Conference, Symposium, and Panel Reports Peace Strengthens Human Prosperity: Islam and World Peace This conference, organized by the Faculty of Usuluddin at Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University (UNISSA), was held on 24-25 February 2010 at the Rizqun International Hotel in Gadong, Brunei. The 119 local and 40 inter- national participants presented 78 working papers. Local and international media outlets and representatives of government bodies, as well as officers from the Department of Community Development, the Ministry of Reli- gious Affairs’ Syariah Affairs Department, and the Brunei Economic Devel- opment Board, also attended. One of the main objectives was to clear up misconceptions about Islam in order to bridge the gap and strengthen rela- tionships and cooperation between Muslim and western countries. Abdul Muthalif Afuwardeen (conference co-chairman; dean, Faculty of Usuluddin, UNISSA) welcomed the audience and spoke of the impor- tance of religion and peace and how Islam and Muslims have been wrongly portrayed as symbols of terrorism, underdevelopment, and mockery. Ustaz Hj Abdul Aziz Juned (state mufti) opened the event on behalf of Sultan Has-sanal Bolkiah and urged participants to spread the truth about Islam worldwide. Keynote speaker Ismail Ibrahim (chariman of Islam Hadhari, National University of Malaysia), analyzed how many westerners con- sider Islam a religion of violence, war, and suppression due to their mis- understanding of jihad. He also called for mutual understanding among all parties. The first parallel session began with Abdul Monir Yaakob’s (University of Malaya [UM]) claim that religious freedom is a basic principle for peace as regards Islam, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations, the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights, and the Malaysian con- stitution. Moh. Azam Moh. Adil (University Technology Mara) discussed Judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan’s ruling on using “Allah” in the Catholic church in Malaysia, which had resulted in led to demonstrations and several churches being bombed and/or burned. ajiss27-2-final-obay.qxp 6/9/2010 4:42 PM Page 149 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com The second parallel session comprised Ismail Haji Abdullah (Inter- national Islamic University of Malaysia [IIUM]), Arip bin Kasmo (University Kebangsaan Malaysia [UKM]), Abdul Muttalif Afuwardeen, Muhammad Zain Suemae (University Yala, Thailand), and Mohammed Eissa (University of the Emirates). Abdullah spoke on peace and violence in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, while Kasmo focused on contemporary dakwah methods. Suemae discussed the efforts of South Thailand’s Muslim intellec- tuals to bring peace, and Eissa elaborated upon Islam’s concept of peace dur- ing times of peace and war. The third parallel session consisted of Hajah Aynah bt Haji Yaakub (Department of Community Development, Brunei), Fariza bt Md Sham (UKM), Ratna Roshida Ab Razak (University Science Malaysia), Siti Rugayah Haji Tibek (UKM), and Syahiran Abd Latif (University Technol- ogy Malaysia [UITM]). Abd Latif pointed out that Allah created humanity from a single source and that the Messenger denied any inherent advantage to a particular ethnicity or skin color. Therefore, he maintained, there is no reason to fight each other. The fourth parallel session started with Said Mohamed Ismail el-Sawy’s (UNISSA) paper on world peace in reality and myth. The session featured Serdar Demirel (IIUM), Ahmed Hameed Mahluf (UM), Mohammad Reza Aram and Mazaheri Mohammad (Islamic Azad University, Tehran), and Abdullah b. Yusof (UM). Demirel elaborated on the contribution of the lan- guage, culture, and vision constructed by the Islamic revelation to world peace. He said that many Muslim countries have presented historical exam- ples of how multicultural, multilingual, and multiracial populations can live together peacefully. Thus, Muslim communities could preserve their differ- ent languages and cultures within the same civilization and act upon the same worldview. The afternoon session began with Saim Kayadibi (UM) and Muham- mad Manzoor Malik (UM). Ahmad Hamdy Nafea (al-Azhar University, Cairo), Sayyed Abdul Hameed al-Mahdaly (UNISSA), Muhammad Haniff Hassan (University of Singapore), and Naseem Ahmad Shah (University of Kashmir, India) also participated. Kayadibi analyzed the penetrating ques- tion of whether religion or its followers create violence. The last parallel session of the seminar’s second sitting comprised Haris Abd Wahab (UM), Hj Abd Qadir Umar Usman (University Science Islam Malaysia [USIM]), Azman bin Yusof (UniKLMICET Melaka), Abdul Hafiz bin Hj Abdullah (University Technology Malaysia [UTM] Johor), and Adil Anuar Azmin (University Malaysia Perlis). Abd Wahab analyzed approaches and indicators for social welfare, a goal that all people, families, and commu- 150 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 27:2 ajiss27-2-final-obay.qxp 6/9/2010 4:42 PM Page 150 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com nities seek to achieve. Usman talked about the Qur’anic understanding of the “good life,” one characterized by personal well-being and peace. Abdul Hafiz spoke on how zakat helps build a socially just society by trying to improve the level of social justice. The evening’s welcoming dinner, hosted by the UNISSA Organizing Community in the Rizqun International Hotel to honor the participants, was very impressive. The second day was launched by Seyyed Hossein Azimidokht (Yazd University, Iran), who presented his spiritual account of Islam as a journey toward world peace. He explored the meaning(s) of spirituality according to several understandings, especially that of the Qur’an, and stressed that world peace could be achieved through a spiritually developed society. The second sitting’s first parallel session featured Yakub Nazim Ahmad al-Sa’adi (Kolej Islam Dar Rizwan, Perak), Syed Zafar Mahmood (India), Phil Zainul Fuad (Institute Agama Islam Negeri, Indonesia), and Hakeem Ibrahim as-Syamiri (UKM). Mahmood, exploring the circulation of global wealth, discussed the roles of zakat and sadaqah in bringing peace to humanity. The second parallel session, chaired by Naim Hj Ahmad (USIM), fea- tured Zulkefli Hj Aini (Kolej University Islam), Mohd Roslan Mohd Nor (UM), Mohd Fauzi bin Mohd Amin (USIM), and Ahmad Fakhrurrazi b. Mohd Zabidi (UKM). Roslan outlined how Muslims began to dominate Islamicjerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis) in 637, a time when the region was occu- pied by non-Muslims. Rome had prohibited Jews from living entering Aelia (Islamicjerusalem) almost 500 years earlier; the new Muslim rulers lifted this ban since they considered this area as vital to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The following parallel session featured Abd Rahman Obied Hussien (USIM), Faizuri bin Abd Latif (UM), Jasni Sulong (USM), Suraya Sintang (University Malaysia Sabah), Majeed al-Dalal’ah (UNISSA), Aria Mer- kestein (UNISSA), Azhar Abdul Rahman (UITM), Rahimin Affandi Abd Rahim (UM), Fatimah Abdullah (IIUM), and Shamsiah Mohamad (UM). Al-Dalal’ah focused on the Muslims’ duty to respect non-Muslims in the light of the Prophet’s guidance. Merkestein talked about applying basic human needs theory to prevent conflict, analyzed the Swiss vote in favor of banning new minarets, and said that this violates basic human needs. The seminar’s parallel sessions concluded with the final parallel session. Chaired by Hajredin Hoxha (Bosnia), it consisted of Amar Abdullah Nasih Ulwan (UM), Muhd Abd Latif Rejab bin Abd ‘Aati (University of the Emirates), Moh Hussain Ahmad (UNISSA), Masthurhah bt Ismail (UITM, Perak), and Nabilah Yufof (USIM). Hoxha, basing himself upon scholarly Qur’anic commentaires, underlined how classic and modern Qur’anic com- Conference, Symposium, and Panel Reports 151 ajiss27-2-final-obay.qxp 6/9/2010 4:42 PM Page 151 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com mentators envisaged world peace; Ulwan focused on the reason (`illah) for jihad, as understanding why people call for launching it will help achieve world peace. The regional seminar concluded with twenty-four resolutions pre- sented by seminar chairman Sulaiman Ibrahim al-Barruhiy. Among them were to call upon political leaders to study Islam and its eternal value on world peace and for humanity to come together under the banner of world peace. The resolutions stressed the value of the culture of peace, tolerance, dialogue, similarities, coexistence, and diversity and how pursuing these val- ues can prevent violence, obsession, extremism, discrimination, and hatred. Saim Kayadibi Senior Lecturer, Department of Shari`ah and Law University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 152 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 27:2 ajiss27-2-final-obay.qxp 6/9/2010 4:42 PM Page 152 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com http://imaje.msu.edu/?page_id=11) http://www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com