News story -- Founded in 1962, the UEAIaims to facilitate meetings and exchange of ideas and information among specialists of the Arab and Islamic world working in European universities. Congresses are held every two years and the proceedings are published. Dr Alí-de-Unzaga's paper was entitled '"It appeared so unto them": Ta'wil, the Torah and the Gospel in Ismaili Works (with special attention ...
News story -- Of particular interest to the scholars and students in attendance was the nature of modernity and its relationship to tradition - as well as the pluralist understanding of Muslim modernity implied in the title of the volume. Dr. Sajoo drew attention to the risks of reducing the discussion of modernity to an East-West polarity, which ignored the manifold ways ...
News story -- ACompanion to Muslim Ethics inquires into the roots of Islam's ethical framework - and how its teachings have branched out in the cultural, political, intellectual and religious lives of Muslims, past and present. Equality, the environment and health care are as much part of the exploration here as finance, dispute resolution and political violence, in asking how ethical commitments ...
News story -- The European Chapter Group organised its annual meeting on 28-30 May at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon. A full day session was devoted to discuss ways in which alumni can harmonise their academic talents with the intellectual needs of the Ismaili community. Discussions focused on the nature of academia and religious education as well as the engagement of IIS ...
News story -- Wide ranging in its coverage, the Dictionary is a comprehensive resource for students as well as general readers. In simple and clear language, it provides entries on persons, places, events, and ideas related to Islam and Muslim societies. The pluralism and diversity of Islam are highlighted and a chronology as well as an extensive bibliography for further reading is ...
News story -- In his talk entitled Debating Shi'i Philosophy in Qum,Dr Rizvi argued that the study of the philosophy of Mulla Sadra (d. 1640 CE) and of philosophical mysticism in the Shi'i seminary at Qum have seen a recent revival and dominance. Sadra's philosophy has been contested by traditionalist 'ulama who consider both philosophy and mysticism as a challenge to the ...
News story -- This text, composed by the Ismaili da'i-scholar in seven volumes, presents the most comprehensive history of the Ismaili imams and da'wa, from the earliest period of Muslim history until the late Fatimid period. Idris 'Imad al-Din (born 1392 CE) was descended from the prominent al-Walid family of the Quraysh in Yemen, who led the Tayyibi Musta'lian Ismaili da'wa for ...
News story -- In many parts of the Arab Middle East, modern institutions and ideas date back to the nineteenth century, noted Professor Zubaida. The resulting transformations were not only cultural but also socio-economic and religious. There were supporters and resistors to these transformations, but the overall feature of this early modernity was relative openness, diversity and tolerance. Political and social writings ...
News story -- Perhaps the most enduring achievement of his period at the Institute is the creation of a community of scholars resulting in a large number of publications from some of the best names in Shi'i and Islamic Studies. The Institute's fellowship programme ensured that many young and upcoming scholars would work with well-established names in the field. During Professor Nanji's ...
News story -- From ancient times to the present, people have sought to understand their identities both from an individual as well as collective perspective. In so doing, not only do they define who they are, but also who they are not. In the mass migrations of the last 200 years, millions of people have left their ancestral homelands and cultures to ...
News story -- Dr. El-Bizri also gave three interviews in English and Arabic, on 'Philosophy, Science and Islam' to the Iranian media and press, including Radio Tehran.The conference was organised by the Iranian Institute of Philosophy, the Academy of Science, the Ministry of Science, Research & Technology, in association with UNESCO (Tehran Office and Paris Headquarters), and Bu Ali Sina University in ...
News story -- The editor of the text, Dr Nader El-Bizri, a Research Associate and Coordinator of the project at the IIS, presented the key ideas discussed in this introductory volume by leading philosophers, historians and scholars of Islamic studies. Many of these contributors are also editors and translators of the first Arabic critical editions and complete English translations of the Rasa'il ...
News story -- Social justice as a defining value in the founding age of Islam and Muslim ethics has remained vital to Sufi networks, where it provides rich bonds of solidarity. Indeed, the Holy Qur'an celebrates justice ('adl) with beauty (ihsan) - which inspires the understanding of solidarity among Sufis as one of both love and social bonding. This was interwoven with ...
News story -- As the book's introduction notes, there are several works on the topic of Qur'anic commentaries but these do not draw on as "extensive a range of commentaries, both confessionally and historically, as this volume". The Anthology is a reflection of the plurality of meanings that the Holy Qur'an itself allows for, and which have produced a vast and venerable ...
News story -- The symposium, themed 'Roads to Paradise: Eschatology and Concepts of the Hereafter in Islam', was organised by Sebastian Günther of the University of Göttingen and Todd Lawson of the University of Toronto. Hosted by the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, of the Georg-August University in Göttingen, the symposium was held in the magnificent Lecture Hall of the State ...
News story -- Dr Daftary is currently Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications and was until recently Acting Director of the IIS. Educated in Iran, Europe and the United States, Dr Daftary is an internationally acknowledged authority on Ismaili studies. He is the author of over 150 articles and several books on the subject, including The Ismailis: Their History ...
News story -- The Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa' is a ca. tenth-century encyclopedia, unique in its combination of Greek philosophy (particularly Neoplatonism) with the Islamic faith, while drawing upon Persian, Indian and other sources. However, little is known of the anonymous authors, the Ikhwan al-Safa', but their possible Ismaili affiliation has been a topic of scholarly debate. This IIS project, which has been ...
News story -- Dr Bennison began her talk by highlighting issues of language relating to cities in the Muslim world - such as the uncritical use of the 'Islamic city' as a unit of analysis. The dominant Orientalist view of Muslim cities as disorganised and ill-planned was linked to what was seen as an irrational 'Muslim mind'. This was rooted, according to ...
Publication: A Companion to the Muslim WorldEditor: Dr Amyn B. Sajoo Questions addressed in the interview: 1. Many introductions to Islam and Muslims have been published recently. Why the need for this Companion? 2. What guided you in selecting the topics that the Companion explores? 3. You discuss the forgetting of Muslim heritage 'once colonial rule prevailed'. Could you elaborate on this? ...
Publication:Epistles of the Brethren of Purity: Rasa'il Ikhawan al-Safa Editor:Dr Nader El-Bizri Questions addressed in the interview: 1. Can you briefly introduce the Ikhwan al-Safa' to our audience. 2. Can you briefly describe what were the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa'. 3. What are the major themes covered in the Rasa'il and how do they relate to the intellectual situation of their time? 4. ...
Publication: Towards a Shi'i Mediterranean Empire: Fatimid Egypt and the Founding of Cairo Translated by: Dr Shainool Questions addressed in the interview:1. Could you please elaborate on the title of the book and explain why you have chosen to call the Fatimids a 'Mediterranean Empire'? 2. The book's introduction gives a succinct and informative account of the origins of the Fatimids. ...
Publication: Encyclopedia IslamicaEditor: Dr Farhad DaftaryQuestions addressed in the interview:Given that there is already an Encyclopedia of Islam, why was there a need for another encyclopedia of a similar nature?What is the role of the IIS in producing Encyclopaedia Islamica? How is this effort situated in the academic agenda of the IIS?Who is the target audience of this work? ...
Publication: An Anthology of Qur'anic Commentaries - Volume I: On the Nature of the DivineEditors: Dr Feras Hamza and Dr Sajjad Rizvi with Farhana MayerQuestions addressed in the interview:1. What role have Qur'anic commentaries played in the shaping of Muslim intellectual life and how do you expect this work to contribute to it?2. What gap in scholarship on the Qur'an does this ...
News story -- Professor Aziz was born in the village of Ballamabad near Lyallpur (now Faisalabad) on 11 December 1927. The only surviving son of the late Shaikh Abdul Aziz (the distinguished Mughal historian and the first editor of the text of the Punjabi epic, the Hir of Waris Shah), he was educated in Batala, Government College Lahore and the University of ...
News story -- Though exegesis of the Qur'an is a crucial feature of many types of Islamic literature, Qur'anic commentary (tafsir) is distinctive in its dedication to explaining the Qur'an verse by verse. Considering the audience of tafsir is an essential part of understanding why the author chose to include certain content and to write in a particular style. Few scholars have ...
Publication: 'Eagle's Nest: Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria' Author: Major Peter Willey The author of Eagle's Nest: Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria, published by I. B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies in 2005, Peter Willey discussed the nature of this important work in an interview in 2008. In this interview he describes why he is fascinated ...
News story -- Encyclopaedic texts give insights into the intellectual life in a given age and its underlying assumptions. Muslim scholars in the past were fascinated by the works of encyclopaedic nature and Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa' (circa 9th century) and Kitab al-Aghani (10th century) are some examples of this genre. In recent years, Muslim societies have experienced a resurgence of encyclopaedic works. ...
News story -- The annual series of Building Bridges Seminars was established to bring together a range of internationally-recognised Christian and Muslim scholars to discuss the two religions through the study of selected texts. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, convened this year'sevent, which took place at Villa Palazzola, an old Cistercian monastery south of Rome. The seminar was organised in ...
News story -- Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a well known Muslim scholar, is professor of Islamic Studies at the George Washington University. Mahdi Aminrazavi is professor of philosophy and religion at the University of Mary Washington and the Director of its Middle Eastern Studies programme. The texts translated and introduced here are limited to Persia proper, and exclude works written in Persian in ...
News story -- In her talk, Dr. Bauer explored the methods of interpretation as developed by pre-modern interpreters, and contrasted them with their actual practice in interpreting specific verses. As an illustration, she focused on a portion of Quranic verse 4:34, deemed ambiguous by pre-modern exegetes (mufassirun), that deals with an aspect of the relationship between men and women. Because the interpreters ...
News story -- Early in 2009, the offices of the Aga Khan Foundation (UK) will relocate from the Ismaili Centre in South Kensington to the Euston Road facility. Prior to the beginning of the academic year in 2009, the Aga Khan University's Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations will also relocate from their current premises in Bedford Square to the Euston ...
News story -- The event was organised by local Ismaili institutions. The Chairman of ITREBFrance, Aziz Khetani, spoke of the importance of the launch of this book in French. He said that Dr Daftary's seminar would enable those present to understand the elaboration of a myth over a period of thousand years. He further said that the talk would explain the nature ...
News story -- The book consists of stunning photographs and features over 40 contributions on the beautiful and historical gardens of Asia along with a foreword by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. The chapter by Professor Nanji is on a 17th century Mughal Garden in Lahore, Pakistan - the Shalimar Bagh. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, built during the reign of Emperor ...
News story -- the conference papers encompassed a wide range of disciplines, from political science, anthropology, social work, film studies, economics, art history, to Islamic studies. This conference was unique due to the range of diverse yet politically engaged viewpoints represented in all the panels and plenary sessions. All the sessions were animated by vigorous and healthy debates on contemporary tensions shaping ...
News story -- Mr Keshavjee began by explaining ADR as a process that takes place when two or more people or institutions in a dispute seek to broker a solution without going through the state-based formal legal system. A third party intervener can help them arrive at a negotiated settlement, but the degree of control the third party can exert depends on ...
News story -- The speakers delivered presentations that focused on careers in five areas: (1) academia, (2) the non-profit sector, (3) the Aga Khan Development Network, (4) the Aga Khan Academies and (5) the IIS. Dr. Alnoor Dhanani, Head of Graduate Studies at the IIS, welcomed the guests and about 20 students and staff who attended the programme. This was followed by ...
News story -- The study analyses primary data, shedding light on young people's perceptions of the nature of their own society. It attempts to unpack the relations between different social sectors, identifying the limitations and opportunities faced by youth from the mountainous Northern Areas. Dr Abbas is seeking to establish what empowers youth in this challenging setting so as to suggest measures ...
News story -- Though the notion of the knowledge society can be traced back to the 1960s, it is in the last decade that it has become a forceful idea in academic, business and political circles. The Baconian aphorism, 'Knowledge is Power', has in today's context acquired a new life, albeit with a significantly different meaning. Organised by the Aga Khan Education ...
News story -- The Asian Chapter Group held a two day meeting from 8th - 10th May in Damascus, Syria. Over forty alumni from Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Syria, and Tajikistan attended the meeting. The weekend was made up of academic sessions, visits to historical sites as well as discussions on the future role of the alumni within and beyond the AKDN ...
