‘Islam and work of humanities’ discussed

The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, hosted an inaugural lecture in collaboration with the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), University of California, Berkeley.

The lecture titled “Zaban-e-Ghayr: Islam and the Work of the Humanities” featured Asad Q. Ahmed, Magistretti Distinguished Professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures and Director, CMES, UC Berkeley.

Speaking on the occasion, IBA Karachi, Executive Director, Dr S. Akbar Zaidi shed light on the significant collaboration between the institutions.

He said that the IBA will work closely with CMES and develop programmes and focuses on various aspects of Islamic and Muslim societies, enabling a shared landscape for discourse.

Addressing the audience, Professor Asad Q. Ahmed explored various aspects related to translation and educational policy, and reflected on the work of the humanities in academia and how certain elements were subverted to serve modernity, creating a persistent conceptual contradiction in post-colonial societies. He said that modernity has played a role in distancing us from our languages and traditions.

Following the lecture, IBA Assistant Professor, Dr Azam Ali and Professor Ahmed, engaged in a conversation in which the distinguished speaker emphasised on instilling enthusiasm for own languages, culture and Islamic history among students and youth.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2024.