Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Conference in Jambi

December 8-9, I attended a conference in Jambi on the island of Sumatra. The conference was organized by IAIN Jambi, an Islamic university. The topic of the conference was the importance of Islamic higher education for Islamic society, and the topic given to me was 'Interconnection between Western and Islamic Philosophy'. The organizers had expected about 150 participants but on the opening day, over 200 people showed up. Participants were primarily Professors and teachers of Islamic studies.

The presentations dealt with Islam and its relationship to a variety of topics including secular legal systems, global warming, terrorism, economics, and science. All the papers struggled with finding a place for Islam in the modern world. I was impressed with the thought that had been put into these issues.

The organizers were very gracious hosts and I developed some friendships I hope will grow over our time here in Indonesia.


Phil

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