Islamization of Knowledge in “A Room with a View” by E.M Forster
Literally,
Islamization of knowledge is a terminology that describes a variety of
approaches to create the ethics of Islam with various subjects of modern
thoughts. These subjects are such as English literature, linguistics,
psychology and others. A prominent Malaysian scholar, namely Syed Muhammad
Naquib al-Attas coined the phrase “Islamization of Knowledge” in his famous
writing, “Islam and Secularism”. Later on, it was again proposed by a Palestinian
philosopher, Ismail Raji al-Faruqi in 1982. In English Literature 20th
Century and Contemporary (ENGL 3040) class, students are exposed to various
plays, novels and poems. This assignment is significant because it is a step
towards the Islamization of the curriculum in ensuring that what is learnt in
English Literature 20th Century and Contemporary subject is
reflected with the Islamic worldview. It is crucial for educational purposes
and it promotes better understanding of Islam as a religion.
The
novel that we are focusing on is “A Room with a View”, a medieval English
narrative written by E.M Forster. There are quite a number of themes presented
in this novel. Since it is a novel that depicts the lifestyle of French and
English people, Islamization can be applied at almost all parts of the
themes.
Firstly,
the novel discusses on the rights of women in the society. Lucy Honeychurch,
the central character of the novel, was not given the opportunity to make her
own choice upon whom she will marry and who she thinks is the best for her.
This act is totally contradicted as compared to Islamic point of view since
Islam views men and women at the same level. Therefore, according to Islamic
teachings and jurisprudence, women should be given the choice in determining
their own destinies as long as it does not astray from the teaching of the
religion.
Secondly,
E.M Forster presents the theme of repressed sexuality in the English community
back in the 19th Century. Repressed sexuality is also known as sexual
ethics that is a state in which a person is prevented from expressing their
sexuality. Sexual repression is very subjective and it varies greatly between
cultures and moral systems. This is opposed to the French society in Florence
Finally,
through this novel, readers have the chance to explore more about Italy and England
because the novel is set in Florence and London Italy
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