Quran is a Divine book that provides ethical and spiritual lessons and advocates equality of all human beings before the Almighty God. This holy book has been an inspiring and guide not only for millions of Muslims but for all open-minded intellectuals of the world.

Quran has a clear message of guidance for all people of knowledge and wisdom, and provides support and advice for the pious believers. It is a book that saves the people from darkness and guides them towards light and freedom. The Holy Quran provides logical reasoning in order to make a distinction between truth and falsehood. It is the best guide which offers glad-tidings and a great reward for the true believers.

Most of the scholars and intellectuals in the West have acknowledged the impact of the Quranic teachings as an inspiring source for Muslims in creation and development of Islamic science and civilization for all human beings. The current status of advancement of science and human civilization is partly due to the efforts of Muslim scientists and scholars of the time.

Vilification of human integrity and sacred beliefs and values of the followers of other religions, including Muslims, under the pretext of freedom of speech is condemned. The scholars and intellectuals of the world, particularly the academic and religious people, are expected to prevent occurrence of such anti-cultural and unethical activities which increase Islamophobia. Furthermore, they are requested to express their objection to such racist and anti-human movements which causes hatred and division among the followers of divine religions.

The government authorities of different countries of the world and the religious scholars have a duty to prevent and ban any insulting behavior towards religious beliefs of the followers of other religions. At the same time, they should encourage respecting the rights of others and practice coexisting with followers of other religions.

Since the followers of other religions such as Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians have lived in peace, harmony, and prosperity in the Islamic countries for many years, such anti-religious and anti-cultural activities create general hatred which may cause hard reactions by narrow-minded and bigoted people. All divine books carry the message of peace, love and help to each other in order to elevate the level of human moral issues. Burning the Divine book of Quran is equivalent to insulting logic, reasoning, and human ethics in civilized communities of the world.

Islamic Research and Information Center (IRIC) strongly condemns any insult to the holy Quran, as well as to other divine books of God, and asks all international and academic communities and intellectuals, particularly in the western world, to join us in this condemnation. We hope that peaceful inter-religious dialogue creates further understanding and mutual respect and co-existence between different religious individuals and communities of the world.

Islamic Research & Information Center
February 7, 2023
www.iric.org

By Douglas Pratt

Publisher: Routledge

Publication Date: March 1, 2021

ISBN: 978-1472485984

This book introduces and examines the work of two significant 21st century Christian – Muslim dialogue initiatives – “Building Bridges” and the “Christian–Muslim Theological Forum” – and gives close attention to five theological themes that have been addressed in common by them.

An overview and analysis, including inception, development, outputs and significance, together with discussion of the select themes – community, scripture, prophecy, prayer and ethics – allows for an in-depth examination of significant contemporary Muslim and Christian scholarship on issues important to both faith communities. The result is a challenging encounter to, arguably, a widespread default presumption of irredeemable mutual hostility and inevitable mutual rejection with instances of violent extremism as a consequence.

Demonstrating the reality that deep interreligious engagement is possible between the two faiths today, this book should appeal to a wide readership, including upper undergraduate and graduate teaching as well as professionals and practitioners in the field of Christian-Muslim relations.

Source: Routledge

CSoC was founded by Prof. Haim Hames in 2012 as an inter-university I-CORE (Israeli Centers of Research Excellence) project. In 2018, CSoC became a BGU center in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and has since been led by Prof. Effie Shoham-Steiner, with a steering committee of seven senior faculty members. Currently, Prof. Daniella Talmon-Heller serves as director.

Each academic year highlights a particular theme within the study of religion. The Center supports a cohort of promising younger fellows – outstanding postdoc and PhD candidates – whose research relates to this theme. The center holds weekly seminars and reading groups, multiple book events, international workshops and field trips. It has invited guest lectures and research fellows from leading universities worldwide. Within BGU, the center’s seminars and conferences serve as a hub for the many scholars and graduate students who are interested in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and continues to draw in former-fellows, scholars from other institutions and guests from the community.

The center is proud to have nurtured 20 postdoctoral Israeli and international fellows and 10 PhD candidates, not only with stipends, but also with an intellectually stimulating atmosphere and opportunities for academic entrepreneurship and international collaborations. Some of our fellows have already achieved tenure track position (Hebrew U), fellowships in prestigious post-doctoral programs (at Harvard, Yale and Penn.), nominations for prestigious awards and the publication of articles and monographs in leading academic presses.

In 2020-2021, CSoC’s seminars were devoted to examining a wide range of issues related to materiality in the three Abrahamic Religions. Due to Covid constraints, most meetings were held on zoom, an arrangement that enabled the invitation of world-renowned scholars from afar and the participation of wider audiences. The Center hosted two successful international virtual conferences, in collaboration with the Department of Middle East Studies at BGU and with the Faculty of Theology and Religion at Oxford University, and six international book launches. Next year’s program – Rethinking Center and Periphery – will also include workshops on writing, outreach to the public via BGU’s External Studies programs and exchanges with Fordham University NYC, and Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.

Contacts

• Address: Sderot Ben Gurion, Beersheba, Israel
• Phone: +972 8 6428377
• Email: rayaed@bgu.ac.il
• Website: http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/csoc/Pages/default.aspx

For this, and as urged by Father General Arturo Sosa SJ in the most recent General Congregation we feel like companions in a mission of Reconciliation and Justice “and all who seek the common good, are called to contribute from their religious-spiritual traditions towards the building of peace, on local and global levels”.

Thus, from the HIWAR group we aim to develop a series of activities, both academic and dissemination activities that have no other aim than to bring together those that, being brothers, have been separated by fundamentalism, intolerance or simply through lack of knowledge.

Affiliated university of the research group – Country

Universidad Pontificia Comillas – Spain

Research approach and methodology / Research area

Psycology, Political Science, Economy, Law, International Relations, History and Theology

Research areas and projects

• The Fight against Islamophobia (ongoing) funded by Comillas University
• Islamic Finances (ongoing) funded by Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (Ministry of Economy)
• Inter-Religious Dialogue
• Economy and Halal Certification
• De-radicalization and prevention of terrorism
• (Public) Islamic Diplomacy
• Islamic Art and Culture

Research group leader

Alberto Priego Moreno
Professor in the Department of International Relations – Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid

Website: https://pluriel.fuce.eu/thematique/hiwar/