“The Thousand Year School of Shīa: Kūfa, Ḥilla, Najaf, Al-Aḥsā, Baḥrain, Jabal āmil , Aleppo, Esfahan and Qum” is the title of conference which will take place from 6 – 8, 2017 in Berlin, Germany.
“Shīa studies” nowadays is in the focus of interdisciplinary studies of many academic centers, research institutes and scholars. For this reason, and considering the importance of the exchange of ideas and approaches in Shi’a Studies, the Iran-House in Germany is calling for a two-day seminar on Shia studies entitled “The Thousand Year School of Shīa: Kūfa, Ḥilla, Najaf, Al-Aḥsā, Baḥrain, Jabal āmil , Aleppo, Esfahan and Qum.” With the aim of fostering the exchange between researchers and experts, the organizer would like to present the latest discussions and research outcomes on the following topics by experts:
۱. Historical Shia studies: • From Shaykh Tūsī to Allāma ḥillī • From Allāma ḥillī to Ākhund Khurāsānī (Author of Al-Kifaya From Ākhund Khurāsānī up to date.
۲. Development of Shī’ite jurisprudence (Fiqh) by the founding of the Uṣūlī School by Allāma Waḥīd Bihbihānī in Karbala.
۳. The Science of Uṣūl of the Shiites
۴. Ethics (اخلاق) in the thinking and the spiritual attitude of the Shia
۵. The Shi’ite Seminaries (حوزه) and their teaching methods; Developments and diversities.
۶. Shi’ite Quran interpretation
۷. Permanent legacy of the Shia (manuscripts and their reach)
۸. Societal and political developments of Shia from the Tobacco boycott (Mīrzā Shīrāzī and Seyed Jamāl al-Dīn) to this day.
The conference will take place from October 6 – 8, 2017 in Berlin, after that you would have the opportunity to visit Frankfurt Book Fair. The conference languages are English, Arabic, and Persian.
I have written a paper on the political dimension of Shia Islam with a good introduction for reverts and the political dimension discussed under the headings of the 5 roots and 10 branches of Islam, with a conclusion looking ahead.
I am also working on the 4th political theory that B. Ali Shariati discussed and is now, 60 years later, under review/consideration by the philosopher Alexander Dugan from Katehon.ru.