Lecture Series on Islamic Civilization (Nov 2020 –Jun 2021) ----Teacher Training on the Revised Junior Secondary History Curriculum

In September 2020, the Revised Curriculum Framework of History (Secondary 1-3) started to be implemented in all local schools. Among the changes in the new curriculum is the introduction of the topic “The rise of Islamic civilisation and cultural interactions between Europe and Asia in Medieval Times” (Topic 3) under the theme of “The ancient world” for Secondary 1. This new topic is recommended to take up ten teaching periods out of a total of fifty for History in Secondary 1.

The revised curriculum comprises a total of twelve topics, four to be taught each year. “Islamic Civilisation” is the third topic under the theme “The ancient world (from pre-historic period to the 14th century): The birth and interactions of regional civilisations”.

As one of the most important civilizations in the world, Islamic civilization had made remarkable contributions in human history. However, the importance of Islamic civilization was ignored in the History curriculum of local schools for a long time. This long-existing gap was not filled until September 2020 when the revised History curriculum took on the topic of Islamic civilization. In addition,Hong Kong is a multicultural society with a notable presence of Muslims from diverse backgrounds such as South Asian ethnic minorities or Indonesian domestic helpers. As members of Hong Kong society, these Muslims interact a lot with local Chinese, who, notwithstanding, lack a basic understanding of Islamic culture in most cases. The negative stereotypes projected by the media make the matter even worse. It is believed that the introduction of Islamic civilization as a topic in the History Curriculum would foster better cultural literary among students and enhance Hong Kong’s multiculturalism.

While teachers affirm that the topic of Islamic civilization will help students acquire a global vision, they generally feel anxious about teaching it. First, they are unfamiliar with the topic. Second, unfortunately, textbooks are not free of prejudice but echo the tone of the media. Obviously, teacher training is urgently needed. In response to this situation, in the school year 2020/21, the Centre for the Study of Islamic Culture (CSIC) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong collaborated with the Curriculum Development Institute of the Education Bureau (EDB) to provide the necessary teacher training----Islamic civilization lecture series.

The lecture series comprised five lectures held between November 2020 and June 2021. Two of the lectures were held in mosques, incorporating a site visit at each, while the other three took place via zoom. It is worth mentioning that, by visiting Kowloon Mosque and Wanchai Mosque, teachers had an experiential learning experience about Islamic culture. The five lectures introduced the audience to various aspects of Islamic civilization, including basic knowledge of Islam, developments and challenges of Islamic civilization from the 7^th to 15^th centuries, rise of Muslim merchants in pre-modern Asia, achievements of Islamic civilization in the fields of science, education and art. The lecture series was designed to reflect the curriculum, aiming to equip the teachers with a multifaceted understanding of Islamic civilization.

The first lecture was delivered by Imam Sulayman Wang on 26 November 2020 in Kowloon Mosque. It was about the basics of Islam, the Qur’an and the life of Prophet Muhammad.

The last lecture was delivered by Imam Uthman Yang on 24 June 2021 in Wanchai Mosque. It was about the artistic achievements of Islamic civilization, and the development of Islam in Mainland and Hong Kong.

CSIC looks forward to continuing collaboration with EDB in teacher training, thereby facilitating the teaching of Islamic civilization in secondary schools.