The Critical Islamic Reflections group has successfully run two prior conferences on "Rooting Islam in America" [website] and on "Muhammad the Prophet in the Academy" [website]. Past programs have featured leading and emerging scholars in the American Islamic context, many of whom possess backgrounds in both traditional Islamic learning and Anglo-American academia.

Mission:

The conference is designed to provide a broad framework to continually pursue a sophisticated understanding and discourse of issues pertinent to Muslims in America in light of prevailing realities. While focusing discussion around Islamic law this year, we aim to examine this and related issues against a backdrop of broader, more fundamental questions confronting Islam and other religions. Those considerations include the following:

1. What is the relationship between religious conviction and academic inquiry? What is an effective and legitimate articulation of the compatibility of faith and academia?

2. What is the nature of the Islamic intellectual and scientific tradition - its scope, intellectual rigor, and comparison with contemporary Western academic methods?

3. What is the relationship between "intellectual Islam" and the "rank and file" Muslim majority? Assuming there is access, how can access to academic/intellectual Islam empower or fail to serve this majority?

The conference aims to facilitate public discussion on issues pertaining to modernity and Islam through a two-part program, Academic and Night.

Academic Program (8:00am-4:00pm)

There will be 3 sessions on topical areas under broad themes defined by the planning committee and outlined in the call for papers.  Each session will include presentations by a emerging scholars (selected by the organizing committee upon review of abstracts), followed by comments from an established scholar, and a moderated question-and-answer period, facilitated by a student moderator.

Night Program (8:00pm-10:00pm)

This event will be less academic in nature, and may include a lecture or other forms of entertainment, such as musical selections or spoken word readings.  The entire university and surrounding community will be invited to obtain (free for students) or buy (for the outside community) tickets to attend.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Shobi Ahmed, Co-Chair & Program Director
Shahrzad Shafaghiha, Co-Chair & Law School Liaison

Su’ad Abdul-Khabeer, Academic & Night Program
Kasim Ali, Speaker Relations
Rabia Bajwa, Publicity Coordinator
Ameer Kim El-Mallawany, Night Program
Sameera Fazili, Fundraising & Academic Program
Sara Hashmi, Logistics & Academic Program
Rashad Hussain, Academic Program
Intisar Rabb, Academic Program
Sayeed Rahman, Academic Program
Arafat Razzaque, Registration & Publicity
Imam Zaid Shakir, Emeritus Advisor
Nabilah Siddiquee, Outgoing Chair