Islamic Parameters and Prescribed Moral Ethics Syllabuses in Pakistan

Abstract

The core objective of this research thesis was to investigate the reliability of existing Moral Ethics syllabi at tertiary level in the perspective of religious harmony between minority groups and the majority in Pakistan. This in-depth analysis also explored the comparative approach between the Islamic moral system and secular moral theories. It provides a wider understanding of both the disciplines in the Pakistani settings and an opportunity, generally, for a common reader and specifically for new researchers to have a close view of Islamic ideology towards Moral Ethics (ME) education in Pakistan. However, it is the need of the hour to have a culturally synthesized approach towards the Moral Ethics syllabuses in Pakistani settings. Qualitative data were collected from different public and private universities in Pakistan to evaluate the Moral Ethics syllabi at tertiary level studies. First, the Delphi method was used in this study to suggest a unified ME syllabus for further evaluation. In the second phase of the study, 32 important conceptual themes were compiled and ten most important themes were selected through a rigorous process involved a team of experts belonging to the relevant field of Moral Ethics teaching, especially. In the last and third phase of the study, the unified ME syllabus was evaluated under these ten most important ME themes. The findings indicate that current ME syllabi ignore some important themes which are essential for a culturally synthesized ME syllabus. The results also reveal that practically these courses unable to ensure harmony and create a consensus between Muslim majority and non-Muslims communities of the society. iii Suggestions for future research include considering more advanced approaches which focus social and cultural themes in the context of indigenous needs of Pakistani society. Moreover, there is a need to further explore the political and economic factors that influence moral and ethical behaviour of students at tertiary level, especially when the majority of the population is illiterate and under the poverty level. Against the traditional approach of research studies, current study has not only identified the problem but presented a practical solution to the problem. In the last chapter, a book on the subject of Moral Ethics for undergraduate level has been proposed by the researcher himself to comply with the current needs and pervert the students from any perplexity. This book can be used at tertiary level to obtain the objectives that are necessary to create harmony and respect for others religious beliefs in society.