Abstract
It is not hidden from the sages that in this era of globalization, the need of interfaith dialogue has increased much more than before. This may be a result of the battles in Asia and Africa, some of which have been portrayed as a conflict between Islam and Western civilizations or as a conflict between Islam and Christianity. Mutual dialogue is the only option in which there is a direct communication between the speaker and the listener, and the facts are fully revealed. Islam wants a peaceful society based on the social principles of social justice, which upholds the principles of democracy, freedom, equality and tolerance. Almost all religions have modified and adapted interfaith dialogue since it was first introduced as an ecumenical discourse in the nineteenth century as a means of fostering interfaith cooperation. In the present paper, the approach of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1876–1960), a distinguished Turkish Muslim scholar of the 20th century, to interfaith dialogue has been discussed. He is renowned for his distinctive techniques to interfaith dialogue. This paper aims to study the Nursi’s contributions to interfaith dialogue and examining whether or not his method can be implemented in Pakistan with or without any modification. In order to examine Nursi’s intellectual and social contributions, comparative and historical analysis has been used, with a focus on his initiative to promote interfaith dialogue in a pluralistic society. The paper concludes that Nursi disagreed on how to start a dialogue but agreed on its significance for coexisting ways.
Presenters
Jamil AkhtarAssistant Professor, Urdu Encyclopedia of Islam, University of Punjab, Lahore, Islamabad, Pakistan
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
APPROACH, BEDIUZZAMAN SAID NURSI, CHRISTIANITY, INTER-FAITH DIALOGUE, ISLAM, PAKISTAN, TURKEY
