Press Release: Third Annual International Conference in Brussels 03/2015

Third Annual International Conference in Brussels

“Islam and Modern Ethical Dilemmas”

Organized by the Center for Islamic Legislation & Ethics (CILE)

March 14-15, 2015

Passage 44 Centre, Brussels – Belgium.

The Research Center for Islamic Legislation & Ethics (CILE) announces its Third Annual International Conference entitled: “Islam and Modern Ethical Dilemmas” in cooperation with the European Muslim Network (EMN) and Radio Arabel.

The conference will present critical and creative approaches to a range of Islamic issues from an ethical perspective. In a devotional endeavor, the aim is to draft true Islamic perspectives that keep pace with contemporary theoretical and practical challenges, specifically those challenges faced by Muslims in European countries.

The conference explores four critical issues in four separate sessions with contributions from a pantheon of text and context scholars. The four sessions are as follows:

1. Islam and Science: This session discusses and analyzes evolutionary theory in Islamic discourse making a distinction between the scientific, ideological and philosophical traditions.
2. Economics and Finance: This session investigates the concept of the decisively forbidden riba in Islam, the objectives of riba prohibition and the impact of different interpretations on common contemporary activity. It provides a critical introduction to the evaluation of the global economic system and Islamic banking, highlighting the need to create an ethical alternative.
3. Islamic Discourse: This session studies the reflections and elements in Islamic discourse with a focus on the multitude of contexts that affect the decision-making of fatwas.
4. Gender Issues: This session discusses contemporary gender debates, with a focus on how biological differences between men and women can be approached from an Islamic ethical perspective.

The conference will host some of the most outstanding intellectual leaders and opinion makers as keynote speakers:

• Tariq Ramadan, renowned philosopher and Director of the Research Center for Islamic Legislation & Ethics.
• Karen Armstrong, prominent academic historian of religions.
• Edwy Plenel, a notable political journalist.
• David Vines, leading researcher in economics at Oxford University.

An eminent group of scholars, researchers and thinkers from all corners of the world will contribute to the conference sessions. These include Dr. Abdullah al-Judai from Britain, Dr. Abdulazeem Abozaid from Qatar, Dr. Ahmad Jab Allah from France, Sheikh Chauki Lazhar from Belgium, Dr. Damian Howard from Britain, Dr. Heba Raouf Ezzat from Egypt, Dr. Husayn Hamid from Egypt, Dr. Jamila Mossalli from Morocco, Dr. Jonathan Brown from USA, Dr. Kamal Hattab from Kuwait, Dr. Mesfir Al-Qahtani from Saudi Arabia, Dr. Mohamed Naim Yasin from Jordan, Dr. Mulki Al-Sharmani from Finland, Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal from Canada, Dr. Nidhal Guessoum from UAE, Dr. Radwan Al-Sayyid from Lebanon.

CILE was created in 2012 to contribute to the renewal of Islamic legislative and ethical thought by bringing scholars of text and scholars of context together. The aim is to develop a new modern reading with thorough grounding in the Quran and Sunnah and correct guidance from the Higher Objectives of Islamic Sharia. It is an endeavor to build an ethical seminary of skill that addresses contemporary universal challenges.

For more information on the conference, please contact the organizing committee via the following email. To register follow this link.