The Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics concludes its first International Conference

Doha, 9 March 2013: The Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) held a high-level international conference entitled ‘Arts and Politics from an Islamic Perspective: Critical Questions’ on March 9th, 2013.

This is the first such event organized by CILE, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. The one-day conference took place at Qatar Foundation’s Student Center, and aimed to bring together scholars of Islamic jurisprudence, artists and politicians to discuss and tackle critical issues pertinent to today’s cultural and political spheres.

A number of well-regarded experts partook in the seminar. Participants in the first session, ‘Islamic Ethics’, included Sheikh Dr Yusuf Al Qaradawi, Chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars; Sheikh Dr Ali Al-Qaradaghi, Secretary General of the International Union of Muslim Scholars; Sheikh Dr Ahmed Raissouni, Chairman of the League of Sunni Scholars; and Professor Muhammad Kamal Hassan, Rector of the International Islamic University of Malaysia.
The second session discussed ‘Ethics and Arts’. Participants included the British singer Dr Yusuf Islam, Egyptian singer and guitarist Hamza Namira, Moroccan singer and composer Saloua Chaoudry, and Egyptian researcher and Islamic calligrapher Dr Ahmed Moustafa.

The third and final panel, ‘Politics and Ethics’, included Dr Abdel Moneim Abul Futuh, former Egyptian presidential candidate, prominent Turkish sociologist Prof Nilufer Gole, Prof Norman Finkelstein, the American political scientist, activist and author, and Dr Salah Sultan the Secretary General of the Higher Council for Islamic affairs in Egypt.

CILE, a member of the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, specialises in Islamic legislation and ethical thought, with a main focus on applied principles. The centre has a vision of reform that is guided by the fundamental tenets of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah (teachings of Prophet Mohammed), and the Maqasid (objectives) of Islamic Jurisprudence. CILE aims to bring about a more just and moral world through a methodological and theoretical framework that can lead to practical applications and tangible contributions.