Some higher education issues in Muslim countries with Islamic economics as an illustrative case

The purpose of this paper is (i) to state the objectives of higher education commensurate with Islamic requirements; (ii) to examine the current state of higher education in Muslim majority countries with reference to the stated objectives with a view to indentifying the main issues it faces and (iii) to present in outline a program for creating an Islamic space for higher education at the global level. The constraints of space, time and resources at our disposal do not permit us to present an all covering blue print on this vital subject. Instead of dealing with specifics, we shall focus on attitudinal and directional issues of evolution. We shall use Islamic economics including finance as an illustrative case. Even here a comprehension of the desired magnitude may be lacking. Thus, we are conscious of the limitations of the truncated approach the paper takes to the problem. Yet, we expect the exercise to be rewarding in lighting up a few dark corners in the area