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Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Islamic Studies (CIS) continues to engage in global academic conversations on issues and concepts pertaining to Islam and Muslim societies. Throughout the month of December, the college actively participated in conferences held in England, Germany, and Spain, where faculty members delivered presentations or presented papers, offering their perspectives on Islamic thought and current developments in the Islamic world.
Dr. Rajai Ray Jureidini, professor at CIS, and Dr. Hossam Mohammed, senior researcher at CIS, presented their paper on Ummah and the Nation State: Dilemmas in Refuge Ethics during the Fourth International Conference on Migrants and Refugees in the Law, hosted by the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia at the Monastery of Los Jerónimos in Murcia, Spain, on December 12-14. The paper analyzes Islamic ethics and principles in the treatment of ‘foreigners’, ‘guests’, and ‘asylum-seekers,’ and uses Syrian refugees as a case study to analyze historical policies and practices of Muslim-majority countries in relation to visas and border controls.
Dr. Emad El-Din Shahin, dean of CIS, said: “The College of Islamic Studies continually pursues international collaborations which present an opportunity to engage the global community in dialogue and knowledge exchange on a range of topics that encompass Islamic thought. Our recent participation in numerous international conferences saw faculty members imparting their knowledge on various subjects addressing current and emerging trends in Islamic studies and affairs.”
CIS also participated in a conference entitled Hadith and Inner-Islamic Pluralism held by the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen in Germany on December 7-8. Dr. Muetaz Al-Khatib, assistant professor at CIS, explored the topic of Hadith and Plurality of Methodologies: Can Hadith be Approached without Discipline Biases? In his talk, Dr. Al-Khatib analyzed the theory and practice of hadith criticism (ta‘lil) among hadith critics and jurists across various legal schools.
During the Future of Salafism conference held by Oxford University’s Changing Structures of Islamic Authority (CSIA) on December 5-7, Dr. Alexandre Caeiro, assistant professor, and Youssof Salhein, recent graduate of CIS’s Master’s in Islamic Studies program, took part in a panel discussion entitled Moderation and Method of Salafi Reasoning. Throughout the session, they offered their insights on their paper titled Moderate Salafism in a Modernizing State: The Hermeneutical Approaches of Islamweb’s Cyber-Muftis. The paper examines how cyber-muftis who work at Islamweb apply the concept of moderation (wasatiyya) as a political virtue and a methodological tool in their fatwas.
The College of Islamic Studies serves as a hub for contemporary Islamic studies that promotes dialogue on ideas concerning Islam. The college offers five postgraduate degree programs, and houses several distinguished research centers, providing its students and researchers with the opportunity to engage in current issues with scholars and thought leaders from around the world.
As one of five established colleges within HBKU, CIS is committed to furthering the University’s institutional pillars, which are centered on people, partners, innovation, and excellence.