The International Seminar on Malik Bennabi

This conference was the first international seminar in the Muslim worldto focus on the thought of Malik Bennabi (1905-1973), an Algerian thinkerknown to English readers for his book The Quranic Phenomenon. It wasorganized by the University of Malaya, the Institute of Policy Research, andseveral other academic institutions. The seminar's patron was Datuk SeriAnwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian minister of finance, a political activist andintellectual who has a great interest in Malik Bennabi's thought. The seminar'sobjectives were to generate a greater interest in Bennabi's ideas amongMalaysian intellectuals and to highlight his impact on contemporary Muslimsociety.The keynote and official address was given by Anwar Ibrahim. In hisspeech, he emphasized that while Muslims are faced with economic, political,and technological challenges, the most important challenge is the intellectualone, as this penetrates the deepest and has the strongest impact. Ideas whichexamine this challenge and investigate the static temperaments of our thinkingprocess are urgently needed. Within this framework, 'time has vindicatedBennabi's avowal that ideas are the catalysts behind the growth of civilization,"for civilization is not an accumulation, as Bennabi maintains, but rather aconstruction and an architecture. In his concise speech, Anwar Ibrahimpresented and elaborated on some of Bennabi's insights found in his Islamin History and Sociology, translated from the French Vocation de l'lslam byAsma Rashid of Pakistan. The second printing of his book, containing a forwardby Anwar Ibrahim and published by Berita, was released during the seminaralong with its translation into Bahasa Malayu, the Malaysian national language.The afternoon session consisted of a special address by Abdullah Na if,the secretary general of Rabitah. Nasif, who had met Bennabi in Cairo verybriefly and became acquainted with his ideas later on, stated that these ideasas just as relevant to the condition of Muslims today as they were decadesago. He then highlighted some of Bennabi's speculations by addressingquestions such a : Have we identified our dilemma? Are we making use ofthe trends interacting within the ummah such as those of the last twenty yearsof the Islamic awakening (sahwah)? Are we making plans for the future?Have we become capable of conducting research and moving from individual ...