At the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad on January 21, scholars and students gathered for a workshop that urged a rethink of modern thought by centring decolonizing knowledge within Islamic intellectual traditions. The session, led by Dr Ovamir Anjum, emphasised that reclaiming Islamic perspectives is not a rejection of modernity but a project to bring contemporary debates into dialogue with revelation and classical scholarship.
Dr Anjum argued that decolonizing knowledge requires engaging present realities, including modern institutions and languages, rather than attempting to revert to an imagined pre-colonial past. He said Muslims must remain rooted in the Ummatic intellectual tradition while translating its moral coherence to address current social and academic challenges in Pakistan and beyond.
Critiquing parts of Western decolonial and postmodern thought, Dr Anjum warned that abandoning the idea of absolute truth can produce fragmentation. He proposed that an Islamic approach to decolonizing knowledge should stay anchored in revelation to preserve moral clarity and intellectual consistency, highlighting a distinctive worldview where the central ethical divide concerns belief and unbelief.
Addressing concerns about working inside modern universities and other institutions perceived as ‘colonized’, Dr Anjum noted that no structure is impermeable to truth. Drawing on the prophetic example, he explained how existing languages, customs, and virtues were used historically to convey the message of Tawheed, and he stressed the enduring role of fitrah in allowing truth to reassert itself within any system.
The workshop considered engagement with Western critical theories such as Marxism and feminism, acknowledging potential value in dialogue while insisting on the epistemic primacy of revelation. Dr Anjum advocated for clear boundaries so that intellectual exchange remains fruitful without compromising core Islamic principles.
On educational reform, he urged Pakistani universities and religious schools to stop treating the Qur’an and Sunnah as secondary references. Instead, he called for a return to classical scholarly methods that present multiple viewpoints with supporting evidence, fostering depth and preventing sectarian polemics.
In closing remarks, Khalid Rahman, chairman of IPS, said decolonizing knowledge demands a deeper grasp of how colonialism and imperialism continue to shape institutions and ideas. He pledged that IPS will continue to promote debate and collaborate with academic partners to advance thoughtful, tradition-rooted responses to contemporary problems.
