The region is a treasure trove for a scholar – be it history, culture, religion, politics, the arts or the economy. This vast geographical expanse lends itself to a multitude of interpretations and analyses. This was stated by International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) President Dr Mumtaz Ahmad here on Wednesday on first day of a two-day international conference on “Pakistan, South Asia and Muslim Societies” organised by IIUI in collaboration with the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies (ACSIS) and the South Asian Muslim Studies Association (SAMSA). In inaugural ceremony of the conference started at Faisal Mosque Campus of the university. Renowned scholars from abroad and all over the country read their research papers in three sessions.
IIUI Rector Professor Fateh Muhammad Malik presided over the opening ceremony in which the IIUI students from over 20 countries demonstrated their culture and traditional dresses on stage. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mumtaz Ahmad said the South Asian region alone would essentially be to speak of everything and nothing at the same time. The region is a treasure trove for all kind of scholars. He said as we seek to unravel the problems of Pakistan, we learn that its past, present and future are intrinsically linked with that of its wider regions, both South Asia and West Asia.
He said Islam in this region can be looked at from many different perspectives, and this conference will strive to open up new avenues of thought and perspectives. “The impact of the September 11 attacks and the subsequent War on Terror also cannot be ignored in any discussion on Islam and Pakistan today. While the so-called War on Terror can be clearly seen on the political and military the press,” he said.
He further said: “The Muslim world has come into direct contact with globalisation and its pervasive effects. This interaction is not a one-sided one; while the Muslim world feels the transformative effects of globalizing pulls, the “global” is equally affected by the dynamism of the Muslim world. It would be, therefore, a grave error on our part to ignore the trends, nuances and dynamic forces of the Muslim world, especially unleashed by the “Arab Spring,” emergence of Turkey as a major Middle Eastern & Central Asian actor, and re-democratization of Pakistan.”
Speaking on the occasion, Senator Mushahid Hussain said the Muslim rulers had failed to maintain virtues of Islam, and Muslims should now work harder to face the truth. He praised Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy for winning the first Oscar Award in Pakistan.
Dr Grace Clark of FC College University, Lahore, spoke on ‘Sliding Towards Religious Cleaning’. Whereas, Danish Faruqi spoke on ‘Spiritual Reformist Thought of the Amir Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri’. Theodore Wright, Prof Emeritus of Political Science, in the State University of New York at Albany, talked about ‘Indian Muslims and the Riot-Free Peace since 2002; How to Explain and What to Predict?’ Dr Husnul Amin spoke on ‘Preaching Non-Violence in a Conflict Situation: The Case of a Post-Islamist Public Intellectual – Dr Farooq Khan’.
Razia Sultana from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, spoke on ‘Mainstreaming of women in the Pakhtun Society: Challenges and prospects’ and Ejaz Akram spoke on ‘(Re) Imagining he (Trans) Nation of Pakistan: Normative Notiohns and Dreams of Pakistaniat’.
