Global COE Program - Kyoto University - In Search of Sustainable Humanosphere in Asia and Africa

Date: August 19(Tue.)，2008 　
Venue:Meeting Room (AA447), Research Bldg. No. 2(Faculty of Engineering
Bldg. No. 4), 4th Floor, Kyoto University

[Organizers]
YAMANE So(Osaka University), SAWAE Fumiko(Tohoku University) and YOKOTA
Takayuki(The Japan Institute of International Affairs)

[Timetable]
13:00-13:15 Opening Speech: YAMANE So

13:15-13:30 Guest Speech: KOSUGI Yasushi(Kyoto University)

13:30-14:30 Speaker (1): Moinuddin AQEEL(University of Karachi)
"Print Media and Moderninzing Islam: Impact of Printing in the Islamic
West Asia in the Early Nineteenth Century''

14:30-15:30 Speaker (2): Zahid Munir AMIR(Punjab University/al-Azhar
University)
"Muhammad Iqbal's Concept on Islam: From a Perspective of a Moderate
Trend''

15:45-16:05 Commentator (1): MISAWA Nobuo(Toyo University)

16:05-16:25 Commentator (2): HIRANO Junichi(Kyoto University)

16:25-17:05 General Discussion
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Prospectus

       Unit 2 "Study on Moderate Trends'' of Center for Islamic Area Studies
at Kyoto University(KIAS) has been studying the moderate trends in the
Islamic world and we have had eight seminars since last year. In these
seminars, we tried to examine the general character of various moderate
trends, that is to say, to make it clear what kind of elements make up
`moderate trend.' But one fundamental matter has always prevented us
from understanding of Islamic moderate trends: what on earth is Islamic
moderate trend? If an `Islamic moderate trend' were put in a different
time and situation, it might be regarded as a radical trend, and another
`Islamic moderate trend' might be recognized secular, or even
`un-Islamic.' In other words, the definition of `moderate trend' can
change according to political, social, historical and regional contexts.
This problem led us to the question of which social factors can make a
trend or movement `moderate.' Among some social factors which can bring
so-called `moderate trends' into existence, we pay attention to the
roles of media in the formation of `moderate trends' for the present.

       For our present concerns as stated above, we planed an International
Workshop on the role of media, especially from the second half of the
nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century in South
Asia. The media has had a pretty important role in motivating the
Islamic revivalism in that era - it should be regarded as a `moderate
trend' because it was by no means an radical movement for the purpose of
overthrowing the government - when the publishing technology developed
rapidly. Newspapers and magazines were published by Muslim leaders and
journalists in several areas, such as Rashid Rida's "al-Manar'' or Sar
Saiyid Ahmad Khan's "Tahzib al-Akhlaq''. Beside the journals, books
also began to be published. In the British India, Muhammad Iqbal's
poetry was published and people shared Iqbal's poetical image of Islamic
revivalism. And his message gave great influence on muslims in the
British India. Nowadays, Iqbal has been regarded as the pioneer of the
concept of Pakistan. It should added that Iqbal is also famous in Iran
for his Persian poetry. Most of Muslim media at that time discussed how
a muslim should live his life under the influence of the Westren
modernization. Exactly through the media, the public became motivated
and civic movements started as a result.

       For this workshop, we invite two distinguished scholars from Pakistan
who will present us some cases on the role of media in motivating the
muslim public for Islamic moderate trends. Dr. Moinuddin Aqeel will
discuss the role of print media regarding modernizing Islam in Islamic
West Asia, which brought the great impact on Indo-muslims. And Dr. Zahid
Munir Amir will present Muhammad Iqbal's concept on Islam from a
perspective of a moderate trend.