Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states: “Activism is important, but by itself it is not sufficient. There has to be knowledge and thorough knowledge of the Qur’an, Sunnah, Sirah (Prophet’s Biography), Fiqh, Islamic history, culture, morals and manners. We do need more programs on Islamic Shari`ah. Muslims, alhamdulillah, are successful in establishing Islamic centers, mosques, and Islamic schools for children. We should continue establishing more and better centers and schools, but we need now first class Islamic colleges, seminaries, darul ulums. Activism without proper knowledge becomes very subjective. People begin emphasizing things according to their own whims and it may lead to more division and chaos in the community.
We do need programs for Islamic studies. It is important that we prepare a curriculum that is suitable for our needs in the West. Beside traditional Islamic sciences we should also teach comparative religion, sociology, anthropology, psychology and world history. A balanced curriculum with all these subjects will prepare our young people to face the challenges of the 21st century and beyond insha’Allah.”