The University of Essex Islamic Society, hosted its first ever Islamic Conference – Islam: A Moderate Religion. The Islamic Society felt that due to the recent events that have occurred, Islam has been the world’s spotlight. This has inevitably led to the distortion and misrepresentation of the true essence of a complete and dynamic way of life that caters for not only the spiritual concerns of man but his day to day activities as well. There is so much more to Islam than what is selectively presented across the conventional media throughout the world. Hence to Muslims, Islam is much more than a standalone religion, it’s a doctrine that balances and suffices man’s needs both in this life and the hereafter.
Realising the selective myopia used in personifying Islam in the current day and age, the Islamic Society embarks on this challenge with the hope that the true meaning of Islam will be sown into the minds of present and future leaders and practitioners. The Islamic Society hopes that these seeds will bear fruit and develop positive societies thriving on mutual-respect and understanding. Societies armed not with explosives and likes but societies armed with knowledge, for knowledge is indeed a great bounty from our creator.
The aim of the conference was to provide an academic perspective to tackle the issue of Islam’s relevance to modern life. Furthermore, it was to act as a platform that will expound on the social, political, economic, cultural, scientific and other relevant aspects of Islam. Moreover, it aimed to remove any misconceptions that have surrounded Islam in recent times and to work towards the rejuvenation of knowledge in society in line with the importance of seeking and imparting knowledge in Islam. Lastly, it aimed to concentrate our efforts and work with individuals and organisations with similar interest in order to build noble and distinguished societies.
What is moderation? Linguistically speaking it is a term used to describe an intermediate position, however realistically speaking the aspects that surround such a term are biased towards certain frames of reference and points of view. One could argue that perhaps there is twist in the theme because moderation to one could mean fanaticism or liberalism to another. However intellectually speaking such an argument can be approached using valid sources knowledge the most important being the Quran (last revelation to the Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H) and the hadeeth (narrations of the Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H) which form the primary sources of Shariah (Islamic law). Armed with these and other valid and eminent sources of knowledge the conference promises to embark on a thought provoking journey that will definitely quench the thirst of the knowledge seeker.
The conference was an outstanding success with the international flavour not only clear from the diverse set of speakers but bolstered by support and attendance of representatives from several governments and international organisations.
The importance of the conference was visible with the media coverage that was taken. Here is a link to an article by BBC News.
