As an academic in the field, it never ceases to amaze me how the expression 'Islamic Studies' is almost taken as a universally understood concept. But, it is only when one travels through different communities that it becomes clear how 'Islamic Studies' can vary in meaning based on language, culture, region and, most importantly, worldview.

When I generally tell Muslims that I am a lecturer in Islamic Studies, I am greeted with the proverbial phrase of wonderment, praise and esteem, i.e. ma sha' Alla (lit. 'whatever God has willed'). I am seen as a scholar of the Islamic religious disciplines automatically. While I may have had the requisite training, skills and knowledge for this to be partly true, I cannot help but compare this societal expectation to how Islamic Studies has evolved as a discipline in the West.

In the West, Islamic Studies has become such a vague expression, that I purport 'Studies of Muslims' as a more accurate descriptor. The West has increasingly become the place for so-called 'Islamic Studies' scholars who have very little knowledge in the traditional religious disciplines of Islam, but may be experts in history, sociology, anthropology, political science, law or economics, for instance. There are many instances of those who cannot even read Arabic, to access the basic primary sources of the Islamic intellectual tradition.

Yet, these scholars are scholars in their own right and they are to be respected for their field/s of expertise. In the West, there is a blurring of the boundaries between Islam, as the faith, and Muslims as followers of that faith. Islam is seen as a social phenomenon so the expert on what goes on in Muslim societies is automatically taken as an expert in Islamic Studies.

In the Muslim world, there is a distinct boundary between Islam and the Muslims. What the Muslims do is not necessarily 'Islamic'. In the West, 'Islamic' and 'Muslim' are seen as referring to the same thing. Whilst I may be generalising to an extent here, it is, for the most part, true.

'Islamic Studies' is a new expression - one that was virtually unknown in classical studies of Islam. There was no need for it as all disciplines, religious or otherwise, had their place and their respective experts. In modern times, the dominance of secular, Western studies has given rise to the need to label studies that are 'Islamic' as opposed to those that are not. This label has its origins in the Muslim world that was struggling to come to terms with modernity and the decline of its empire. Hence, 'Islamic Studies' initially connoted the study of Islamic religious disciplines. But, over time, it has come to mean more than that, simply because of the failure to distinguish between 'Islamic' and 'Muslim'. Hence, we have theologically erroneous expressions becoming more prevalent, such as 'Australian Islam', 'Indonesian Islam', 'European Islam' and the likes. Islam is Islam - it is one faith, one religion. However, its followers, the Muslims understand it differently. So whilst 'Australian Islam' is preposterous in the principles of Islamic faith, 'Australian Muslim' is not. This problem needs to be sorted out - urgently. And, academics in 'Islamic Studies' could set a good example by starting with themselves first - myself included. There is simply no logic to using confusing expressions like 'European Islam' when one could simply say 'European Muslims' or 'this is how (some) European Muslims understand Islam'. Let's get the terminology right.

For now, in light of the different conceptions of 'Islamic Studies', within Muslim societies and without, it is important for so-called experts in 'Islamic Studies' to be specific about what exactly their field of scholarship is. Is theirs a study of Muslim societies? Or, do they have the knowledge to be deemed as scholars of one, or indeed more, of the Islamic religious disciplines? We need specificity because we need to respect how Islamic religious knowledge is deemed as sacred amongst Muslims the world over. Let everyone take their appropriate place in the field of 'Islamic Studies' by being specific about what they know, and what they have the authority to research, write and talk about. Let them, in turn, take responsibility for what they say in their field of expertise. It is not fair for the discipline or for knowledge in general for one to speak about that which one has little understanding of. In so doing, we would have taken a giant leap in addressing the variant notions about 'Islamic Studies'.

In Islam, there is a pertinent Hadith, which states: 'You are all guardians and you are all responsible for your flock...' Hence, wouldn't you go only to a qualified doctor to treat your illness? Wouldn't you only seek a proper architect to build your home? I rest my case.

Finally, this blog entry was not meant to be a detailed exposition of 'Islamic Studies'; rather, an initial presentation of a set of questions, challenges and conundrums. In my forthcoming entries, I will endeavour to address the following question: How can the two traditions of Islamic Studies meet and cooperate?

Comments are welcome...