Islam and Society: Role of the Departments of Islamic Studies, an Analytical Study

This study elaborates the connection between Islam and society and the role of Islam in the formulation and reformation of a society. This research highlights the need and the significance of the concept of developing a linkage between the religious and otherwise classes of society. The study primarily focuses on the role and the influence of the departments of Islamic studies in Pakistani universities in defusing tensions and promoting peace and hormony among various classes of society. The study includes an analysis of the visions, mission statements and the objectives of the various departments of Islamic studies in leading universities of the country. The article highlights the system of education in Islam and the problems in the system of education of Pakistan which play a part in the role of the departments of Islamic studies. The research also focuses on the role of the students and the teachers of the departments of Islamic studies in the light of Islamic teachings.

A Comparison of Clinical Risk Factors and Bone Mineral Density Bmd in the Assessment of Osteoporosis in Patients Admitted With Hip Fractures Aged Fifty Years and Above at Aga Khan Hospital Dar-Es-Salaam, 2009

Objective: To compare World Health Organisation (WHO) osteoporosis clinical risk factors with BMD in assessing osteoporosis amongst patients over 50 years of age admitted with hip fractures at Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam Methods: Study Design: Cross-sectional hospital based study. Study Site: Aga Khan Hospital Dar es Salaam. Sample Size: 31 patients. Results: Of the 31 patients with hip fractures studied, 18 (58%) had osteoporosis, 5 (16%) were osteopaenic and 8 (26%) had normal BMD. Odds Ratios for clinical risk factors were non-significant owing to the small sample size and were considered as hypothesis generating rather than confirming or refuting associations. FRAX™ 10 year Major Osteoporotic Fracture Probability > 20% (Model 1) had a sensitivity of 44.44%; specificity of 92.31%; positive LR of 5.78 and negative LR of 0.60. FRAX™ 10 Year Hip Fracture Probability > 3% (Model 2) had a sensitivity of 33.33%; specificity of 92.31%; positive LR of 4.33 and negative LR of 0.72. Test characteristics did not significantly alter when FRAX™ was used with osteoporosis alone in comparison with osteoporosis and osteopaenia combined. Majority of the patients in the study were Asian - Indian. In Black patients with hip fractures 8 out of 12 [66.67%] had osteoporosis. Low energy trauma was the most common cause of fracture proving that fragility fractures were common. Conclusions and Recommendation: Our study has shown that the prevalence of osteoporosis amongst patients with hip fractures is noteworthy. The FRAX™ tool for osteoporotic fracture determination had appreciable high negative likelihood ratios and specificity. This might enable this tool to be used locally to ‘rule out’ osteoporosis without using BMD. The author recommends further studies that would either determine the incidence of osteoporotic hip fracture in Dar es Salaam hospitals or conduct a community based survey to assess the prevalence of osteoporosis. This study it is hoped would encourage proposals for the development of regional screening protocols for osteoporosis and the development of a region specific FRAX™ model.