22/05/2024 08:30 - 10:45

HALL: FATESI - MARCATAJO

Proponent: Cesari J.

Chair: Cesari J.

Speaker: Cesari J., Hashas M., Mirsadri S., Zohouri P.

Since its inception, the Islamic theology has acknowledged religious difference. The Medina constitution is a unique example of "pluralistic theocracy" where the Prophet Mohammed and the nascent Islamic community acknowledged in their midst, the People of the previous monotheistic revelations (Ahl Al Kitab). This acknowledgement should not be mistaken with the secular understanding of pluralism: it was hierarchical, with limited/little recognition for the space of non-monotheistic religions within the nascent Islamic community. Nevertheless, throughout history, Islam has had lengthy encounters with other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, given that two-thirds of Muslims live in South and Southeast Asia. The concept of Ahl al-Kitab, and the related ahl al- Dhimma, has therefore been extended to include other groups besides those mentioned. Another historic feature of Islamic pluralism is the internal diversity of religious opinions for example within the Sunni tradition with the continued existence of four major schools of jurisprudence and their recognition of acceptable differences or ikhtilaf. At the same time, Sunni-Shia dynamics have always been a sensitive political issue impacting theologies and practices of negotiating the diversity and plurality inherent within Islam. Nonetheless, most of the scholarly attention has been to consider how reflection within the Islamic tradition deals with inter-religious diversity, rather than its intra-religious diversity. Given this background and lacunae, the panel focuses on the following categories and topics associated with the question of plurality both within and outside the boundaries of the religious community: Sunni/Shia relations, women, Kafir and Dhimmi.