Seminars, Conferences, Addresses 573 Seminars, Conferences, Addresses Islam and Its W orldview: An American Perception 30 $afar - 1 Rabi" al Awwal I 19 - 20 August 1993 Institute of Islamic Understanding, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia This seminar, sponsored jointly by the Institute of Islamic Under­ standing, Malaysia, and the Malaysian-American Com.mission of Educa­ tional Exchange, consisted of four sessions and the presentation of seven 574 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 104 researeh p a p . Mohammad Kamal Hassan ( I n t e ~ ~ ~ t i o n a l Islamic Univer- sity, Malaysia) spoke on the Islamic worldview, which he stated is "theis- tic and ethical" and in sharp conk& to secularism and atheism. Topics discussed included how the Qur'an fulfills the human urge to have a vision of divine reality by personifying God's attributes, how "Mother Nature" could not have created itself, God's creation of the universe and nature's as well as humanity's purpose and role (i.e., vicegerency), and the requirements and expectations of God as regards humanity's control over nature. The speaker concluded with a reminder that humanity is sub- ject to perpetual tests as regards the use of God-given bounties and re- sources and that collapse can be the result of upsetting the balance and harmony instituted by God in n a t w and life. Osman Bakar (UnivetSity of Malaya, Kuala b p u r ) spoke on a major western misperception of Islam: its spread by the sword. He cited the works of Roger du Pasquier, Vicente Blasco Ibziez, and Francesco Gabrieli, who have documented that Islam was not introduced into Europe by the sword. "he teal factor that proved decisive in the spread of Islam the re- ligion and its peimanent presence in all the temtories to which it has spread, except in Spain and Sicily, was certainly not the power of the sword, but rather the power of its truth and sim- plicity. Most of the paper was focused on this "accusation" and the discussion succeeded in clearing that misconception by suggesting other valid ideas. In her paper "Towards a Positive Worldview of Islam," Jane Smith addresed several important issues of concern to Muslims living in North America: that Islam has occupied the primary place in a Muslim's life since the days of Adam, that Muhammad is the last prophet, and that Is- lam emphasizes that the present life and the afterlife are linked. Dealing with the "practical side," she discussed five points related to the current Islamic revival: a) Islam never deprived women of their rights, for during the time of the Prophet they were full participants and active members of the new society. After his death, however, their situation moved from "in- clusion to exclusion and, finally, to seclusion"; b) Although communal in- terests are paramount, and not individualism as in the West, Islam recognizes and respects individual privacy; c) Increasing pride in Islam has resulted in the quest for westernization coming into conflict with the desire to throw out the West. Tunisia and the United States wete used as examples; d) an emerging Muslim-Christian-Jewish dialogue; and e) that tuwhfd is pethaps the "key concept in understanding the worldview of Seminars, Conferences, Addresses 575 Islam" and that current Islamic literature is presenting it as a "basic way in which to express the essential understanding of Islam." Sha'ban Muftah Ismail Associate Prof�r, Department of Education International Islamic University Selangor, Darul Ehsan, Malaysia