Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs H E Ghanem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem Al Ghanim (second right) with other officials during the event.
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has launched the third cultural season of its “Knowledge Integration” seminar series with a discussion on how integrating Islamic, humanities and social sciences can strengthen civilisational awareness, deepen understanding of history and contemporary realities, and help societies anticipate future challenges.
Organised by the Ministry’s Department of Islamic Research and Studies in cooperation with Qatar University’s Ibn Khaldon Center for Social and Humanities Sciences, the seminar was held under the theme “Towards Civilisational Awareness: Knowledge Integration as the Foundation of Islamic Renaissance.”
The seminar, titled “Civilisational Awareness in Light of Knowledge Integration: Towards a New Reading of History and Reality,” brought together academics and researchers specialising in Islamic studies, history and civilisational thought.
The event was attended by Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs H E Ghanem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem Al Ghanim, along with several ministry directors.
Among the speakers were Professor of Islamic Studies and History of Religion at Hamad Bin Khalifa University Dr. Ibrahim Mohamed Zain, and Professor of History and Archaeology at Kuwait University Dr. Abdullah Issam Al Obeid.
The discussions focused on the role of interdisciplinary knowledge in developing a renewed civilisational awareness and providing more effective tools for understanding both Islamic heritage and contemporary realities. The seminar addressed two main themes. The first, “Civilisational Awareness between Authenticity and Modernity: Knowledge Integration as an Approach to Re-reading Heritage,” examined the importance of balancing adherence to foundational principles with an informed engagement with contemporary developments.
Director of the Department of Islamic Research and Studies Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al Thani said the seminar forms part of the department’s efforts to promote a culture of knowledge integration and strengthen scholarly dialogue across disciplines. Dr. Badrane Benlahcene, Director of the Ibn Khaldon Center for Social and Humanities Sciences at Qatar University, said knowledge integration is one of the central issues addressed by the centre’s academic programmes and activities. Professor Ibrahim Mohamed Zain examined the concept of civilisational awareness through the intellectual contributions of Al-Amiri, Ibn Khaldun and Ismail Al-Faruqi.
Dr. Abdullah Issam Al Obeid presented a paper titled “Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence and Foundations of History: Points of Convergence for Renewing Questions.”
