The Center for Islamic Legislation & Ethics (CILE) held its second annual international conference under the title "Ethics in a Changing World: Contemporary Perspectives" during the period 15-16 March 2014, Doha, Qatar. The conference focused on four main themes (environment, gender, psychology and media), each of which was discussed in a separate panel, as following:
gender continue to influence the process of interpretation.
Dr. Al-Raysounis' intervention warned against buying into the theory of conflict and war between men and women. He refused the extremist positions in the treatment of gender issues by claiming women and men are completely different or completely identical. He emphasized that we need to understand the differences between men and women, from a scientific point of view, and then reflect on the consequences of these differences. He also explained that most Islamic Ahkam (rulings) are not static/fixed and that there is ample room for flexibility in these rulings to respond to contemporary needs.
An intense discussion followed which highlighted the realities of Muslim women and the need to address the injustices and problems they face emphasizing the imperative of bridging the gap between Islamic values and their actual implementation in law and practice.
Before the panel on the theme of psychology, Dr. Malik Badri (International Islamic University, Malaysia) delivered a keynote speech in which he addressed three critical concepts from an Islamic perspective, namely religion, spirituality and psychology. Dr. Badri also stressed the significance of worldview in this respect and argued that worldviews, whether they are theistic or atheistic, can give their followers a strong conviction that their way of life and their ethical values are the only right ones. It can thus act as their religion even if the term "religion" is not used in its traditional sense.
The panel on psychology was moderated by Mohammed Ghaly (Center for Islamic Legislation & Ethics) who wrote the following report:
Under the broad theme of "Religion, Spirituality and Psychological Health", the key-question of the panel "Does practicing religion affect psychological health?" was addressed by four panelists: Abdulhakeem Al-Khelaifi, (Faculty of Sharia, Qatar University), Mohammed Yassir Fazaga (Orange County Islamic Foundation, USA), Mamoun Mobayed (Department for the Protection and Social Rehabilitation, Qatar) and Taibi Ghomari (Mascara University, Algeria).
Al-Khelaifi's presentation discussed the significance of religion for the human being and argued that its significance is not restricted to meeting the human psychological needs but also extends to fulfilling the rational needs. The speaker demonstrated how religion answers the human question about the meaning of existence: why does the universe exist? Al-Khelaifi's main thesis was that this question can only be answered by saying that there is a Creator Who originated this universe. This answer is actually the basic premise of religion.
Fazaga's presentation focused on the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a well-known theory in the field of psychotherapy based on the premise that our emotions and behaviors are greatly impacted by our thoughts. Thus, in order to correct behavior and overcome the different challenges one has to identify and correct these negative thoughts. As a Muslim practicing therapist, Fazaga argued that this theory is closest to Islam and with some modification, specifically the introduction of the spiritual aspect to the practice, it would be an ideal tool for dealing with Muslim clients.
Mobayed's presentation reflected upon the recent critical thoughts about the traditional inclination among researchers to avoid the study of spirituality in connection to medicine. This was clear in the change of the World Health Organization’s definition of health which recently became “physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being”. He also argued that recent medical studies show that religion and faith can help promoting good health and combating disease, and that spiritual people exhibit fewer self-destructive behaviors, less stress, and a greater total life satisfaction.
Ghomari's presentation reviewed the results of a field study conducted in seven provinces in western Algerian. The study examined the relationship between the level of religiosity (in terms of faith and practice) and the mental health of adult individuals. Based on the results of this study, the speaker tried to justify the relationship between Islam and some psychological theories, a fact that scientifically and rationally legitimize many of the methods adopted in religious and spiritual treatment.
The presentations were followed by intensive discussions on a number of points raised by the panelists in addition to thorny questions like: Is there Islamic psychology? If no, why and if yes how does it look like. Dr. Malik Badri also contributed to tackling these questions.
The panel on media was preceded by a keynote speech given by Wadah Khanfar (Former Director General of Aljazeera Network and Director of Al-Sharq Forum). Khanfar argued that Islamic core values, especially as far as ethics of media is concerned, do not necessarily divert from the common values that humanity in general share. However, one can still observe differences between the governing overall ethical paradigms in the field of media within the Islamic tradition in comparison with other paradigms adopted in the West or somewhere else. The speaker focused on a number of values rooted in the Islamic tradition but can still form a common ground for collaboration with other religions and philosophies of life such as freedom and responsibility.
After Khanfar's keynote speech, the panel on media started and it was moderated by Mohamed Zayani (Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service in Qatar) who wrote the following report:
The panel dealt with the broad theme “Religion, Media Ethics and the Dilemma of Clashing values” and it explored the role religion can play in reconciling incompatible values. The panel featured four speakers:
In the first presentation, entitled “The Role of Religion in Reconciling Values in the Field of Media Ethics,” Dr. Saddia Malik (Qatar University) pointed out a disjunction between technological advancement in the field of communication and ethical lapses. She advocated an Islamic perspective as a way of bridging the gap.
In the second presentation, entitled “Beyond Social Responsibility: Is Ethical Media the Solution?”, Dr. Noureddine Miladi (Qatar University) argued that the Western experience and its idea of social responsibility reached a cul-de-sac. He called for the need to rethink a new media ethos and pointed out the potentially positive role public media can play.
In the third presentation, entitled “Balancing Conflicting Values and its Impact on Media,” Dr. Moataz Al-Khatib (Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics) tacked the question of how to reconcile the interests of media organizations and public interest. He pointed out the value of redefining the notion of “public interest” from an Islamic perspective.
In the fourth and last presentation, entitled “ The Moral Responsibility of a Muslim Professional: Towards a New Vision,” Dr. Mohamed Alsamasiri, (Yarmouk University) focused on what should guide professional and popular media communication. Highlighting the value of invoking an Islamic perspective, he argued that the key to a responsible form of communication is a sound judgment about what constitutes truth and what is considered important.
During the Q&A session, the speakers engaged the audience on questions pertaining to media ethics research, various takes of media ethics, media practices in a post-revolutionary Arab context, media manipulation, and the public-private dilemma when it comes to media.
