Emails

This page keeps a record of the emails sent to Registered members of the course.

====Tasks for First Week, AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED=== These plans were abandoned in light of later developments, as it proved too difficult to keep the groups coordinated and working on the same time schedule. The class structure was radically revised. For the revised structure, see E4 Restructure See also, E W1: Welcome Email describing the initially envisaged tasks for Week 1

the course was structured as a LIVE CLASS which required discussion within groups as described below. This required all people to adhere to the same timing, which proved difficult to handle in a large and diverse group. Those people who would like to participate in a discussion of the courses materials can do so in two different ways. One is to add comments to the posts listed in the lessons. I will try to respond to all questions posted there, and other readers may also respond. The second way is to participate in the Ghazali Group, which will be carrying out discussions of materials related to the re-construction of Knowledge along Islamic lines.

Registration for this course is now closed. 205 Participants have registered for the course. Direct communication with all 205 would pose impossibly high burdens upon me. So I have broken up the students into 10 groups of 20/21 students each. Each subgroup has been given a name after an intellectual of the Islamic Civilization, our forgotten heritage. The first letter is enough to identify them. A joint email to each subgroup creates a email group. All members can communicate with each other by using Reply-to-All button on their email. INITIAL list of tasks was too ambitious. In light of experience, the following is the revised and simplifed task list for the first week, which will end on Midnight Saturday 3rd August. Second Week starts on Sunday 4th August. This will be within the first ten days of Zul Hajj, very blessed days for worship. Seeking knowledge is the highest form of worship, so we should all pay even more attention to, and devote more time to, materials of this course.

Current Tasks: From Sunday 4th Aug to Sunday 11 Aug

This week, the main topic will be: HOW we can study and teach so that this educational process becomes an act of worship? Do the following three readings, all of which deal with the Islamic principles of education:

A: PP1: The First Pedagogical Principle - Intentions

B: Real Statistics (2/4) Teaching Statistics as an Act of Worship

C: Principles of an Islamic Education

Discuss these principles within your groups. Focus on the DIFFERENCES between the educational principles that you have learnt in your Western education, and what an ideal Islamic education WOULD HAVE - note that ideal Islamic educational models DO NOT EXIST in the world today. They were destroyed during the process of colonization. In British India, Madrassas were targeted for destruction because they produced leaders of the resistance to imperialism. Waqfs which financed them were seized, and many steps taken to destroy the effectiveness of the educational systems.

Post significant comments on the Islamic WorldView Blog, after doing preliminary discussions within your group. I will try to answer all comments posted on the blog, if they require answers.

Concerning last week's assignment, my post on The Illusion of Objective Knowledge answers questions raised in different forms by many different participants. I will try to post some other answers on the blog as well. Follow the blog to keep up with comments and posts by other groups.

=========For the Record== task from previous week-----

First Week TASKS: To be completed from Sunday 28 July to Sunday 4th Aug.

1. [Compulsory – 5 minutes reading] Read the post: Real Statistics (1/4) Fundamentals of An Islamic Approach.

2. [Optional – 15 minute video] Watch the Video embedded in the Post

3. [15 minutes Task] Write Up a RESPONSE to the post. Start by summarizing the post in one paragraph in your own words, and then write one paragraph of your own reaction to what has been said in the post. EMAIL these two paragraphs (Summary + Response) to your GROUP.

For more details and context, see: Email 02 --

There is a separate page, and tasks, for Group Leaders,

One of these tasks is to post summaries of comments on the main Islamic WorldView blog -- Participants who have joined the blog may also post comments and respond to comments posted there. That would be very useful in generating discussion and dialog essential for the learning process. By this process, we will get the best comments emerging from each group, and merge them all on the main blog for the benefit of the largest audience.