Religion and Society

RELIGION, SOCIETY AND THE PUBLIC SPACE

This theme aims to explore the place and role of religion in public space. This is particularly urgent in face of rising religiosity in an increasingly complex global world and where public discussion on religions has been dominated by extremists’ and Islamophobes’ narratives.

Alternatively, picking up from the multiple studies done on Muslims, such as Who Speaks for Islam (2012), Inside Muslim Minds (2008), which have shown that the majority of the one billion Muslims do not support these extremist groups, further discussion on how religions can navigate the secular modern world, the impact of rising religiosity and its transformed manifestations, and the role of religion in addressing modern challenges ought to take place.

This discussion aims to explore possible parameters for a contemporary, forward-looking religious philosophy that would contribute to tackling current day challenges.