IIUI mission is to transform the society by promoting education, training, research, technology, and collaboration for reconstruction of human thought in all its forms on the foundations of Islam.
IIUI mission is to transform the society by promoting education, training, research, technology, and collaboration for reconstruction of human thought in all its forms on the foundations of Islam.
IIUI vision to be an excellent University in diversity, knowledge, research, and innovation for the benefits of society and the Muslim Ummah.
A Centre of Excellence
Silver Jubilee 1985-2010
FOREWORD This presents an overview of the Iqbal International Institute for Research & Dialogue (IRD), highlighting its aims and objectives as well as brief reports on its activities since its inception as an autonomous affiliate of the International Islamic University, Islamabad in January, 2008. The IRD has won a respectable place as a global centre of excellence and as an open forum for creative work, candid conversation, and lively and productive debates on issues of contemporary relevance to Islamic societies. The IRD has emerged as the busiest intellectual forum in Pakistan during the past year. We organized one major international conference and more than two dozen panel discussions and public lectures by eminent international scholars and policy makers that include Karen Armstrong, Tariq Ramadan, Robert Jensen, David Barsamian, Tamara Sonn, Farid Essack, Ebrahim Moosa, Peter Mendeville, Pervez Hoodbhoy, Salman Seyed, Jack Straw and David Miliband. In addition, IRD organized short, intensive courses on “Media and Ethics” and “Critical Thinking,” and established collaborative relationships with academic institutions, think tanks, and civil society groups. But this is just the beginning. We have ambitious plans for the future. We plan to hold two major international conferences on “Islam and Feminism” and “Revisiting Shariah Debate” during 2009 with panelists from Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States in addition to their Pakistani counterparts. We also have an elaborate outreach programmes on our calendar this year that will involve holding of public lectures and seminars in district headquarters throughout Pakistan in collaboration with local academic institution and civil society organizations. The Institute also plans to launch series of publications this year in order to reach a wider public. More importantly, the Institute will soon appoint two senior scholars as Iqbal Fellows and two doctoral students as Research Fellows to undertake research projects on theme and issues related to the IRD objectives and programmes. The Iqbal Institute plans to set up both a national and international advisory board of scholars who have expressed interest in extending their utmost support to the advancement and success of the goals of the Institute. In addition, we also plan to develop and maintain a wide and intellectually sound domestic network of supportive individuals at universities, colleges, think tanks, as well as NGOs and other organizations to enable the IRD to facilitate national lecture tours of our guest speakers and pursue our projects through their collaboration. They will serve as our contacts and facilitators in all the major cities of Pakistan.
Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad |
