State Policy, Sharia Principles, and Institutional Transformation in Kuwaiti Islamic Higher Education
Abstract
This article examines the transformation of Islamic higher education in Kuwait through the interaction of state policy, Sharia principles, privatization, digital modernization, and global higher education models. Using a qualitative library-based approach, combined with policy analysis and an integrative literature review, the study analyzes how Kuwaiti Islamic higher education has moved beyond a primarily religious-knowledge orientation toward a more complex institutional model shaped by governance reform, quality assurance, internationalization, and technological innovation. The findings show that Kuwait’s higher education transformation is neither a purely secular modernization project nor a simple continuation of religious tradition. Rather, it is a negotiated process in which state regulation, Sharia-based ethics, private higher education, digital learning, and global academic standards continuously interact. Sharia principles influence curriculum design, institutional governance, financial management, and ethical accountability, while state policy provides the regulatory framework for privatization, accreditation, and modernization. The article contributes by proposing a Hybrid Policy-Sharia Transformation Framework to understand Islamic higher education reform in Kuwait. This framework emphasizes regulatory alignment, Sharia-based governance, pedagogical modernization, participatory reform, and integrated quality assurance as key dimensions for future institutional development.
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References
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Shammari, A. A. (2022). The History of Higher Education in Kuwait. in The Past, Present, and Future of Higher Education in The Arabian Gulf Region: Critical Comparative Perspectives in A Neoliberal Era (pp. 30–46). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003049609-4
Warno, W., Achmad, T., Harto, P., & Pangayow, B. (2025). The Role of Law in The Implementation of Islamic Social Reporting: A Case Study of Islamic Banking in Asia. Al-Ahkam, 35(2), 349–370. https://doi.org/10.21580/ahkam.2025.35.2.27677
Al Qenai, R., & Wright, N. (2025). Connecting The Local To The Global: Promoting Interconnectedness Within Kuwaiti Classrooms. in English Language Education (Vol. 41, pp. 21–40). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82139-4_2
Alajmi, A. E., & Al-Shammari, B. A. (2024). Corporate Governance Impact on Risk Disclosure in Shariah-Compliant Financial Firms of Kuwait. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIABR-02-2024-0070
Alajmi, M. (2022). School Principals’ Experiences of Autonomy and Accountability: Outcomes of The School Education Quality Improvement Project in Kuwait. International Journal of Educational Management, 36(4), 606–617. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-09-2021-0366
AlAjmi, M. K., Alsharija, M., & Alzaid, I. W. (2026). The Impact of Wasta and External Power Holders on The Educational System in Kuwait: Leaders’ Perspectives. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 29(1), 82–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2022.2087004
Al-Asfour, A. (2019). Higher Education Privatization in Kuwait: A Study in The Processes of Policy Production. Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/b15463
Al-Atiqi, I. M., & Alharbi, L. M. (2009). Meeting The Challenge: Quality Systems in Private Higher Education in Kuwait. Quality in Higher Education, 15(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538320902741814
Alazmi, A. A. (2025). School Leadership in Context: The Influence of Islamic Values and Beliefs on Kuwaiti School Principal Practices. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 28(3), 618–638. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2023.2292148
Albarrak, H., & El-Halaby, S. (2019). AAOIFI Governance Standards: Sharia Disclosure and Financial Performance For Islamic Banks. Journal of Governance and Regulation, 8(1), 19–37. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgr_v8_i1_p2
Alhasan, K. (2024). Digital Transformation in Higher Education in Kuwait: Towards Resilient Sustainable Development and Bold Innovation. in Transformative Leadership and Sustainable Innovation in Education: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (pp. 199–209). https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-536-120241013
Alhouti, I. (2023). The Uncompleted Reforms: The Political Mechanisms of Reforming Educational Systems in The Arab Gulf States. Postcolonial Directions in Education, 12(1), 66–114. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85175429878&partnerID=40&md5=b604f9be29d0b3c9dbb4fffe941d0eaf
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Alkandari, K. (2024). Engagement, Interaction, and Socialization of Islamic Education Pre-Service Teachers Through Virtual Discussions. SAGE Open, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241255844
Alkandari, K., & Alabdulhadi, M. (2023). Promoting Self-Regulation Skills Among Pre-Service Islamic Studies Teachers Through Project-Based Learning Utilizing A Flipped Learning Strategy. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 22(5), 74–100. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.5.4
Alkandari, K., & Alsuwailan, Z. (2019). Pressures Confronting Islamic Studies Curricula in Kuwait: Perspectives of Curricula Planners on Challenges and Confrontations. Religious Education, 114(2), 97–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/00344087.2018.1537055
Alkhaldi, A., Malik, S., Alhaimer, R., Alshaheen, A., & Lytras, M. D. (2024). Translating A Value-Based Framework For Resilient E-Learning Impact in Post COVID-19 Times: Research-Based Evidence From Higher Education in Kuwait. Heliyon, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24271
Almisad, B. M., Aleidan, A. A., & Alsaffar, R. D. (2024). Exploring College of Education Students’ Perceptions of The Educational Uses of Virtual Reality (VR) Technologies. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 14(9), 1252–1261. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2024.14.9.2154
Almutairi, A. R., & Quttainah, M. A. (2019). Internal and External Corporate Governance Mechanisms in The Context of The Emerging Market. Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review, 3(2), 52–57. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgobr_v3_i2_p5
Almutairi, I. L. F. H., Almutairi, F. L. F. H., & Alazemi, B. F. (2022). Higher Education and Smart Education System: The Impact of Learning Style and Environmental Characteristics in The State of Kuwait. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies, 16(13), 192–199. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i13.30607
Al-Nakib, R. (2012). Human Rights, Education For Democratic Citizenship and International Organisations: Findings From A Kuwaiti UNESCO ASPnet School. Cambridge Journal of Education, 42(1), 97–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2011.652072
Alrashidi, A. O., & Alrashidi, B. S. (2026). Pedagogical Pathways To Inclusion: Advancing Cultural Diversity in Kuwaiti Higher Education Institutions. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 25(1), 496–517. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.1.24
Alsaleh, A. (2019). Investigating Instructional Leadership in Kuwait’s Educational Reform Context: School Leaders’ Perspectives. School Leadership and Management, 39(1), 96–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2018.1467888
Alsaleh, A. A. (2023). Educational Administration and Policy in Kuwait: A Reflection on Decades of Reform. in Demystifying Educational Leadership and Administration in The Middle East and North Africa: Challenges and Prospects (pp. 166–186). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003334835-10
Al-Sharhan, S. (2018). Kuwait. in E-Learning in The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region (pp. 193–224). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68999-9_9
Althaqeb, S. A., Almudhaf, F., Alabdullah, Y., & Hararah, N. (2025). Shariah Compliance and Capital Structure: Evidence From Boursa Kuwait. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIABR-03-2025-0123
Bashir, M. S., & Babiker, A. A. (2023). Evaluation of Sharīʿah Governance Practices in Saudi Arabian Banks. Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law, 11(2), 243–270. https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol11no2.480
BenSaid, Y. R., & Quttainah, M. A. (2024). The Determinants of Takaful Insurance Financial Stability: The Moderating Role of Shari’ah Supervisory Board. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIABR-11-2023-0392
El Tayara, H., Milad, M., & Farran, M. (2026). Pedagogical Application of Artificial Intelligence To English Language Teaching Contexts in Arab World Higher Education. in Higher Education in The Arab World: Artificial Intelligence (pp. 493–515). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-99068-7_19
Ginena, K., & Hamid, A. (2015). Foundations of Sharī‘ah Governance of Islamic Banks. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119053507
Hillman, S. (2022). Negotiating Between Cultural and Academic Values: Undergraduate Education Choices and Divisions in The State of Qatar. in The Past, Present, and Future of Higher Education in The Arabian Gulf Region: Critical Comparative Perspectives in A Neoliberal Era (pp. 185–205). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003049609-13
Ibrahim, A., & Barnawi, O. Z. (2022). The Past, Present, and Future of Higher Education in The Arabian Gulf Region: Critical Comparative Perspectives in A Neoliberal Era. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003049609
Kelly, M. (2011). Balancing Cultures At The American University of Kuwait. Journal of Arabian Studies, 1(2), 201–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/21534764.2011.630893
Kitamura, H., & Alowaiyesh, W. (2025). Emerging Religious Authority: An Unwritten Hierarchy of Shariah Gatekeeping in Kuwaiti Islamic Finance. Ethnos. https://doi.org/10.1080/00141844.2025.2562262
Lessy, Z. (2021). Revisiting Islamic Studies: Cementing Bases For Integrating Science and Religion in Islamic Higher Educational Institutions. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 18(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.2021.181-01
Prasojo, P., Muhfiatun, M., Syarifah, L., & Rosman, R. (2025). Conformity of Indonesian Islamic Bank CSR Practices With Maqashid Shariah Rules. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 16(9), 2596–2616. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-01-2024-0047
Rashimbetov, R., Utpinov, N., Mazhiyev, G., & Kairbekov, N. (2025). Correlation Between Secular State and Religious Orientation: Internal and External Motives of Madrasa Students. Pharos Journal of Theology, 106(5), 1–19. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105027780804&partnerID=40&md5=f9714153c58a8c310772943a42044c42
Ross, C. (2018). The Community College Branch Campus in Kuwait: Meeting Needs of The People and of Industry. in Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38909-7_52-2
Safi, A. Q. (1986). Kuwait University and Its Evaluation Program. Higher Education, 15(5), 421–447. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00131819
Sellami, A. (2025). The Velvet Cage of Reform: Neoliberal Discourses in Qatari Education Policy. Frontiers in Education, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1645119
Shammari, A. A. (2022). The History of Higher Education in Kuwait. in The Past, Present, and Future of Higher Education in The Arabian Gulf Region: Critical Comparative Perspectives in A Neoliberal Era (pp. 30–46). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003049609-4
Warno, W., Achmad, T., Harto, P., & Pangayow, B. (2025). The Role of Law in The Implementation of Islamic Social Reporting: A Case Study of Islamic Banking in Asia. Al-Ahkam, 35(2), 349–370. https://doi.org/10.21580/ahkam.2025.35.2.27677
Published
2026-06-01
How to Cite
AL AJMI, Bader Khaled Marzouq; AL RASHIDI, Yousef Hamad Dhafer.
State Policy, Sharia Principles, and Institutional Transformation in Kuwaiti Islamic Higher Education.
Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam, [S.l.], v. 14, n. 1, p. 109-130, june 2026.
ISSN 2621-8275.
Available at: <http://riset-iaid.net/index.php/jppi/article/view/2352>. Date accessed: 01 june 2026.
doi: https://doi.org/10.36667/jppi.v14i1.2352.
Section
Articles
