Position Paper 4

“Since most of the assessment instruments in the market were made based on American culture, Muslim counselors should not use standardized assessment instruments at all.”

by: Norfakhrini binti Abdul Razab (0728856)

Muslims counselors are special and superfluous than other counselors in this world because they are not just study for western point of view in counseling theory, but they also look at Islamic perspective as their guideline in doing assessment instruments to their clients. In Islam, Muslims are required to know everything about worldview, either it is out of Islamic knowledge or it related to Islamic points. The important thing is the knowledge they find and implement in their life must because of Allah. As we know Islamic world view characteristics already all embracing which means covering all such concepts as God, revelation, prophethood, man, nature and also including this assessment instruments. Besides, it also derived from Quran and Sunnah which is not a product of human reason, society or culture. Islamic worldview also giving a balanced and emphasis on each both parts of the following. It shows that, everything has been taught in Islam before the western assessment instruments came to us particularly in Malaysia. Nowadays, most of the assessment instruments in the market were made based on American culture. We cannot totally agree that Muslim counselors should not use standardized assessment instruments at all but counselors should think profoundly before use that assessment instruments because all of these are knowledge and Islam encourage Muslims to seek knowledge from cradle to grave. Muslim counselors should not use standardized assessment instruments based on American culture because some people say that, the research for the theories and assessment instruments only made for the male, American and white people. It clearly shows that this assessment instruments or theories from America culture are not covering all concepts around the world. If they just made assessment for these three groups, how about the female, other cultures and etc. Meanwhile, a counselor will face many types of people who come from different culture, different religious, different gender and all that.

However, the assessment instruments from America culture is needed as a guideline for counselor in order to counseling the clients who are appropriate to that assessment as long as it is sacrifice with Islamic teaching or revelation. We as a Muslim counselor in Malaysia must be ready to face many types of client that maybe consist of Chinese, Indians, Malays and other races with different religious and cultures. Thus assessment instruments based on Islamic perspective must be implemented in flexible way. The assessment instruments based on America culture also can be use as a guideline to the clients who are practice western life such as Christian Chinese people and etc. aesthetic

As a conclusion, Muslim counselor should consider in using the standardized assessment instruments for their client. It is better if refers to the rules or laws set down by Allah according to which everything in nature or in the universe world. Counseling is an ibadat. All kinds of ibadat are valid only when they conform to the sunnah. Thus, Muslim counselor should think extremely and ready for the accountability they have in their life.