Symposium held on new approaches in Islamic Studies

ALIGARH  : “Orientalists and Western intellectuals initiated Islamic Studies as a discipline, and their influences are apparent. However, It is high time now that this discipline is liberated from the influences of Orientalism and colonialism and a purely Islamic direction is given to research being carried out on this subject,” said Mr Hammad Yasir, the representative of the Center for Critical Studies, New Delhi, while addressing the faculty members and students at a Symposium organized by the Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University.

In his keynote address, Prof. Obaidullah Fahd emphasized that good knowledge of Arabic, Persian and Turkish languages is necessary to carry out innovative and critical research in Islamic Studies. He urged the researchers to adopt an interdisciplinary approach and use modern research mfethodologies to do justice to the comprehensive Islamic knowledge base.

While appreciating the researches made by Prof. Abdul Aleem, Prof. Mushirul Haque, Prof. Ziaul Hasan Farooqi, Prof. Kabir Ahmad Jaisi, Prof. Muhammad Akmal Ayubi, Prof. Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui and Prof. Muhammad Najatullah Siddiqui, he emphasized the need for carrying out research and teaching in Indian context so that a critical study of its history, culture and traditions is possible.

Th programme convener, Prof. Ziauddin Falahi discussed in detail the development of Islamic Studies in India and the changing standards, with special reference to the Aligarh, Delhi, Kashmir and Hyderabad schools of thought.

The Chairman of the department, Prof Abdul Hameed Fazli discussed in detail the various phases of modern Islamic Studies curriculum development and gave a detailed introduction to the new courses and syllabi.

Shahab Saqib Falahi, a research scholar conducted the programme, while Saiful Islam made efforts to organize the symposium.