Muslim Heretics Conference

A Celebration of Heresy Conference: Critical Thinking for Islamic Reform

March 28-30 2008, Holiday Inn Select
ATLANTA PERIMETER
  Registration Closed.

The conference will be webcast live

Any dissenting idea against the prevailing religious traditions is generally considered heresy. Jesus was accused of heresy by the Jewish high council and was handed over to the occupying Romans to be executed. Abraham was thrown into a fiery furnace for heresy however saved by God. Muhammad who criticized traditions and “the way of their fathers”, slavery, aggression, financial exploitation, racism, and xenophobia, was a dangerous heretic according to the tribal courts of Meccan.

Many great philosophers and religious leaders, such as Ibn Sina and Martin Luther, were accused of heresy and others, such as Hallaj and Giordano Bruno, gave up their lives for their cause and beliefs. Socrates questioned the polytheistic dogmas and was a condemned heretic in the courts of Athenian establishment. Tyndall who translated the Bible was condemned to the blazing fire of the Church. Galileo who removed the earth from the center of the Christian universe and Darwin who meticulously studied the origin of life were both declared heretics by the Church. Heretical ideas have tested the tolerance of a society and in many cases have created the fuel of progress particularly in the area of religion.

When

March 28 -30 2008

Where

ATLANTA PERIMETER – www.hiatlantaperimeter.com
4386 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Atlanta Georgia 30341
PHONE:770-457-6363 / FAX: 770-458-5282 / 800-HOLIDAY

Registration Fee:

$100.00 registration fee includes (attendees must register in advance):

Friday 28        Dinner
Saturday 29   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Sunday 30      Breakfast

Room Rate:

Conference room rate is negotiated at $72.00/night plus applicable taxes booked under the group name “NOOR”.

Transportation:

Take the MARTA rail from the airport to the Dunwoody Station via the North line (Perimeter Mall - 1111 Hammond Drive in Sandy Springs). Contact the hotel prior to arrival to arrange pickup from the station. Make sure to make prior arrangements with the hotel.

Conference sessions:
Friday March 28
 
5-6:30 PM           

Registrations Starts
Book Display Opens
Informal Greeting

6:30-10 PM          

 Welcome Dinner followed by the Movie Salata Baladi
 Greeting - What the conference is all about
 What is it that we want to accomplish 
 Introduction -getting to know each other, some presentations

Movie SALATA BALADI winner of won both awards: the golden conch for best long documentary in the international competition AND the international critics jury award FIPRESCI. The director Nadia Kamel will join us next day at the conference.

Egypt was not always hostage to the myth of being a homogenous society. Rather, it was once a multi-ethnic and religiously heterogeneous society.  Salata Baladi is the personal history of the filmmaker’s grandmother, Mary, as told to her grandson, Nabeel. Like many Egyptians born at the end of a century filled with multiple waves of immigration, religious conversions, and mixed marriages, Nabeel is a mix of Egyptian, Italian, Palestinian, and Lebanese identities, with some Russian, Caucasian, Turkish, and Spanish inherited from Muslim, Christian and Jewish ancestors. As Mary weaves her way through the family tales, she bumps into her own fears and continued silence shrouding the Israeli branch of her family. In an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people, Mary has boycotted her family in Israel for 55 long years. Inspired by the telling of her own stories and the fresh perspective her ten-year-old grandson brings to them, she and her loving, eclectic circle of friends and family engage in breaking one of the most vicious taboos in modern Egypt.

Saturday March 29
 
7:45-8:15          

Breakfast
 
8:30-10       

The Future of Shari`a:  This panel will examine such questions as: What is the nature of Shari`a, and how did it evolve in historical context? Can Shari`a be divine?  Whose understanding of Shari`a and to what ends? Can Shari`a principles be codified as law enforced by the state? What should be the role of Shari`a in present Islamic societies and communities?

1. Abdullahi A. An-Na`im, Emory Law School, Atlanta: Overview of the historical construction and re-construction of Shari`a, problematic aspects of traditional formulations and possibilities of transformation, impossibility of an Islamic state and the imperative of a secular state for the future of Shari`a.
 
2. Alia Hogben, Executive Director, Canadian Council of Muslim Women: The Ontario, Canada, Shari`a debate as case-study of competing claims about the role of Shari`a in a liberal secular state.

3. Iftikhar Ahmed Mehar, independent scholar, author and advocate on Islamic issues in the USA. Ph D., Business Administration, retired trainer in Marketing and Customers’ Relations.
10-10:30     

Coffee Break

10:30-12     

Critical Thinking in Islam:Vigilant critical thinking is necessary if we are to get to the root of our problems and develop reasonable solutions to reform our current corrupt system. The panel led by Edip will engage the audience in an interactive exercise in critical thinking to explore the best way for an Islamic reform. 

1. EDIP YUKSEL: Lawyer, Philosophy Professor and Author of many book and articles on religion and politics. He experienced a paradigm change in 1986 transforming him from a Sunni Muslim leader to a reformed Muslim or rational monotheist. He is the founder of Islamic Reform organization and had numerous debates with top Sunni scholars on Turkish TV programs. His latest work Quran: a Reformist Translation is published by http://www.brainbowpress.com/.

2. IRSHAD MANJI: International Bestselling Author of The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith. Acclaimed PBS Filmmaker, Faith Without Fear. Director, Moral Courage Project at New York University. Senior Fellow, European Foundation for Democracy. Columnist, New York Times Syndicate. Her personal site: http://www.irshadmanji.com/

3. RICHARD VOSS: He embraced Islâm in Morocco in 1983 and discovered the community of believers in Qur’ân Alone two years later after his return to California. A sometimes too avid participant in the energetic debates among Qur’ân Alone believers in the 1990s from his humble cubicle at the University of Alabama, he eventually came to his senses and finished his doctorate in Business Management, to adopt the humbler persona of Troy University business professor. Once mildly notorious for his statistical analysis of the mathematical structure of the Qur’ân, Richard’s research areas actually focus on intercultural relations and theories of civilizational development.

4. ARNOLD MOL: During his youth researched many faiths and beliefs, and while studying Biochemistry, he discovered the Quran and its social and scientific message and he embraced Islam at the age of 20. Being first drawn into classical Islamic doctrine, he studied its message and history thoroughly and found it contradicted the Quranic message on many points, and decided to study Theology to study how religions and cultures influenced another. Now only accepting the Quran as a divine source based on its social and scientific message, he has founded an organisation together with several Muslim thinkers to study the Quranic message as the basis for a secular social society and not a religion. He now studies Arabic at the university of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. His website is: http://www.deenrc.wordpress.com/
 

12:30- 2:00       

 Lunch
  
2:00- 3:30         

Hadith and Sunna a critical evaluation: What are Hadith and Sunna, what have they played in the definition and understanding of what Islam is and what it means to be Muslim? A objective critical analysis of the early sources. 

1.  Ahmed Subhy Mansour, PhD, al-Azhar, author and scholar of Islam with expertise in Islamic history, culture, theology, and politics.

2.  Aisha Y. Musa, PhD, Harvard, author of “Hadith as Scripture: Discussions on the Authority of Prophetic Traditions in Islam”.

3:30-4          

Coffee Break

4:00-5:30          

Islam and Democracy: Intolerance for vain and tolerance for tyranny and oppression. Why there is no democratic Muslim country? Does Islam have a problem with democracy and freedom?

1. Sandra Mackey is an award winning and highly regarded expert on Middle Eastern culture and politics, also the author of The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom (1987); Lebanon: Death of a Nation; Passion and Politics: The Turbulent World of the Arabs (1995), and The Iranians: Persia, Islam and the Soul of a Nation. (1996).

2. Ali Behzadnia, is a Medical Doctor, who has been in US for the last forty years, socio-politically very active, both pre and post Islamic Revolution of Iran. He was a member of first revolutionary cabinet. But opposing the religious government, he returned to US after two years. He is now practicing in California and is a member and founder of several  Academic and Religious Organizations. He is focusing on Qura’nic studies and interested in inter faith dialog. He translated Shariati’s famous Work “Hajj” the pilgrimage into English. 

3. EDIP YUKSEL: Lawyer, Philosophy Professor and Author of many books and articles on religion and politics. He experienced a paradigm change in 1986 transforming him from a Sunni Muslim leader to a reformed Muslim or rational monotheist. He is the founder of Islamic Reform organization and had numerous debates with top Sunni scholars on Turkish TV programs. In an article titled Cannibal Democracies, Theocratic Secularism: the Turkish Version, Edip discussed the paradox of banning political parties to protect democracy, which has been a common practice in Turkey (7 Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law, 423, 1999; the topic of an interdisciplinary symposium at Newyork in March 7, 1999). His latest work Quran: a Reformist Translation is published by http://www.brainbowpress.com/.

7:30- 9:30

Banquet Dinner: Middle Eastern cuisine, Opening remarks, music by Jahangir Badiee (Tar and Setar) Arash Jafari (Tonbak) then a discussion on how to combat Islamists
 
9:30- 11:00

General discussion - Seeking ideas for what we can do at the next conference.
 

Sunday March 30
 
7:45- 8:15         

Breakfast

8:30- 10:00

Women’s issues - Since gender inequality is not unique to Islam and Muslims, what in particular are the issues that need to be addressed because they are labeled “Islamic”?  What can Muslim women and men do and what are Muslim women and men doing to promote and sustain gender equality in the context of Muslim minorities, like North America?

1. Amina Wadud, is currently visiting Scholar at the Starr King School of the Ministry, Berkeley CA.  Professor of  Religious Studies Program at Virginia Commonwealth University, author of many books including Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective. Her latest book, Inside the Gender Jihad: Women’s Reform in Islam, was published in 2006.

2. Melissa Robinson an activist, writer accepted Islam in 2003. In 2007 she co-founded  AmericanIslamicFellowship and has been actively working to promote interfaith efforts, social justice, and reform in mosques and Islamic communities. 

3. Melody Moezzi, Writer, activist, author and attorney. She has a regular column in Muslim Girl Magazine and has written essays and articles for many print and online publications on related topics. Her current book is War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims.

4. Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur a graduate of Columbia , is an activist in the Muslim women’s movement and editor of the recently released book about Muslim women, “Living Islam Out Loud.”. In 2004 she participated in a civil action to give women space and voice in American mosques where they have traditionally been banned.  Later Saleemah took on establishing women as prayer leaders. Currently, Saleemah consults for Malaria No More, a leading non-profit formed to permanently eradicate malaria.

10:00-10:30

Coffee Break

10:30-12:15

How to deal with Criticism: Criticism of all shapes and forms should be welcomed. Where do we go from here. Farewell goodbye till the next conference. 
 

“It is not so easy and trifling to call me a heretic; No faith in religion is firmer than mine.
I am a unique person in the whole world and if I am a heretic; Then there is not a single Muslim anywhere in the world.” Ibn Sina