THE CRITICISM CULTURE AND MORALITY OF TOLERANCE IN ISLAMIC THOUGHT -5 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

Human beings are weak on their own and must live together to withstand the challenges of life. This natural necessity constitutes the foundation of culture, which arises from collective human existence. One of the essential conditions of communal life is language. It enables communication among individuals, serves as a cornerstone of social cohesion, and functions as the primary vehicle for transmitting knowledge and experience across generations.

The advancement of knowledge in any society depends on the depth and integrity of exchange among those who produce, preserve, and transmit it. When communication is grounded in cooperation, constructive criticism, and openness to new ideas, intellectual and cultural development flourishes. Conversely, when intolerance dominates social relations, the rhythm of progress slows. In this regard, Islamic civilization offers a rich legacy of examples illustrating how the ethos of criticism and tolerance can coexist and sustain intellectual vitality across diverse contexts.

Today, Muslim societies differ significantly from their predecessors in how they engage with criticism and tolerance. Shaped by a range of internal and external forces, they have gradually drifted from their own intellectual heritage, making it increasingly difficult to respond effectively to the challenges of modern life. In response to these difficulties, Muş Alparslan University launched a symposium series centred on “Criticism and Tolerance” to draw attention to the underlying issues behind these crises. The first symposium, titled “The Criticism Culture and Morality of Tolerance in Islamic Thought,” was held on April 26–28, 2019, and attracted considerable interest. Encouraged by its success, a second symposium was organized on December 7–8, 2020, focusing on the first five centuries of Islamic civilization (7th-11th centuries). Participants in the second symposium concurred that the theme warranted further exploration. As a result, two additional symposia were organized: one focusing on the 12th to 19th centuries, held on May 28–29, 2021, and another addressing the modern period, held on October 7–8, 2022. The series was originally planned to conclude with the fourth meeting, which examined the modern era. However, because the topic is both profound and far-reaching, the series is now being extended with a new and complementary symposium.

Since 2019, the symposium series, when viewed as a whole, tended to place greater emphasis on the past.  This has reinforced the conviction that giving the next symposium a future-oriented theme would be both balancing and complementary. To use a classical distinction in Arabic rhetoric (balāgha), the first four symposia may be described as ikhbārī in character -concerned with what has already taken place-. In contrast, the fifth has been conceived as inshāʾī, oriented toward what is yet to come. Accordingly, the fifth symposium will be held under the subtitle “Religion, Method, Future.”

The outcomes of the first four symposia converge on a shared conclusion: the intellectual heritage of Islamic civilization offers valuable guidance -both in content and in method- for addressing the contemporary challenges faced by the Muslim world. This recognition undergirds the theme of the fifth symposium, which is designed as a platform for scholars who, mindful of the demands of the present, seek to draw on this heritage in envisioning the future.