Department of Islamic Studies

The Department of Islamic studies was established in 2018. Islamic Studies, as a social science discipline, investigates Islam as a lived religion and socio-cultural force, employing empirical and interdisciplinary methods from anthropology, sociology, history, and political science. It analyzes the interplay of Islamic texts, practices, and institutions with social structures and power dynamics, extending beyond theology to contextualize Muslim societies. Evolving from colonial-era scholarship, contemporary Islamic Studies integrates postcolonial, gender, and globalization frameworks to address modern complexities. In modern higher education institutions, its scope has expanded significantly. Universities worldwide—particularly in North America, Europe, and Muslim-majority countries—offer programs combining traditional Islamic sciences (Quran, Hadith, Fiqh) with social science approaches, fostering research on Islamic finance, environmental ethics, and interfaith studies. It equips students to navigate careers in academia, policy-making, diplomacy, and community leadership, often through centers like Oxford’s Centre for Islamic Studies or Harvard’s Islamic Studies Program. Notably, it engages pluralism by exploring Islam’s diverse interpretations and interactions with other faith traditions, enhancing cross-cultural understanding. Its contemporary relevance excels in analyzing issues like Islamic law in governance, diaspora identities, digital religion, and secularism’s challenges. It informs discourse on radicalization, gender dynamics, religious populism, and ethical responses to AI, providing critical insights into Islam’s role in modernity. By linking tradition with lived experience, Islamic Studies remains essential in higher education for understanding societal shifts and promoting intercultural dialogue in a globalized era. Islamic Studies as a social science subject attracts a good number of students and thereby provides them an academic opportunity to pursue the subject at higher level. Islamic studies, being a multi-disciplinary subject, offers research programs of diverse themes. The students of Islamic studies are taking part in different co-curricular activities of the College. Even being a recently established (2018) the department eagerly participates in the College activities of diverse themes.