Date: September 6-9, 2016

Venue: Catholic University of Lyon, 10 Place des Archives, 69002 Lyon, France

Three main topics provide the structure of the congress: current developments in geopolitics and economics, theological questions underlying interreligious encounters, and sociological dimensions of intra-Islamic pluralism particularly with respect to the diverse challenges rising from modernity. The main objective of the Congress is to cross our analyses and methodologies for a better perception of the current Islamic reality.

The program of the three days is structured around three areas:

• The geopolitical area is about the current dynamics and their economic and confessional developments;
• The theological area will focus on issues in the context of the interfaith dialogue;
• Societal part is expected to highlight the diversity inherent in any religious movement, especially in the way of facing the challenges of modernity.

PLURIEL is an electronic platform that seeks to raise the profile of the research groups. The Congress will thus be an opportunity to discover and promote at the workshops their current work in progress : “Islam in Europe”, “Religious fundamentalism”, “Dialogue between diverse cultural and religious ways of thinking”, “Catholic Theology in dialogue with Islam”, etc.

Plenary Sessions

• OPENING

Tuesday 6 September 2016

Inaugural Conference: “Islam, the Democratic Standard and Religious Radicalism”

Speaker: Yadh Ben Achour – Tunisian lawyer specialized in Islamic political theory and public law, President of the High Authority for the achievement of the objectives of the revolution, political reform and democratic transition.

• GEOPOLITICAL AREA

Wednesday 7 September 2016

Chairperson: Michaela Neulinger – Researcher at the Institute of Systematic Theology; University of Innsbruck.

“Denouncing Religious Manipulations in Geopolitical Conflicts”

Speaker: Georges Corm – Professor at the Institute of Political Science; Saint Joseph University, Beirut.
Discussant: Ali Mostfa – Professor of Arab-Muslim World and Intercultural representations; Lyon Catholic University.

“Europe and the Near East Conflict”

Speaker: Jaume Flaquer – Jesuit, head of the theological section “Christianity and Justice”. Professor of interreligious dialogue at the Faculty of Theology of Catalunya.

“The Neo-Salafi Galaxy: an Apolitical Trompe L’oeil”

Speaker: Haoues Seniguer – Professor of political science at Lyon Sciences Po.

• THEOLOGICAL AREA

Thursday 8 September 2016

Chairperson: Mehdi Azaiez – Professor of islamic studies; Catholic University of Leuven.

“God of Mercy and Vengeance”

Speaker: Gabriel Said Reynolds – Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology; University Notre Dame, USA
Discussant: Emmanuel Pisani – Director of the Institute of Science and Theology of Religions; Paris Catholic Institute.

“Towards an Islamic Dialogical and a Controversial theology”

Speaker: Adnane Mokrani – Tunisian Muslim theologian, associate professor at the Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, Rome.

“From Apology to Dialogue with the Other in Islamic Shiite Studies – the Case of Muhammad Jawad al-Balaghi”

Speaker: Mohammad Zaraket – Lebanese Shiite Muslim Theologian, Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut.

 “For a Systematic Theology of Christian-Muslim Dialogue”

Speaker: Michel Younès – Professor of Theology, Director of the Research Centre for Cultural and Religious Studies and PLURIEL coordinator; Lyon Catholic University.

• SOCIETAL AREA

Friday 9 September 2016

Chairperson: Roula Talhouk – Director of the “Centre de documentation et de recherches islamo-chrétiennes”; Saint Joseph University.

“Pluralite et Fondation des Normes: Quelle Proposition Pour l’islam?”

Speaker: Michel Terestchenko – Professeur agrégé de philosophie et docteur ès-lettres. Maître de conférences à l’Université de Reims et à l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques d’Aix-en-Provence.
Discussant: Leïla Babès – Professor of sociology of religion and Islamic studies; Lille Catholic University.

“The European Liberal Islam: Perspective, Dear and Failure?”

Speaker: Nasser Suleiman Gabryel – Lecturer at the School of Advanced Social Science Studies (EHESS), Paris.

“Are Islams of Europe Becoming European? Characteristics, Perceptions, Tendencies and Transformations”

Intervenant: Stefano Allievi – Director of the master course on Islam in Europe, professor of sociology; University of Padua.

Source: http://evenement.pluriel.fuce.eu/en-/