IHRC, SACC and DIN’s 9th annual Islamophobia Conference took place between 9 – 11 December 2022.  A full written report will be added to this page.  All the videos of the sessions* can be found on this page.

Friday 9 December 2022, 7pm GMT – 9pm GMT

Competition and Challenges to Western Dominance: Reactions and Consequences

Speaker: Ramon Grosfoguel

Chair: Saeed Khan

Saturday 10 December 2022, 11.30am GMT – 13.30pm GMT.  Muslims at the Periphery of the West: What Will the Shifts Bode for Them?

Chair: Seyfeddin Kara

Speakers:

• Olsi Jazexhi
• João Silva Jordão
• Arzu Merali
• Yasser Louati

Saturday 10 December 2022, 13.30am GMT – 15.30pm GMT.  Perceptions and Representation of Muslims within the Hegemon

Chair: Saeed Khan

Speakers:

• Laurens de Rooij
• Ian Almond
• Denijal Jegic
• Setareh Sadeqi
• Malia Bouattia

Saturday 10 December 2022, 19.00 – 21.00 GMT.  Islam and the Concept of a New World Civilization

Chair: Richard Haley

Speaker: Sandew Hira

Sunday 11 December 2022, 11.30am – 13.30pm GMT.  Ending Tribalism and Hypernationalism within the Ummah

Chair: Saeed Khan

Speakers:

• Cyrus McGoldrick
• Hakimeh Saghaye-Biria
• Afroze Fatima Zaidi
• Peter Oborne
• Eman El-Bahnassawy

Sunday 11 December 2022, 1.50pm – 3.45pm GMT. Creating / Recapturing Islamic Ontologies for Understanding the Situation and Transformation

Chair: Seyfeddin Kara

Speakers:

• Imam Muhammad Al-Asi
• Bilal Ware
• Mohideen Abdul Kader
• Mohammad Nihad PV

Schedule:

About the Conference:

Geographically, the sun sets in the West. But has the time now come that the sun is setting, geopolitically, on the West? Western countries defined and distinguished themselves from other nations and regions by a set of self-describing values, often presented as cardinal virtues. These include liberal democracy, adherence to the rule of law and social tolerance. Yet, each of these so-called virtues appears to be at risk with recent transformations. Manipulations of elections and voter suppression schemes place in doubt the primacy and legitimacy of democratic processes. Immunity of the elite and leadership from accountability or even criminal prosecution contradicts the claim that western nations represent fidelity to an open, transparent and fair judicial and political system. And the restrictive space given Muslims in the public sphere of several western countries exposes the hypocrisy of societies that purportedly promote freedom of expression for all.

While the 19th and 20th centuries witnessed the near unbridled assertion of western power through colonialism, imperialism and hegemonic imposition, the 21st century has shown a retraction, even deterioration of such unchallenged hubris. The emergence of counterforces like Russia and China have confronted the presumption of western superiority, spreading their influence in areas once perceived to be the exclusive province of the West.

Some will welcome this development, given the history of exploitation and suppression at the hands of western powers. At the same time, questions abound whether a metaphoric or actual tilt of the earth’s axis away from occidental dominance will augur a better geopolitical future for various regions, especially those within the Islamicate.

The West will not concede to the new shifts and their potential for the loss of power and influence. Will it respond by realizing its deviation from its own professed, defining values, or will it further alienate, marginalize and target vulnerable groups, like Muslim communities, through an intensified hypernationalism? Likewise, will Muslims, whether those living in the West as minorities or in majority Muslim countries, fall prey to greater tribalism and division, and will such disunity be exploited, both by the West and its emerging counterweight? And finally, will the new competition to Western dominance approach the Islamicate in a spirit of equity and justice or will it merely approach the Muslim world with its own expressions of Islamophobia?

This conference will explore the impact the decline of Western hegemony may have on the Islamicate, particularly as it pertains to expressions and deployments of Islamophobia. It will assess the conditions of and consequences for the Islamicate residing in the periphery, as well as Muslims living in majority countries. It will further review the impact of culture and geopolitical transformation on creating, expanding or contracting Muslim spaces and representations in society. Finally, the conference will evaluate mechanisms within the Islamicate to engage with the current and impending transitions that will affect it.

Original page created 14 August 2022

*As with all events organised by IHRC, the comments of the speakers do not represent the views of IHRC.