Background

In May 2008, the Asian Institute of Management – TeaM EnergyCenter launched the Islamic Leadership Development Program (ILDP).  It is an initiative that will produce a leadership framework and development program based on the teachings of Islam and effective leadership for the development of Muslim leaders in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. 

It is an acknowledged reality that there is a widespread leadership crisis among Muslim communities in the Philippines.  Instead of Muslim leaders of today being part of the solution to the various problems besetting the Muslim communities, oftentimes the leaders themselves are a big part of the problem.

The history of Islam shows that good leadership based on the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Rasul’ullah (SAW) is a key element for having progressive and morally upright communities.  With the problems facing the Muslims in Mindanao today, there is no other way but to go back to the essence of Islamic teaching to guide the development of new Muslim leaders that have Iman in their hearts and the Sunnah in their actions.  Thus, ILDP’s inception is steered by the vision to contribute to the development of productive, peaceful and progressive Muslim communities in the Philippines and South East Asia through a leadership development program that is aligned with the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

The ILDP is a two-year project implemented with the generous support of the British Embassy in Manila.

Accomplishments

The development of an Islamic leadership framework and curriculum began with a research agenda developed jointly with academic, religious, non-government and revolutionary organizations catering to the needs of Muslim communities in the Philippines.  From this initial effort, as well as consultation meetings with development partners in the field, a roadmap and framework for implementing the program was formed. 

The research activities of the ILDP yielded up-to-date knowledge on community needs for improved leadership which provided the backbone in establishing specific directions for programs and activities later on.  The results include the following:

• a document on the Perspectives of Islamic Leadership
• thirteen cases on successful Muslim leaders in the Philippines
• field research and review of literature on leadership in Muslim communities

In the entire duration of the program, we were able to build strategic partnerships with institutions and local organizations that support its vision in service of Muslim communities.  The Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) and the Mindanao State University (MSU) are among these partners.

For the second phase of program implementation, we institutionalized the leadership training program in key communities in Muslim Mindanao.  Simultaneously, the Islamic Leadership Fellows Program was launched to support the advancement of high potential leaders who have the competence and ability to direct and inspire their communities towards genuine reform. Another highlight was the Southeast Asian Conference on Islamic Leadership which brought together academic, Islamic institutions, individual practitioners and other stakeholders to promote Islamic Leadership in Southeast Asia.