Conference: Islam and Peaceful Relations

The Center for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at the University of Coventry and the MBRN : ‘Islam and Peaceful Relations’ on 5th April in Coventry.

The conference will explore the role religion can play in achieving more peaceful and just societies. Faith can be a driver of peace, reconciliation and social justice, yet it can also be a source of violence, exclusion and misunderstanding. This conference will build on the research expertise and will explore the positive difference faith and belief, in this case Islam, can make in today’s world and how conflicts relating to Islam can be overcome.

Schedule:
09.15 – 09.45: Registration

09.45 – 10.00: Welcome and Housekeeping: Professor Mike Hardy (CTPSR), Dr. Kristin Aune (CTPSR), and Professor Sophie Gilliat Ray (MBRN)

10.00 – 10.50: Plenary Session 1
Professor Jørgen Nielsen, ‘Can Islam be a Force for Peace?’
(Chair: Professor Sophie-Gilliat Ray)

10.50 – 11.00: Short Break

11.00 – 12.15: Parallel Panels

Panel Session 1: Spaces for Peace-Building 1: Education, Art and the Mosque
1. Abdul-Azim Ahmed, ‘The Mosque: Beyond the Conflict Narrative’
2. Mag. Nicole Brown, ‘Interacting and Connecting in a Pluralistic World’
3. Rev. Tom Wilson, ‘Learning Well Out of School’

Panel Session 2: Ethics and research in a politicised atmosphere
1. Professor Alison Scott-Baumann (Chair), SOAS, University of London, ‘Research ethics and religion on campus’
2. Dr Mathew Guest, University of Durham, ‘Inter-religious Relations’
3. Dr Shuruq Naguib, Lancaster University, ‘Islamic Studies’
4. Dr Ashraf Hoque, SOAS, University of London, ‘Radicalisation’
5. Dr Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor, CTPSR, Coventry University, ‘Gender Relations’

Panel Session 3: Dialogue in Plural Contexts: Who speaks with authority?
1. Shahnaz Akhter, ‘The Public Discourse of British Muslims Groups’
2. Rachel Winter, ‘The Revival of Orientalism in Contemporary Art’
3. Omar Salha, ‘Islamic Moral Diplomacy: a way to peace and social justice’

12.15-13.45: Lunch

12:45-13:45: Optional visit during lunch to Coventry Cathedral with David Williams, Programme Director – Local Reconciliation

13.45 – 15.00: Parallel Panels

Panel Session 4: Islam on Dialogue: The case of Hizmet Movement
1. Professor Paul Weller, Keynote Speech
2. H Horkuc, ‘Hizmet’s Dialogue: Authentic or not; searching for basis in Medina Constitution’
3. Keles & Ismail M Sezgin, ‘Hizmet’s Approach to Rooting out Violent Extremism’
4. M Demir & David Wiseman & O Sener, ‘Securitisation of Civic Desecuritising Actor: Case Of Gülen Movement In Turkey’

Panel Session 5: Dialogue through challenging stereotypes
1. Dr. Salman Al-Azami, ‘Challenging Media Stereotypes of Islam and Muslims through an Interfaith Focus Group’
2. Salha Aseere, ‘Does Islam support domestic violence against women?’
3. Dr. Michael Munnik, ‘Reaching Out in a Climate of Negativity’

Panel Session 6: Spaces for Peace-Building 2: Shared history and activisms
1. Bahar Davary, ‘Islam, Interreligious Solidarity, and Peace: Re-envisioning, Inclusion, Exclusion, Memory, and Identify’
2. Rianne C ten Veen, ‘Islamic faith-based environmental action’
3. Stephan Tolke, ‘How secular could political thought be in the Mamluk period and what can we learn from it for the present’

15.00 – 15.15: Short break

15.15 – 16.00: Plenary Practitioner Panel, ‘What role can religion play in peace building?’
Dr Waqar Azmi, Chairman Remembering Srebrenica
Tariq Jahan, Peace Activist
Rev Tom Wilson, St Phillips Centre, Leicester
(Chair: Dilwar Hussein)

16.00 – 17.00: Plenary Session 2, ‘What role for the Amman Message in 2016 and beyond?’
Professor Mike Hardy and Dr Sarah Markiewicz
(Chair Dr Kristin Aune)

17.00 – 18.00: Presentation from Rumi’s Circle
Daniel Dyer and Saimma Dyer, ‘How can Rumi help?’

18.00: Conference Ends

Conference Organisers:
Dr. Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor (CTPSR, Coventry University)
Dr. Kristin Aune (CTPSR, Coventry University)
Dilwar Hussain (CTPSR, Coventry University)
Charlotte Martin (CTPSR, Coventry University)
Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray (MBRN)
Dr. Carl Morris (MBRN)
Mobeen Butt (MBRN)
Chris Moses (MBRN)

 

Tickets
To purchase tickets, please go to : http://islam-and-peaceful-relations.eventbrite.co.uk