HISTORY MAY record the Dundee Declaration, issued at the weekend, became the starting point for new understanding between the west and the Islamic world.

The unanimous outcome of an international symposium held at the Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Dundee was that a new agenda in Islamic studies is needed, which must face the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

The two-day conference was held under the auspices of the Islamic Universities’ League—an international network of over 120 universities.

After intense discussions on the teaching of Islamic studies in western and Muslim countries the academics issued what they called the Dundee Declaration.

It sets out a framework for the international development of the study of Islam and Muslims. In it they agreed to work together to achieve objectives including:

* To work towards the creation of a new professional body in the UK to bring together scholars in the study of Islam and Muslims.

* To establish common research and teaching projects through member institutions of this new body and the Islamic Universities’ League.

* Scholars in the field of the study of Islam and Muslims need to work towards a better understanding of contemporary global, cultural, religious and national differences.

* As a discipline the study of Islam and Muslims must seek to develop and define itself as post-orientalist and multicultural, in which it is recognised that there is no single methodology or approach and that it brings together scholars of Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds who can share a sense of purpose and belonging.

* This discipline must be pursued by a cross-cultural academic body from a variety of disciplines, and must be based on respect for and acceptance of diversity.

* To develop the new field of Islamic Jerusalem studies as part of the core curricula of all universities in Islamic countries.

* To promote good language skills to aid communication between scholars. In particular for universities in Muslim and western countries to ensure teaching of Arabic and English go hand-in-hand for the development of study of Islam and Muslims this century.

* The symposium also agreed all scholars in the field must refute one of the fundamental principles of extremism in the Muslim world. That is, there is no place in the contemporary world for the idea of a geographical division between the dar-al-islam (the place of peace) and dar-al-harb (the place of war)—an idea that has been used by extremists and terrorists to justify violence and conflict.

* Another symposium involving international scholars will be held at the Al-Maktoum Institute to discuss this issue in depth in the near future.

The institute will play a key role in developing the new professional body for the study of Islam and Muslims, and has offered its facilities. The institute, which has pioneered Islamic Jerusalem studies, will also play a major role in developing the subject for study elsewhere.

Professor Abd al-Fattah El-Awaisi, principal of the Al-Maktoum Institute, said, “We were honoured to be asked to join the Islamic Universities’ League as their only UK member and have been honoured to play host to the symposium.

“The declaration marks what can only be described as a historic step forward for the study of Islam and Muslims, not only here in Britain but throughout the rest of the world.

“It is a tremendous breakthrough to get recognition from Muslim scholars that in future teaching on these subjects in their universities should be in English and other European languages.

“Through holding the symposium we have achieved the bringing together of a network of distinguished international scholars for debate and, through our common dialogue, we can now work towards the development of the field of the study of Islam and Muslims in a spirit of multiculturalism, and to enhance the understanding between the Arab and Muslim worlds and the west.”

Professor Jaafar Abdelsalam, secretary general of the Islamic Universities’ League, said, “Co-operation between Islam and the west began last century with Muslim-British relations. Dundee’s Al-Maktoum Institute is a symbol of the co-operation that bridges the gap between Islamic civilisation and the west.”