Ideological and Intellectual Conflict between Religious and Contemporary Educational Systems: A Research and Analytical Study

دینی و عصری نظامِ تعلیم میں نظریاتی و فکری تصادم:ایک تحقیقی و تجزیاتی مطالعہ

Abstract

Education plays a fundamental role in shaping the intellectual, ideological, moral, and cultural identity of a society. In the contemporary context, the coexistence of religious and modern educational systems has generated a significant intellectual and ideological divide, particularly in Muslim societies. This study examines the foundations, historical factors, and contemporary manifestations of this intellectual and ideological conflict between religious and modern systems of education. It begins by analyzing the intellectual foundations of the religious educational system and the ideological basis of modern education, highlighting the differences in their conceptions of knowledge, human nature, life, values, and the objectives of education. The study further explores the historical factors that contributed to the emergence and consolidation of this divide and examines its implications for contemporary educational thought. Particular attention is given to the decline of ideological identity, intellectual duality and psychological fragmentation, differences in intellectual priorities within educational curricula, cultural disassociation in curriculum development, the ideological orientation of institutional and training environments, intellectual domination and academic subordination, and the resulting crisis of national identity and ideological cohesion. The study argues that the existing separation between religious and modern educational streams is not merely a difference in curricula or institutional structures; rather, it reflects deeper differences in intellectual frameworks, epistemological assumptions, and cultural orientations. The study concludes that addressing this divide requires a balanced educational approach that integrates authentic religious and cultural values with contemporary knowledge and intellectual developments. Such an approach may contribute to overcoming intellectual fragmentation, strengthening ideological identity, and promoting greater educational and national cohesion.