Islamic Studies

Islamic studies is an ambiguous term with one connotation in a traditional near-Eastern context and another in a Western context. In a Muslim context, "Islamic studies" can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge. It includes all the traditional forms of religious thought, such as Kalam (Islamic theology) and Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and also assimilates fields generally considered to be secular in the West, such as Islamic science and Islamic economics.

In a non-Muslim context, Islamic studies generally refers to the historical study of Islam, Muslim culture, Muslim history and Islamic philosophy. Academics from diverse disciplines participate and exchange ideas about predominantly Muslim societies, past and present. In spite of their non-religious approach, some non-Muslim scholars have written works which are widely read by Muslims. Before 1980, such non-Muslim scholars in this field had been called "Islamicists" and their discipline came under the field often called Oriental studies, now often Asian studies. Many universities offer academic degrees on the subject of Islamic studies.

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