Benefits and risks of secularization in Muslim-Christian sphere
Milan, 15 June 2013: The ambiguities of secularization and its impact on the relationship
between Muslims and Christians, but its impact on the mindset of eastern and western
society: this will be the focus of debate and discussion at this year's meeting of
the Oasis Scientific Committee, the magazine founded 10 years ago by Card. Angelo
Scola, then Patriarch of Venice and now archbishop of Milan.
The Committee
meets this year at Milan on 17 and 18 June, with a full program of key note addresses
from Saudi Arabia to Morocco and Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Nigeria. The two day gathering
at Milan State University, will discuss the theme: "On the edge. Christians and Muslims
caught between secularism and ideology."
Under the presidency of Card. Scola,
about 70 guests from around the world will discuss how secularization is transforming
East and West. Especially of how the "Arab spring" is prompting Muslims to consider
a concept of the secular society that overshadows religious affiliation and opens
up to living with other religions, with the Christians in particular.
At the
same time, a secularization is coming to light, in reaction to a war-like Islamic
fundamentalism that often produces victims even among moderate Muslims.
In
the West, secularism is moving religious communities to demand space in society and
is also causing a surge of fundamentalism among Muslims that stigmatize such secularism
as "atheist".
This mutual feeding of extremes requires a thought and balance.
In this regard, on the first day of the conference, Card. Scola will give a presentation
titled "A synthesis: Europe's mission."
The most prominent Muslim personalities
include: Sayyid Jawad al-Khoei, Assistant Secretary-General of the al-Khoei Foundation,
Najaf (Iraq); Muhammad Muhanna, director of the Sufi Academy and professor of law
at al- Azhar University (Cairo, Egypt); Sami Angawi, President of the Al- Makkiyah
Al-Madaniyah, (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia).
For the Christian world many bishops
and priests of the Arab world and North Africa, India and Nigeria have been invited.
For
the western world, there will be many academics from the United States, Germany, Britain,
France and Italy.
Oasis was founded in 2004. The committee meets annually in
June to explore a theme that then becomes the track for the annual work of the Foundation
and its instruments: the multilingual biannual magazine (4 editions in Italian, English-Arabic,
French-Arabic, English -Urdu), the fortnightly newsletter (in Italian, English, French,
Spanish and Arabic), books and website.