Islamic English

MIGHTY ISLAMIC ENGLIS

Roughly a quarter of the world has been in regular, direct contact with ​Islamic culture and religion, en masse, for centuries. Today, in the emerging global village, we see increasing interaction between the West and majority-Muslim Arab countries, and also between the West and Southeast Asia - home to half the world's Muslims - and thus it is easy to understand why Islamic identity, attitudes or customs are becoming more visible - and increasingly shape the background of individual and corporate relationships, with each passing day. Islam and Muslims are THERE whenever most people turn on the nightly news. The emergence of English language, in this context, as a lingua franca for most of the world means that English will be the language of access for urgent knowledge about Islam and Muslims - for a long time to come.

Incredibly, despite all this urgency to understand Islam and Muslims, Islamic English is just in its infancy. Not to worry, MIGHTY COLLEGE is going to raise this child! At MIGHTY EDUCATION, Islamic English is growing fast and strong. In the world at large, Islamic English is quickly becoming a pivotal discipline and a pre-requisite, a sin qua non, for
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a) international relations and diplomacy
b) global tourism
c) global business
d) news reports and investigative journalism
e) personal research and information concerning Islam
f) grappling with The War on Terror or analyzing terrorism
g) formal study of Islam as a major world religion
h) proper translation of Islam's sacred texts
i) understanding Muslim colleagues, neighbors 
​and fellow students

Islamic English is not a simple equation but rather a complex endeavor. It involves engaging with - and striving to overcome - linguistic barriers and hurdles that have never been surmounted, yet are sure to be surmounted, today or tomorrow or the next day! History can't wait!

The hurdles for creating an Islamic English include:
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1) recognizing key Islamic words with zero equivalence in English, and how to provide them with a semantic map of connotations
2) recognizing the need to go beyond literal translations
3) recognizing the need for nuanced translations
4) recognizing the need for elegant translations of key Qur'anic passages
5) recognizing the need for a systematic approach to the Qur'an as a LINGUISTIC miracle, at least in the minds of Muslims and as an article of their Faith
6) recognizing the need to accommodate multiple meanings and layers of meaning in certain passages of the Qur'an
7) recognizing the need to correct blunders in existing translations of the Qur'an, blunders which have alienated laymen and clergy alike - involving passages about the sense of tolerance and peaceful co-existence in Islamic teaching
8) recognizing the need to create patent phrases or standard translations of Islamic idioms, as in the Muslim greeting, the Muslim Call to Prayer and short Qur'anic Surahs - all in the finest, highest quality English
9) recognizing close linguistic parallels between the Qur'anic message and the Biblical message, such parallels as create a bridge and a common ground between many Muslims and non-Muslims
10) recognizing many of the roots of Modern scientific reasoning in the Qur'an, as well as roots of the contemporary human rights discourse(and parallels to current definitions of human dignity)

This is only the beginning! When you start this journey, it will never end! It is the road of rich interaction and global penetration - from business to politics.