This year’s theme aspires to relate the critical notion of justice with ethics. Abrahamic religions are explicitly committed to the creation of a just polity on earth that would reflect the emphasis laid on fairness in politics, economy, and society as a whole. At the global and universal level the teachings of Islam are seeking application as the Muslim community witnesses the unfolding of intra- and interfaith conflicts in different parts of the world. What does Islam teach about a just polity? What are the ways by means of which Islamic teachings seek to apply these practical teachings? Ethics in this conference serves to underscore applied ethics in all areas of human interaction. Islamic notion of justice is not an abstraction. The Qur’an and the Prophetic teachings undertook to develop ethical principles and rules to derive practical rulings in the areas of relationships and social organization. Prophetic teachings were further developed by the Ahlul-Bayt, among whom the Imams, the rightful successors of the Prophet, further elaborated ethics of just human relationships by their example. Today, the community needs to retrieve these teachings of the Ahlul-Bayt, especially the heritage left by Imam ‘Ali Rida, who lived at remarkable time to provide many indicators for future retrieval and application to speak to contemporary issues faced by the Umma.
The call for papers requests the prospective participants to closely discuss the topics in light of the overall contribution of the school of Ahlul-Bayt in advancing ethics of justice. Following are the themes for your consideration:
Foundational Sources for Islamic notions of justice and ethics Significance of the religious sources for modern discourse on justice
Revelation and reason in the development of Islamic ethics of justice
Expression of Qur’anic concepts on justice and ethics in the teachings of Imam al-Ridha
Relational ethics and its association with justice in the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt
Distributive justice in the juridical heritage of the Ahl al-Bayt
Theological, juridical, and philosophical notions of justice and its ethical implications Theological foundations of ethics as regards human responsibility
Juridical-legal consequences and implications of justice
Responsible choice of the citizens in preserving just polity
Mutual interaction of juridical-legal inferences with justice
The moral philosophy of just society
The purpose of human life: ideal society?
Islamic ethical discourse as it relates to the legal-justice discourse Ethical principles and values and the paradigms of justice
Globalization of culture of justice in the contemporary age
Sources of and barriers to the growth of indigenous culture of justice
Problems in the application of justice in contemporary society
Various areas of applied ethics of justice in the school of the Ahl al-Bayt
Ethics of dialogue and justice coexistence in the teachings of Imam al-Ridha Important aspects of the life of Imam al-Ridha as a source of unity among Muslims
The possibility and realization of true interfaith dialogue
Razavi paradigm of coexistence
The future of intra- and inter-religious relations within the Islamic world
Religious conflict resolution in the teachings of Imam al-Ridha
The role of justice in the interaction of Islamic civilization with other civilizations The role of justice in the flouri shing of Islamic civilization
Justice as a criterion in the structure of Islamic civilization
Ethics as arising from Islamic justice within civilizational interaction
Status of justice in the convergence of civilizations
Justice as a characteristic of Islamic politics and state
Justice and new Islamic civilization
Mashhad as a source of cultural unity and Islamic spirituality The main characteristics of Mashhad as potential sources of unity
Spiritual and intellectual resources in Mashhad in the field of Islamic studies
Mashhad as the beating heart of peace-based Islamic Revival
Figures and thinkers of Mashhad
