Islam in Modern Turkey: The Contribution of Said Nursi

Description:

The Turkish theologian Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1877–1960) nurtured a spiritual reform movement that has millions of adherents and a strong institution and education system throughout Turkey. Nursi argued that Islam must be organically linked to empire in order to preserve its identity in the modern era, fostering a spiritual tradition that has steadfastly survived the secular project of Kemalism. The three speakers will discuss the enduring legacy of this.

Professor Faris Kaya is an executive member of the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture (IFSC) and a leading scholar of the work of Said Nursi. His research is focused on interfaith issues and he has organized international conferences and symposiums in Istanbul, in Muslim countries from Morocco to Indonesia, and in Europe.

Zeyneb Salim is a PhD candidate in the department of theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She holds degrees in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations from Hartford Seminary in Connecticut and Oriental Studies and Law from Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. Her work is focused on Christian-Muslim relations and women in the thought of Said Nursi.

Professor Thomas Michel, S.J., studied Arabic in Lebanon and Egypt and received his PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago. He has served on the Asia Desk of the Vatican Pontifical Council on Interreligious Dialogue and many other Roman Catholic bodies. He has taught in Indonesia, the Philippines, the United States, and Europe.