Proposals for an Islamic art program: (a case study) - Faculty of Arts & Media University of Tripoli, Libya / Salaheddin Mansur. S. Zagruna

After being colonized by the Italian rule for nearly five decades from the early 19th century, Libya underwent a westernization process in all aspects' including the areas of art and culture. For instance, the teaching of Arts at the Faculty of Fine Arts (FAM), University of Tripoli, has been adopted a case study for this research. Western perspective in art teaching is not only foreign to Libyan Muslim students, but also incompatible with the Faculty of Arts and Media (FAM) educational philosophy, as well as the philosophy of the Libyan Muslim life and community. These shortcomings have resulted in many conflicts specifically on the moral-ethical values affecting the psychic and spirit of the Muslim art students. Thus, the main aim of this study is to propose a curriculum for teaching Islamic traditional Arts. Such a perspective is deemed relevant to the Muslim students who are taught Islam as addin- away life, is compatible with our belief system in which art and everyday practices (life) are mutually integrated (Tawhid). Such proposals are made possible by examining the philosophy of Islamic art form, content and its underlying aesthetic principles as maintained by Muslim scholars. Also unfolding the Islamic principles in education and as well as unraveling curriculum theory and instructions from renowned scholars' writings in these fields. Apart from conducting research for literature reviews for specific theorists in Islamic art, aesthetic, education and curriculum instruction, social research through an in-depth and structured interview to both practicing artists and scholars in the art in Tripoli were also carried out. This research has also conducted fieldwork research in Egypt art institutions for primary data collections. As for the findings, Art students are not exposed to an Islamic way of art interpretation. Western method of teaching art was adopted at the FAM. The staffs are trained from the west. The teachers unqualified to teach art from Islamic perspective. Thus, there is no Islamic art syllabus. As our role as Muslims is to provide the Muslim students with a comprehensive art education approach that fulfills their physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs, the researcher propose a traditional Islamic arts curriculum which suits the art students' needs.