Open AccessA Report on the International Seminar on Religions and Contemporary Development
Author(s) -
Omar Altalib
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
american journal of islam and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2690-3741
pISSN - 2690-3733
DOI - 10.35632/ajis.v10i2.2518
Subject(s) - islam , civilization , objectivity (philosophy) , revelation , religious studies , order (exchange) , sociology , fundamentalism , theology , law , political science , philosophy , politics , epistemology , finance , economics
The International Seminar on Religions and Contemporary Developmentwas sponsored by the Sunan Kalijaga Stale Institute for IslamicStudies, located in Jogjakarta, Java, Indonesia. This seminar was a majorevent for scholars of Islamic studies in Indonesia, as it was opened by theIndonesian Minister of Religious Affairs, Munawir Sjadzili. The conferencesecretary, Rifa'i Abduh, and the conference chair, BurhanuddinDaya, organized the conference in order to addres.5 the is.5ues of religiousfundamentalism, and Islam and development.Peter Clarke (King's College, University of London, UK) spoke on"Contemporary Problems of Religion in Europe." He stated that technologyhas become a religion, for many Europeans actually believe in it.In the same way that Christians believe that God can do anything andeverything, secularists believe that technology can do anything and everything.Bert Breiner (Selly Oak College, Birmingham, UK), speaking onthe same is.5ue, said that religious groups in western Europe have tendedto accept the dominant epistemology of scientific empirical objectivity:The major problem of religion in contemporary Europe is thequestion of revelation. Unless religious thinkers can evolve anunderstanding of religious truth in general, and of religion in particular, which is independent of this particular epistemologicalprinciple, it will have little to offer the development of contemporaryEuropean civilization.Martin van BNinessen (University of Leiden, the Netherlands) addressed"Muslim Fundamentalism: Can It Be Understood or Should It BeExplained Away?" He thinks that it can be understood and notes that violentaction in the name of Islam is not a direct result of radical religiousdoctrines, but a consequence of certain social factors that may predisposesome people to militancy. How a person becomes a fundamentalist canbe explained by the religious climate in his/her family, the accessibilityof certain literature, and the frequency of contact with recruiting activists ...