Opening of the “Humanism in Islam” Symposium at the BA
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Alexandria— The “Humanism in Islam: An Intercultural Discourse” International Symposium was inaugurated on Monday, 6 April 2009 at the BA. The opening witnessed short speeches by Ambassador Hagar Islambouly, Head of BA External Relations Sector; Dr. Ali El-Samman, President of the Dialogue and Islamic Relations Committee of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs; Daniel Stoevesandt, Representative of Goethe Institute in Alexandria; Professor Jörn Rüsen, President of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen, Germany; and Dr. Youssef Ziedan, Director of the BA Manuscript Center.
Ambassador Islambouly welcomed all the participants on behalf of Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria. She asserted that there is no “clash of civilizations”, rather there is “crash of civilizations” because all civilizations actually stem from one root. Dr. El-Samman stressed that there are no religious conflicts; there are only political conflicts under the umbrella of religion. Mr. Stoevesandt expressed his hope that this gathering would help in understanding the term “humanism” in different cultures and thus became a step forwards towards a better understanding of different cultures.
Professor Rüsen stated that most people in the West trace the origin of their culture back to Ancient Greece, unaware that Ancient Greeks themselves learned from Ancient Egyptians. The fact is that all cultures are complementary. Dr. Zeidan pointed out to the approach that is widely common in the West nowadays that connects humanism and Islam, proving that Islam occupies a significant importance in the contemporary Western mind. The Opening was followed by a Keynote Speech by Mohamed El-Shehata El-Guindi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.
It is worth mentioning that the Symposium contributes to the dialogue of civilizations by thematizing the traditions of countries which are deeply influenced by Islam. It discusses the peculiarity of humanism in the context of these conditions and their topical importance for the lives of the people. It brings Islamic humanism into a discursive relationship to other humanistic traditions, mainly those of the West. By doing so, it tackles the highly debated issue of the interrelationship of religion and secularism in respect to modern humanism. It will go on until 8 April 2009.
Click here for the Symposium program.