IN 2017, I had a conversation with a former student who had come to visit her alma mater, the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
She had completed her undergraduate studies at IIUM and went to a conventional (secular) university for further education. I wanted to know about her experience there.
She told me that it met almost all her expectations, except that discussing religion was not encouraged in classrooms.
She recounted that one day, in a classroom discussion, she wanted to relate some issues of her subject (English studies) to religious teachings.
The lecturer told that if she wanted to discuss religion, she needed to go to a masjid or a church.
At IIUM, when examining philosophical and ideological premises, we seek to inform students about Islamic perspectives. That conversation with my student left a lasting impression on me.
Not long after that, my wife and I, along with our two daughters, went to the United Kingdom for conference presentations. My wife presented at St Hugh's College in Oxford while I did at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Discerning readers may have noted that, like IIUM, the names of St Hugh's College and Canterbury Christ Church University have religious references.
During her three-day conference, my wife stayed in Oxford while our daughters and I were in London.
On the last day of the conference, we went to Oxford with our London host.
After taking a self-guided tour of the Bodleian Old Library, we were near the Radcliffe Camera, the most iconic structure at Oxford.
In front of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, I engaged in a conversation with a local tour guide.
The gentleman told me that in the early days of the university, classes and examinations were held at this church.
That reminded me of my chat with my student. I wondered what her lecturer's reaction would be if they knew that the University of Oxford began its journey from a church.
On an earlier visit to Oxford for a three-day conference in 2016, I presented a paper at its Mansfield College. Food for participants was served at its magnificent chapel.
The college website states: "Mansfield College Chapel, which is one of the largest in Oxford, is a well loved space. It is central to the life of Mansfield and is used on a daily basis by students, staff and Fellows."
Later, I asked friends who had studied at Oxford whether all Oxford colleges have a chapel in their compounds.
I also wrote to Mansfield College Library, which replied: "Indeed, most of the Oxford colleges have their own chapels … and even many of the newer colleges, such as Nuffield, do as well."
However, some chapels have not been maintained, while others have been converted to something else. I was informed by an Oxford graduate colleague at Universiti Malaya that the chapel of St Antony's College had been converted to a library.
Similarly, in the Muslim world, the University of al-Qarawiyyin (founded in Morocco in 859 by a Muslim woman named Fatima al-Fihri [d. 880]) and Al-Azhar University (established in Egypt in 972) began their journey from masjid.
Religious symbols at Oxford and other universities point to their religious foundation.
Therefore, by placing its main masjid at the centre and establishing a surau (prayer facility comparable to a chapel) at each of its student dormitories, IIUM has done nothing out of the ordinary.
Religious underpinnings of modern education are also reflected in the nomenclature of educational administrative vocabulary.
Terms such as chancellor, rector, dean, provost and proctor have their genesis in religion (Christianity).
The above discussion suggests that early centres of education were actually places of worship, making religion and education inseparable. The former gave the latter an institutional shape.
These facts about education and religion question the position of my student's lecturer who disallowed religious references in classrooms.
Perhaps attempts to wedge a rift between religion and education sometimes betray a lack of awareness of the origin of modern education.
Discussing aspects of religion in classrooms does not mean proselytisation.
It means enlightening students about different viewpoints and ideas, helping them make informed decisions about lifestyle and behavioural choices or shape their worldviews.
The writer is with IIUM's Department of English Language and Literature