Moral Development & Elite Sports in the Islamic Tradition

Athletics and sports in general occupy a paramount position in human society and world cultures. With today’s hyper-commercialization, professional sports have become a multi-billion-dollar industry. This phenomenon has brought about the development of various sciences related to enhancing sporting performance. While most discourses in sports employ the tools of philosophy and psychology with athletic performance as their end, some see athletic performance as a means for human moral development and education. The issue that this study is concerned with is that of moral development in and through elite sports; specifically, with an aim towards a framework for ethical development and education within sport organizations. I will be looking at the interplay of elite sports and ethical development.

Against this background, the main question to be addressed in this thesis will read: “How can perspectives in Islamic virtue and applied ethics contribute to moral development in and through elite sports”? In order to address this broad question, this study will adopt a multidisciplinary approach at the intersection of sports, psychology, philosophy, theology, and education. I will be approaching it from a virtue ethics perspective, drawing mainly from the philosophical and theological ethics of the Islamic tradition. I will also be engaging with developmental and moral psychology and pedagogy to meaningfully contextualize Islamic virtue ethics within the broader discourse of ethical development in elite sports.

Most of the literature in sport psychology related to spirituality has to do with the effects of spiritual practices on sports performance, with sports performance being the final goal. Very few studies examine the various psychological and philosophical dimensions of sport in contributing to one’s moral development. These issues have been discussed in philosophy of sport, however, there is an utter lack of work on ethical perspectives within the Islamic tradition.

This study will be of particular interest to educators and sports facilitators working in the Muslim world or those who deal with athletes and sport professionals of Muslim background worldwide. It will also be of interest generally to those who view sport as a spiritual or ethical endeavor and a means of moral development, including coaches, players, and sports fans. Most importantly, I would like to provide a study, which will be of practical relevance to sports clubs and academies with an ethical vision.