Abu Dhabi: The Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities (MBZUH) will host its second International Conference, Islamic Studies in Universities; Towards Promoting the Values of Citizenship and Coexistence, from November 22nd to the 24th, 2022 at the Rosewood Abu Dhabi.
Academics and scholars from around the world will be at the leading event to talk about the growing importance of Islamic studies in international higher education. They will focus on six thematic pillars: Islamic Studies Vision and Content, Islamic Studies and Research & Teaching Methods, Enhancing Islamic Studies in Arab Universities, Islamic Studies and Knowledge Integration, and Islamic Studies and Promoting Coexistence, Citizenship, Religious Discourse, and Society.
Dr. Khaled Al Dhaheri, Chancellor of Mohamed Bin Zayed University for the Humanities, explains that the Conference is being held as part of MBZUH’s objective to be a catalyst for cultural debate and enlightenment as well as to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and research in the field of Islamic studies.
Dr. Al Dhaheri pointed out that, “Today, there is a great need for Muslim societies to invest in developing insights that will be beneficial to human society and will contribute to the progress of nations by putting a spotlight on the inter-relationships between language, humanity, and religions in a way that will lead to progress, renewal, and modernization.”
This knowledge integration should be taken into account in determining educational outcomes when formulating religious education programs, to build conscious and well-rounded religious leaders, who can help us better understand the needs and future aspirations of this generation, as well as produce a new religious discourse that contributes in meeting those needs and responding to those aspirations, through the development of appropriate programs and projects.
Dr. Al Dhaheri highlighted.
The Conference’s first thematic pillar will describe the current state of Islamic studies programs, which vary among higher education institutions. It will concentrate on subjects like Islamic Studies in Public Universities, Islamic Studies and Islamic Knowledge Frameworks, and Islamic Studies and the Modernization of Religious Lessons.
The Conference’s second theme pillar, which will center on teaching and research, will also assess the curricula currently being given at the higher education level. Research Methods in Quranic Studies, Research Methods in Sharia and Islamic Studies, Research Methods in Western Universities, Approaches to Rooting and Renewal, Modernizing Teaching Methodologies, Criticism, and Deconstruction are some subjects that will be covered throughout the two sessions.
The third thematic pillar, which will take a deep dive into Text and Authorship, Belief and Interpretation, Jurisprudence and Fundamentals, and a new vision for Islamic culture, intends to produce theoretical frameworks and offer practical recommendations for a structural renewal of the most crucial concepts that form the basis of Islamic studies.
As part of the Conference’s fourth thematic pillar, experts in attendance will then examine the relationship between Sharia and various fields of knowledge to highlight the potential effects of this relationship on the advancement of Islamic studies. These topics include Islamic Studies and Philosophy, Islamic Studies and Artificial Intelligence, Islamic Studies and Natural Sciences, Islamic Studies and Social Sciences, Islamic Studies and Linguistics and Literature, and Islamic Studies and Linguistics.
Discussions on the fifth thematic pillar will examine how Islamic studies may contribute to enriching the public discourse on issues of religious plurality and the ideas of national and universal values by spotlighting several topics that deal with the research and analysis of the objective and methodological problems that these issues and concepts arise in the framework of traditional visions, to build an interpretive theory that will assist in overcoming releasable differences. These topics will be discussed in two sessions, each on Islamic Studies and Citizenship and Islamic Studies and Coexistence.
The Conference’s sixth thematic pillar will cover the development of public religious discourse, religious discourse in the media, and the Friday sermon and its prospects for growth.