Religious discourse faces three major predicaments in the Arab World, namely, religion versus the state, the relationship with the “Other”, and human rights under globalization. Years and decades have passed while religious discourse in the Arab World failed to produce acceptable visions both at the institutional and popular levels, visions able to provide solutions to the aforementioned predicaments. Meanwhile an opinion is growing that we are the center of the Islamic World and hence should generate solutions to non-Arab Muslims. We have never thought during those decades that non-Arab Muslims are better off politically, economically, and intellectually, and that they can help us reach solutions to our chronic problems.
This issue was the core of debates among forty intellectuals, researchers, political activists and jurists from the Arab World, countries of emigration, Sweden, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran and South Africa. Participants included Asio Mardi Azra (Indonesia), Zeina Anwar (Malaysia), Mohammed Shahid (South Africa), Dr. Hamed Ayatollahi (Iran), Dr. Nasr Abou Zeid, Dr. Abdullah Al Naim, Gamal Al Banna, Rached Al Ghannoushi, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, Dr. Saad El Din Al Othmani, Dr. Amr Al Werdani, Mona Abaza, Hani Fahss, Mohammed Shahrour and others. The proceedings of this conference were published by CIHRS in a book, edited by Mr. Ismail Dayfoullah and forwarded by Dr. Abdullah Al Naim.
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