ConferenceNews

Call for Papers

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The Universal Humanist Perspective
 in Contemporary Islamic Thought
Imam Yassine as a Case Study

During the previous fifteen centuries, considerable innovative intellectual, educational and socio-political projects have emerged in the Muslim nation. They all seek to innovate the eternal message of the Prophet in its authenticity and universality.  Similarly, contemporary times have not been devoid of serious projects that seek to preserve the spirit of the prophetic method.

 Undoubtedly, Imam Abdessalam Yassine, may God have mercy on him, is among the contemporary intellectuals who draw from both the eternal Islamic revelation and the human universal wisdom and experiences. Through his rich intellectual heritage, he advanced his innovative theory about spiritual education, material development, and the nations raise and social welfare. The Noble Qur’an[1] and the prophetic tradition are his main sources of inspiration. Accordingly, he developed a comprehensive, systematic project of change[2] that prioritizes the humanist aspects over other material concerns; he favors spiritual education over the issues of rule; and he considers knowledge before action. In short, his proposal for change looks forward to a bright future not only for the Muslim nation but also for whole world.

Imam Yassine has always stressed/insisted/claimed that Muslims are entrusted beholders of Islam’s universal message; the message of mercy, justice, and peace. He has always reached out to those who work for people’s liberty and prosperity in this glob be they individuals or organizations. In the noble Qur’an the Almighty says: “O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah”, (7: 158). He also says: “Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion to His servant that he may be a warner to the Alamin” (25: 1). In a further verse, He states: “We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to all humanity” (34: 28); meaning without sectarian segregation, neither ethnic nor geographic distinctions.

Imam Abdessalam Yassine May God shed mercy on his soul says:

We stretch forth our hand to you, fellow human souls, whatever your convictions, so long as human compassion and love animate your hearts and acts. Strong and confident in the mercy of God – may His Name be exalted and magnified! – we are and shall ever be prepared to tender our hand to men and women of good will and of noble disposition. We are prepared to conclude a pact of non-aggression towards humankind and human dignity, a pact of universal benevolence towards humankind and our environment, a pact of efficacious, militant, and generous goodness. We are thus prepared to ban discrimination, racial hatred, violence against humankind and our biosphere, and disdain for God’s creatures—may God’s Name be ever glorified[3]

Correspondingly, the universal human perspective in contemporary Islamic thought is of utmost importance. Its value stems from its role in the renovation of the message of Islam to the human being. It is a message of mercy and guidance that invites human beings to know and worship their Creator, and a call that imparts meaning on people’s existence, dissipates their confusion, and overcomes their civilizational crises.

As we are in the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century, the world is going through a common epidemic whose effects have spread East and West. The unprecedented scale of this event gives rise to fundamental questions:

To what extent has the contemporary Islamic thought, through the reforming projects which it proposed, taken ino account the universal human dimension which foregrounds the individual’s happiness, liberty, and dignity regardless of sectarian affiliations and cultural choices?

Have contemporary Islamic intellectual projects prepared any conceptual frameworks or new answers that take into account the common universal dimension to foster communication, acquaintance, and cooperation between different nations and individuals? Have these projects addressed the present plights of humanity, including wars, injustice, and conflicts? Have they proposed plausible for the state of confusion, anxiety, and bewilderment that individuals across the globe/worldwide are experiencing?

What moral values are emphasized in the contemporary Islamic discourse, and how do they fit in its overall reformist and transformative vision of change in a reality that is saturated by arrogant egoism, mass injustice, and scarce help for the oppressed?

What attitude(s) is held [in this discourse] towards human rights organizations that side with the urgent demands of the human being, sympathize with his just causes, and defend his rights for life, freedom, expression, education, assembly and worship?

On the occasion of the commemoration of the eighth anniversary of the departure of Imam Abdessalam Yassine, may God have mercy on him, and in order to highlight the humanist dimension in his intellectual project, our foundation decided to organize an international conference under the theme: “The Humanist Dimension in Contemporary Islamic Thought: Imam Abdessalam Yassine as a Case Study.” We, therefore, call on the interested researchers to address this topic in light of the role of common values in theorizing for a future in which people coexist as brethren who are united by a common origin, an innate nature, divine purposes, universal principles of reason, demands of dignified life, and general interests.

Correspondingly, the Foundation welcomes scientific papers and contributions which are related to the following themes:

  • The humanist dimension in contemporary Islamic thought: paradigms and approaches.
  • International Relations and the international peace charter.
  • The construction of the human being and dialogue among intellectual and Cultural projects
  • Universal ethics and the humanist dimension in the thought of Imam Abdessalam Yassine.
  • The founding concepts of the message of mercy in the worlds [al `alamin].

Required specifications

  • Participants are invited to submit detailed Abstracts of their participations (1500 to 2000 words) and a brief summary of their scientific background by November 10th, 2020
  • The full version of the article (3000 to 5000 words) is to be submitted before March 1st, 2021
  • All papers are submitted to blind peer-reviewing by the foundation’s scientific committee
  • The required revisions are to be made after the paper is accepted
  • The researcher has to abide by the standards and ethics of scientific research
  • Submitted papers should be typed in Times New Roman, 12 pt. in the body text, and 10 pt. in the margin.
  • The detailed abstracts will be published in a booklet and will be available during the conference. The complete papers will be published in the conference proceedings later.
  • The conference will be held online on: December 19 and 20, 2020.

Books: The author’s first name, and family name or nickname, and the translator or reviewer if available. Then the title, the publisher, the country, the edition, the year, the volume and the page.

Example: Abdessalam Yassine, Islam and Modernity, first Edition, Casablanca: Dar Al-Afaq, 2000, p. 21.

Journals: The author’s first name, and family name or nickname, the title of the article between brackets, the journal, the volume, the year of publication, the city or country, the part and the page.

[1]  See the conference proceedings entitled “The Centrality of the Noble Qur’an in the Theory of the Prophetic Method by Imam Abdessalam Yassine”. This first international conference was organized in Istanbul on December 1 and 2, 2012. It can be downloaded from the foundation’s website (yassine.org).

[2]   See the conference proceedings entitled “The Concept of Change In Imam Abdessalam Yassine’s Thought”. ” This is the second international conference was organized in Istanbul on on January 16 and 17, 2016 It can be downloaded from the foundation’s website (yassine.org).

[3]      Abdessalam Yassine, Winning the Modern World for Islam, translated by Martin Jenni, Spirituality and Justice Publishing, 2000, xx.