Voices of Contemporary Islamic Thought: The Role of Education

Voices of Contemporary Muslim Thought, hosted by the Institute of Ismaili Studies and the University of Melbourne, explores the application of Islamic thought in an ever-changing world. This joint lecture covers the role of education in the growth and globalisation of the Muslim ummah. Professor Azim Nanji explores the foundational values of the Madrasa Early Childhood Development Programme in East Africa, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and the Global Centre for Pluralism. Professor Malise Ruthven shares how his experience with the BBC and other Western media sources shaped his and others’ understanding of the Middle East and the Muslim world.
Recorded May 2024
Speakers (in order of appearance):
Professor Abdullah Saeed currently holds the Oman Chair of Arab and Islamic Studies and is also the Director of the National Centre for Contemporary Islamic Studies at Melbourne University. He has published extensively across a range of topics dealing with the Qur’an, international human rights, law and ethics, and Muslim communities in Australia. A strong advocate of reform of Islamic thought and provider of training courses on Islamic issues to community leaders and government agencies in Australia and overseas, Professor Saeed is also a vigorous proponent of interfaith understanding. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to academia Professor Saeed was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 2010. In 2013 he was awarded the Medal of Australia (OAM) by the Government of Australia for ‘service worthy of particular recognition’. findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/p...
Dr Mohamed Keshavjee is a South African born English-trained barrister who is an international specialist on cross-cultural mediation. He is presently a scholar in contemporary Muslim jurisprudence. He has published four books including Understanding Shariʿa: Islamic Law in a Globalised World which received critical acclaim in a number of journals. He lives in the UK while teaching a summer course on law and society at the Institute of Ismaili Studies. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed...
Professor Azim Nanji currently serves as a Board Member of the Aga Khan University UK and of the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa, having previously served as Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London and as the Senior Associate Director of the Abbasi Programme in Islamic Studies at Stanford University. He obtained his MA and PhD in Islamic Studies from McGill University. He has authored, co-authored, and edited several books and was the Associate Editor for the revised second edition of The Encyclopaedia of Religion. He has been a visiting professor at Haverford College and Stanford University, where he gave the Baccalaureate Address. Professor Nanji has served as co-chair of the Islam section at the American Academy of Religion and on the Editorial Board of the Academy’s Journal. He has been the recipient of awards from the Rockefeller Foundation, Canada Council, and the National Endowment for Humanities. In 2004 he gave the Birks Lecture at McGill University. www.aku.edu/faspk/about/Pages...
Professor Malise Ruthven, a former scriptwriter with the BBC Arabic and World Services, holds an MA in English Literature and a PhD in Social and Political Sciences from Cambridge University. He has taught Islamic studies, cultural history and comparative religion across the United Kingdom and the United States. He is the author of Islam in the World (Oxford University Press 1984, 1991, 2006); Torture: The Grand Conspiracy (Weidenfeld 1978), Cairo (Time-Life 1980); A Satanic Affair: Salman Rushdie and the Wrath of Islam (Chatto 1989/Hogarth 1990), and Islam: A Very Short Introduction (OUP 1997, 2000) among countless others. independent.academia.edu/Mali...
Dr Salim Kassim-Lakha is an Honorary Senior Fellow in the School of Social and Political Sciences at The University of Melbourne. He is a specialist in Development Studies with a particular focus on South Asia. His scholarly publications cover topics such as economic liberalisation and the middle class in India, governance and social protection, civil society, and transnational migration. findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/p...
00:00 Introduction with Aqil Dhanani
02:02 Introduction with Professor Abdullah Saeed
05:57 Opening the discussion with Dr Mohamed Keshavjee
06:28 The Madrasa Programme with Professor Azim Nanji
15:09 The perception of Islam in Western media with Professor Malise Ruthven
23:50 The built environment of the Muslim World with Professor Azim Nanji
36:45 Expanding education through media with Professor Malise Ruthven
51:59 The Global Centre for Pluralism with Professor Azim Nanji
01:06:12 Key takeaways with Dr Salim Kassim-Lakha
01:13:20 Closing remarks with Dr Mohamed Keshavjee