powers resulting in the colonisation of the region. The third wave, an American-dominated one, manifests itself in the post-colonial period which witnesses Southeast Asian Islam reasserting itself in various domains of public life. The author sees Southeast Asian Islam as the historical product of centuries-long civilisational encounters with the pre-Islamic indigenous cultures and civilisations and later between ‘Malay-Indonesian Islam’ and the newly arriving religions and cultures brought by both the colonial and post-colonial West, arguing that Islam in the region has been significantly impacted by each of the three waves.

This essay provides an introductory discussion of the impact of the American war on terrorism on Malaysia, a Muslim country with a long record of parliamentary democracy and one of the most developed in the Muslim world. With a discussion of a possible decades-long US military and political engagement with the Muslim world as a background, the essay presents a detailed account of the impact of the US wars in Afghanistan, the Philippines and Iraq on Malaysian national politics, particularly on its political Islam. It is argued that the war on terrorism has benefited Mahathir Mohamad, helping to reverse his declining political fortunes following his sacking of Anwar Ibrahim as his deputy, which influenced his retirement from politics. The essay explains the reasons, external and domestic, for Malaysia's participation in the global war on terrorism and the extent of its involvement, including its leadership role in anti-terrorism in the Muslim world. It also discusses the views of Mahathir and Anwar...

The issue of who is or what is a human person occupies a central place in the history of relationships or encounters between religion and science. The Copernican Revolution, Darwinian Evolutionism, and Genetic Determinism have all contributed in significant but different ways to the progressive undermining of the traditional religious understanding of ‘human.’ From the religious perspective, science aided by technology has progressively shrunk the domain of human distinctiveness. The contemporary debate on the issue of the human person is only the latest in this long series of scientifically and technologically generated feuds between religion and science in modern times. As in earlier cases, central to this debate is the issue of the meaning of human. However, the new factor in this latest debate is the availability of new forms of technology that have the unprecedented capacity to at least transform the physical dimension of the human constitution if not also its psychological and mental dimension into shapes and forms beyond our current imagination.Genetic engineering with its attendant technologies has indeed posed great challenges not only for religion but also for science itself, public ethics, law and governance. In this presentation I will discuss some of these challenges within the framework of the currently deeply contested notion of the human person. I will also discuss the crucial role that interfaith and intercultural dialogues can play in formulating common cross-cultural responses to these challenges. My discussion, however, will be mainly guided by Islamic perspectives on these various issues.

This article seeks to present a counter view of the Western critique of contemporary Islam with specific reference to its treatment of the problem of diversity and pluralism. The prevailing Western view of Islam’s experience of diversity and pluralism is that it has failed to positively respond to this important challenge of the modern world. The basic belief underlying this view is that Islam is incompatible with modernity, political democracy, and cultural diversity and pluralism, which are generally considered as the hallmarks of modern Western civilisation. According to this view, only a radically reformed Islam can come to terms with these Western achievements. The Western critique of contemporary Islam is discussed in the context of a post-September 11 world for the important reason that it was the September 11 tragedy that generated a new phase of Western interest in Islam and fresh calls for its reforms. An influential voice in this Western critique is Bernard Lewis who, in his decades of scholarship on Islam, has consistently argued for an Islamic reformation. This article seeks to provide a critical response to the Lewisian idea of Islamic reformation, especially concerning the issue of diversity and pluralism. It argues that a new Islamic understanding of diversity and pluralism is urgently needed in this century, but this can only come about through an authentic tajdid (renewal) that offers fresh interpretations of the religion without destroying its original soul, spirit and character.