Professor Omar Hasan Kasule, Sr.
ABSTRACT
This paper proposed a systematic program for training medical lecturers to be able to integrate the Islamic Input into their normal medical teaching. The paper starts by giving a background to the project of the Islamic Input in the Medical Curriculum and then discusses practical details of the training program. The proposed training will be in the form of workshops at which the basic curricular material will be presented and discussed. The workshop is expected to have two products: (a) Learning objectives tailored to the situation of each faculty of medicine (b) a framework for assessing the Islamic input within the general faculty assessment system.
1.0 INTRODUCTION TO THE ISLAMIC INPUT CURRICULUM
1.1 Integration: The main motive of IIMC is to resolve the crisis of duality or dichotomy manifesting as teaching Islamic sciences separately from medical disciplines by different teachers and in different institutions. IIMC resolves the crisis of duality by insisting that Islamic concepts should be taught by the same people who teach medical disciplines. This will require specific training of those lecturers to be able to handle the Islamic Input. The training focuses more on methods of teaching than on content because most Muslim lecturers will know the content of the curriculum that consists of basic Islamic knowledge that a normal Muslim adult usually has, al ma’aluum fi al ddiin bi al dharuurat. A synopsis of the teaching material is available at http://omarkasule.tripod.com.
1.2 Joint reading of 2 books: IIMC follows the Islamic paradigm of reading 2 books, the book of revelation, kitaab al wahy, and the book of empirical science, kitaab al kawn. Both books contain signs of Allah, ayaat al llaah, and must be read together. It is a mistake to read one of the books and neglect the other. The solution to the crisis of duality in the ummah starts from joint reading of the 2 books, al jam ‘u baina al qira atain. Thus medical scientists who are involved in IIMC read the signs in both books.
1.3 The vision of IIC has two separate but closely related components: Islamization and legal medicine. Islamization deals with putting medicine in an Islamic context in terms of epistemology, values, and attitudes. Legal medicine deals with issues of application of the Law (fiqh) from a medical perspective.
1.4 The 5 main objectives of IIMCS: (a) introduction of Islamic paradigms and concepts in general as they relate to medicine, mafahiim Islamiyat fi al Tibb. (b) strengthening faith, iman, through study of Allah’s sign in the human body (c) appreciating and understanding the juridical, fiqh, aspects of health and disease, al fiqh al tibbi. (d) understanding the social issues in medical practice and research and (e) Professional etiquette, adab al tabiib, from the Islamic perspective.
2.0 TYPE OF PARTICIPANTS OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM
2.1 Medical lecturers at FOKI-affiliated faculties of Medicine are already involved to various degrees in the input of Islamic values into the medical curriculum. FOKI-affiliated faculties of medicine have an official policy of including Islamic values alongside the National Competency Objectives. For the training to be effective all medical lecturers of a faculty have to attend so that they have a shared understanding.
2.2 Medical lecturers from non-FOKI affiliated faculties of medicine can be invited to participate in the program because they can informally present Islamic values in their lectures in the form of empowering the students as future doctors to communicate effectively with Muslim patients.
3.0 NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS
Training workshops will be held in various cities. The aim is to have as many medical lecturers as possible go through the training program. The program will therefore go to them in their locality rather than them coming to the program. For effective training the number of participants should not exceed 100. If there are more than 100 desiring participants in a city an additional program will be held on another date.
4.0 DURATION AND SCHEDULE OF THE PROGRAM
The training program shall last 2 days. It shall be divided into 2 parts. The first part will be presentation of the teaching material. The second day will be small group discussions of the teaching material according to 5 fields of specialization (general, basic sciences, clinical disciplines, community health, and personal development) to formulate learning objectives, assessment system, and recommending additional teaching resources. The program will conclude with a plenary session at which small groups will report their findings.
5.0 TEACHING MATERIALS ACCORDING TO FIELD OF SPECIALIZATION
5.1 General
ASAASIYYAT (Fundamentals): Aqidat (creed); Shari’at (Law); ‘Ilm & ma’arifat (Epistemology); Khalq (Creation); Tariikh / hadharat (Civilization).
5.2 Basic Sciences
FIQH AL ‘ULUUM AL HAYAAT (Life sciences): Hayat & Sihhat (Life and Health); Jism al Insan (Human organism);
FIQH al ‘AADAAT (Activities of daily life): Fiqh al ‘ibaadaat (Physical acts of worship); Al izdiyaad (reproduction), and others: nadhafat (hygiene), at’imat (foods), ashribat (drinks), nashaat, raahat, & nawm (activity, rest, and sleep)
5.3 Clinical Disciplines
FIQH al AMRAADH
FIQH AL MUSTAJIDDAAT
5.4 Community Health
FIQH AL JAMAAT
FIQH AL MU’AMALAAT
5.5 Personal Development
TAKWIN AL TABIIB
FIQH AL QIYADAT
FIQH AL IDAARAT
6.0 METHODOLOGY OF THE PROGRAM
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© Professor Omar Hasan Kasule September 2007
© Professor Omar Hasan Kasule September 2007
