ENGLISH-TEACHING OF ISLAMIC STUDIES IN A MINOR & MAJOR CATHOLIC SEMINARY OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Catholic Christianity has established organised theological institutes both for men and women all over Pakistan. These theological institutions- generally called Formation Houses – can be categorized into three types; Seminaries (Minor and Major), Novitiate Houses (inter-congregational formation houses) and Catechist Training Centers. In this article, we would only be focusing on the Seminaries (minor and major Catholic Seminaries) and its syllabus which is related to ‘Islam’ whether it is a complete course or part of a course with segments on Islam. It starts by introducing the academic and pedagogical structure of the Minor and Major Seminaries, the historical overview of incorporating Islamic Studies as a major subject, the nature of all Islamic courses, a brief survey of Seminary syllabus through years and the current situation of the academic study of ‘Islam’. It also examines the place of Islamic Studies in the broader curriculum of Ecclesiastical Studies and the approaches which have been adopted to teach Islam. For that purpose we have gone through all the scheme of studies in Minor and Major catholic Seminaries of Pakistan.