ISLAM AND TECHNOLOGY: BRIDGING THE GAP FOR SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The nexus between Islam and technology facilitates giant's avenue for promoting sustainable
growth and development in any given society without prejudice to religions, race, ethnics and
traditions. This study explores the extent to which Islamic principles influence the use and ethical
integration of technology and how it can maximally harness to enhance social, economic and
environmental sustainability. The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between Islam and
technology for sustainable development in North-Central,. A stratified random sampling technique
was used to select 721 Islamic education scholars, students and educational technologists and to
ensure that all the respondents were represented across the profession, educational background and
locale. The data were gathered using structured questionnaires tagged “Questionnaire on Islam and
Technology for Sustainable Development (QITSD) and semi-structured interviews tagged
“Interview on Islam and Technology (IIT). Similarly, the quantitative data were analyzed using
descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tools of Chi-square and regression analysis. Also, the
qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings of the study revealed
that Islamic teachings strongly promote knowledge and innovations but lack of digital resources and
awareness were the problems facing the integration of technology within the tenets of Islam. The
study concluded that the use of technologies within the Islamic ethical values can significantly
enhance sustainable development. It is recommended that Islamic ethical education should be
integrated in technological trainings, and policies should be designed that would promote ethical
innovation that is strongly within the Islamic principles for sustainable development in NorthCentral, Nigeria.