English as a Medium for the Globalization of Islamic Civilization Studies: Opportunities, Challenges, and Implications

Abstract

The growing internationalization of higher education has expanded the role of English in global knowledge production, yet its implications for Islamic civilization studies remain insufficiently examined. This study investigates how English can facilitate the globalization of Islamic civilization studies, the challenges it creates, and its implications for the field’s future internationalization. employed. This study employed a qualitative research design, using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 21 participants: seven English Language and Literature (ELL) faculty members, seven Islamic History and Culture (IHC) faculty members, and seven Islamic scholars. Thematic analysis identifies convergent and divergent perspectives across the three participant groups. Findings indicate that English creates significant opportunities for international visibility, scholarly dissemination, interdisciplinary collaboration, digital engagement, and institutional internationalization. However, participants also identified challenges involving limited English proficiency, translation and conceptual loss, linguistic inequality, epistemic imbalance, and the potential marginalization of Arabic and other Islamic scholarly languages. Comparative perspectives further suggest that ELL faculty generally emphasized English’s communicative and international advantages, whereas IHC faculty and Islamic scholars placed greater emphasis on source-language preservation and epistemological integrity. The study concludes that English can effectively support the globalization of Islamic civilization studies when used as a complementary medium rather than a replacement for Islamic scholarly languages. It contributes to the field by proposing a multilingual and epistemically balanced approach that combines global accessibility with the preservation of Islamic intellectual traditions.