Critical Education Paradigm in the Perspective of Islamic Education

This article is an assessment of critical education concepts reviewed in a paradigmatic frame and seen from the perspective of Islamic education. As education aims to work on the reality of human consciousness, free will, critical reasoning, and creativity, critical education should methodologically rest on the principles of total reflection and action. In other words, these are the principles used to transform static facts into dynamic conditions for both individual actors of education (educators and learners) and the society as a whole. As for the concept of Islamic education, it essentially emphasizes humanization and liberation as an educational orientation and places learners and educators as a subject in the learning process. Islamic education combines vertical (spirituality) and horizontal (social) aspects in a single educational orientation. This is in contrast to the paradigm of critical education which places its emphasis more on materialistic matters and less on spiritual aspects