‘Influence of Islam in Politics and Society’ Conference Planned in US

TEHRAN (IQNA) – The American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies (ACSIS) will be hosting its 36th annual conference on “the influence of Islam in politics and society: civic engagement, social inclusion and political participation” on March 27-28.

According to the Islamic Research and Information Center, the conference puts particular emphasis on socio-political dimensions of Islam and covers a vast range of topics and areas from Sufism, the so-called apolitical dimension of the faith to economic and financial aspects of Islam, both in Muslim and non-Muslim societies.

The conference seeks paper proposals addressing issues related to the following topics:

1. Islam in non-Muslim societies: past experiences, present situation and future possibilities
2. Sectarian identities and their impact on Muslim engagement in politics
3. Economy and finance: initiative and opportunities for the future
4. Islam in Western media
5. Political discourses and their impact on Muslim life in the West
6. Political Islam and its future in the Middle East
7. Sufism and its political and social dimensions
8. Secularizing Islam: on the reality of a myth

The American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies, affiliated to Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, is a private, non-profit, non-political organization of scholars and other persons interested in the study of Muslim societies throughout the world. Its purpose is to offer opportunities to scholars and the public to study Muslim societies from religious, cultural, economic, social, and political perspectives.