News Archive, 2001
Afzal Ahmed Invited to UNESCO’s “Dialogue with Arab Civilisations” Conference
July 2001
As part of the Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO’s “Dialogue with Arab Civilisations” programme, IIS Governor Professor Afzal Ahmed was invited to lecture and participate at the three-day Oslo-based conference, “Custodian, Creator and Communicator: Arabic Mathematics and Science in the period 700-1200”. The conference, organised by the Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO in association with the Norwegian Council for Mathematics, highlighted the influence and impact of Arab mathematics and sciences in the larger medieval world. More
July 2001
As part of the Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO’s “Dialogue with Arab Civilisations” programme, IIS Governor Professor Afzal Ahmed was invited to lecture and participate at the three-day Oslo-based conference, “Custodian, Creator and Communicator: Arabic Mathematics and Science in the period 700-1200”. The conference, organised by the Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO in association with the Norwegian Council for Mathematics, highlighted the influence and impact of Arab mathematics and sciences in the larger medieval world. More
Civil Society Series Concludes with the Turkish Experience
October 2001
Professor Ersin Kalayçioglu led the ninth and final seminar as part of the Institute’s “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” Seminar Series with an exploration of “Civic Culture in ‘Secular’ Turkey”. More
October 2001
Professor Ersin Kalayçioglu led the ninth and final seminar as part of the Institute’s “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” Seminar Series with an exploration of “Civic Culture in ‘Secular’ Turkey”. More
Class of 2003 Studies Arabic in Morocco
September 2001
Every summer, first year students from the Graduate Studies Programme have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture and language of an Arabic-speaking country and to study the culture’s classical and historical texts. From July to early August of this year, 13 students spent 6 intensive weeks in Fez, Morocco. More
September 2001
Every summer, first year students from the Graduate Studies Programme have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture and language of an Arabic-speaking country and to study the culture’s classical and historical texts. From July to early August of this year, 13 students spent 6 intensive weeks in Fez, Morocco. More
IIS Participates in MESA 2001
December 2001
The Institute of Ismaili Studies participated in the 35th Annual Meeting of the Middle Eastern Studies Association of North America (MESA), held from November 17-20, 2001 in San Francisco, California. This year marked the largest ever participation by the IIS. More
December 2001
The Institute of Ismaili Studies participated in the 35th Annual Meeting of the Middle Eastern Studies Association of North America (MESA), held from November 17-20, 2001 in San Francisco, California. This year marked the largest ever participation by the IIS. More
Professor Nanji Goes “Beyond the Clash of Civilisations” at the University of Waterloo
March 2001
Invited by the University of Waterloo, Canada as part of its “2020: Building the Future Distinguished Speaker Series”, Professor Azim Nanji , Director of the Institute addressed an audience of faculty, students and guests on the topic “Beyond the Clash of Civilizations”.The lecture series, organised by the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group (WPIRG) and initiated by students of the University, aims to create an arena for informed discussion and dialogue about the nature of global society and to explore emerging trends and transformations in the decades ahead. More
March 2001
Invited by the University of Waterloo, Canada as part of its “2020: Building the Future Distinguished Speaker Series”, Professor Azim Nanji , Director of the Institute addressed an audience of faculty, students and guests on the topic “Beyond the Clash of Civilizations”.The lecture series, organised by the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group (WPIRG) and initiated by students of the University, aims to create an arena for informed discussion and dialogue about the nature of global society and to explore emerging trends and transformations in the decades ahead. More
Civil Society Series Looks at Pakistan
March 2001
On 23rd March 2001, the Institute invited Dr Iftikhar Malik to speak at the fourth session of the “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” seminar series. Dr Malik, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and author of several books on Pakistan and Muslim politics, gave an insightful presentation titled “Pakistan: Between Identity Politics and Civil Society” , which looked primarily at the changing relationship between Islam and State in South Asia and Pakistan. More
March 2001
On 23rd March 2001, the Institute invited Dr Iftikhar Malik to speak at the fourth session of the “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” seminar series. Dr Malik, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and author of several books on Pakistan and Muslim politics, gave an insightful presentation titled “Pakistan: Between Identity Politics and Civil Society” , which looked primarily at the changing relationship between Islam and State in South Asia and Pakistan. More
Four New IIS Paperbacks Available
June 2001
Newly available in paperback: Make a Shield From Wisdom by Annemarie Schimmel; The Fatimids and their Traditions of Learning by Heinz Halm; Intellectual Traditions in Islam and Mediaeval Isma‘ili History and Thought, both edited by Farhad Daftary, draw attention to a wide variety of subjects - from poetry and philosophy to studies on various aspects of Ismaili history, theology and culture and are intended to reflect the diversity of Ismaili life and thought within the broader context of Islamic civilisation. More
June 2001
Newly available in paperback: Make a Shield From Wisdom by Annemarie Schimmel; The Fatimids and their Traditions of Learning by Heinz Halm; Intellectual Traditions in Islam and Mediaeval Isma‘ili History and Thought, both edited by Farhad Daftary, draw attention to a wide variety of subjects - from poetry and philosophy to studies on various aspects of Ismaili history, theology and culture and are intended to reflect the diversity of Ismaili life and thought within the broader context of Islamic civilisation. More
Civil Society Series Features Iran, Maghreb and Southeast Asia
June 2001
As part of the Institute’s “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” Seminar Series, a full-day event was organised on June 15, 2001. Three speakers explored civil society within different contexts: Dr Norani Othman on Southeast Asia, with a specific focus on Malaysia and Indonesia; Dr Ziba Mir-Hosseini on gender and civil society in post-revolutionary Iran; and Professor Abdou Filali-Ansary on the concept of “civil society” and its manifestations in the Maghreb. More
June 2001
As part of the Institute’s “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” Seminar Series, a full-day event was organised on June 15, 2001. Three speakers explored civil society within different contexts: Dr Norani Othman on Southeast Asia, with a specific focus on Malaysia and Indonesia; Dr Ziba Mir-Hosseini on gender and civil society in post-revolutionary Iran; and Professor Abdou Filali-Ansary on the concept of “civil society” and its manifestations in the Maghreb. More
Annual Seminar in Tajikistan focuses on “Faith and Intellect”
July 2001
Attracting more than 800 participants, this year’s Annual Seminar in Tajikistan, organised by the IIS’ Project Tajikistan in collaboration with the Tajik Academy of Sciences, explored the theme of “Faith and Intellect”. More
July 2001
Attracting more than 800 participants, this year’s Annual Seminar in Tajikistan, organised by the IIS’ Project Tajikistan in collaboration with the Tajik Academy of Sciences, explored the theme of “Faith and Intellect”. More
IIS Participates in 2001 BRISMES Conference
August 2001
The Institute of Ismaili Studies participated in this year’s conference of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES), the United Kingdom’s largest association of academics, researchers, students and other professionals promoting research on the Middle East and the Muslim world. This year’s conference, hosted by the University of Edinburgh from July 15 - 18, coincided with its 250th anniversary of teaching Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies. More
August 2001
The Institute of Ismaili Studies participated in this year’s conference of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES), the United Kingdom’s largest association of academics, researchers, students and other professionals promoting research on the Middle East and the Muslim world. This year’s conference, hosted by the University of Edinburgh from July 15 - 18, coincided with its 250th anniversary of teaching Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies. More
New Book Launch: Doctrines of Shi‘i Islam
October 2001
Translated and edited by Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi from the Persian original by Ayatollah Ja‘far Sobhani, The Institute of Ismaili Studies’ newest publication, Doctrines of Shi‘i Islam: A Compendium of Imami Beliefs and Practices is a joint endeavour between the IIS and the Imam Sadiq Institute (ISI) in Qom, Iran. More
October 2001
Translated and edited by Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi from the Persian original by Ayatollah Ja‘far Sobhani, The Institute of Ismaili Studies’ newest publication, Doctrines of Shi‘i Islam: A Compendium of Imami Beliefs and Practices is a joint endeavour between the IIS and the Imam Sadiq Institute (ISI) in Qom, Iran. More
New Publications from the IIS
September 2001
The two latest publications from the IIS provide a foray into intellectual history, philosophy and art. Beauty and Islam: Aesthetics in Islamic Art and Architecture by Valérie Gonzalez and Struggling with the Philosopher: A Refutation of Avicenna’s Metaphysics by Wilferd Madelung and Tobias Mayer , published in association with I. B. Tauris, add to the Institute’s expanding list of monographs. More
September 2001
The two latest publications from the IIS provide a foray into intellectual history, philosophy and art. Beauty and Islam: Aesthetics in Islamic Art and Architecture by Valérie Gonzalez and Struggling with the Philosopher: A Refutation of Avicenna’s Metaphysics by Wilferd Madelung and Tobias Mayer , published in association with I. B. Tauris, add to the Institute’s expanding list of monographs. More
Expressions of the Pamir: Sample of Tajik Songs
July 2001
The musical traditions of Badakhshan are in many ways unique. In addition to the doira (tambourine), the guitar and the accordion, a number of different string instruments are used such as the rubab, balandamaqom, setar and tanbur to accompany the performance of Badakhshani singers. More
July 2001
The musical traditions of Badakhshan are in many ways unique. In addition to the doira (tambourine), the guitar and the accordion, a number of different string instruments are used such as the rubab, balandamaqom, setar and tanbur to accompany the performance of Badakhshani singers. More
Civil Society – Working Towards a “Good” Society?
May 2001
“The Good Society: An Ethical Perspective” was the title of the fifth seminar in the IIS series “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” held on Friday May 4, 2001. Professor Azim Nanji, Director of the Institute, traced the notion of a “Good” Society to the Qur’an and the “Constitution” of Medina noting that historically Muslim societies have been engaged in a moral and ethical discourse with a view to creating the conditions for a “Good” Society. More
May 2001
“The Good Society: An Ethical Perspective” was the title of the fifth seminar in the IIS series “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” held on Friday May 4, 2001. Professor Azim Nanji, Director of the Institute, traced the notion of a “Good” Society to the Qur’an and the “Constitution” of Medina noting that historically Muslim societies have been engaged in a moral and ethical discourse with a view to creating the conditions for a “Good” Society. More
Professor Mohamed Arkoun Receives Honorary Degree
April 2001
The University of Exeter, which has one of the leading institutes of Arab and Islamic Studies in the United Kingdom, awarded honorary degrees to 2 distinguished intellectuals – Professor Edward Said and Professor Mohamed Arkoun on April 18, 2001. Professors Said and Arkoun were presented with honorary Doctor of Letters degrees in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of Arab and Islamic Studies. More
April 2001
The University of Exeter, which has one of the leading institutes of Arab and Islamic Studies in the United Kingdom, awarded honorary degrees to 2 distinguished intellectuals – Professor Edward Said and Professor Mohamed Arkoun on April 18, 2001. Professors Said and Arkoun were presented with honorary Doctor of Letters degrees in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of Arab and Islamic Studies. More
Central Asia Focus of Civil Society Seminar Series
February 2001
The 3rd session in the “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” seminar series was hosted by the Institute on February 16th, 2001. Dr Olivier Roy, a renowned scholar who has also been involved in international peace-making initiatives in the region, spoke on the topic of “Civic Identity in the New Central Asia”. Dr Roy surveyed the interplay of tradition and modernity in the quest to root civic culture in the post-Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. More
February 2001
The 3rd session in the “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” seminar series was hosted by the Institute on February 16th, 2001. Dr Olivier Roy, a renowned scholar who has also been involved in international peace-making initiatives in the region, spoke on the topic of “Civic Identity in the New Central Asia”. Dr Roy surveyed the interplay of tradition and modernity in the quest to root civic culture in the post-Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. More
Civil Society Seminar Series Examines Tajikistan
January 2001
The Institute hosted the second lecture of the Seminar Series entitled “Civil Society in Muslim Contexts” on 26th January, 2001. “Tajikistan: From Civil War to Civil Society?” presented by Dr Shirin Akiner, a Central Asian specialist, explored the forces affecting notions of Tajik identity and contemporary prospects for civil society in the context of the country's recent history. More
January 2001
The Institute hosted the second lecture of the Seminar Series entitled “Civil Society in Muslim Contexts” on 26th January, 2001. “Tajikistan: From Civil War to Civil Society?” presented by Dr Shirin Akiner, a Central Asian specialist, explored the forces affecting notions of Tajik identity and contemporary prospects for civil society in the context of the country's recent history. More