Author: UP Institute of Islamic Studies

These momentous academic events are sponsored by the Islamic Studies Program of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP-CIDS ISP), UP Office of International Linkages (UP-OIL), United States Embassy in Manila, and in partnership with Research Association for Islamic Social Sciences (RAIS) and UP-IIS Graduate Students Organization (GSO).

To confirm your registration, please be advised that submission of registration payment is on September 21, 2018 in the conference venue. Please pay the exact amount of 2,000 pesos onsite. Once paid, you will have access to the workshop and conference presentations and obtain kits, personal certificate, and food for lunch and morning/afternoon snacks.

Click here to download the programme.

The UP Institute of Islamic Studies (UP-IIS) is very proud to organize its first international conference and international exploratory workshop that will tackle publication opportunities of research works on Islam in Southeast Asia, including the role of the State, education, community outreach, responsible media, and religio-cultural dialogues in countering violent extremism. We are inviting everyone to submit your book and paper proposals on or before July 31, 2018 via iis@up.edu.ph. Below are the details.

Call for book and paper proposals for the first UP-IIS international exploratory workshop on Islam in Southeast Asia, which will be held on September 21, 2018 (Friday) at the UP NISMED.

The international exploratory workshop on “Islam in Southeast Asia (SEA)” concentrates on publishing selected ‘peer-reviewed’ academic and policy works that focuses on theoretical, methodological, empirical, religious, spiritual, and critical studies of Islam, including mundane praxes and day-to-day realities of Muslims (and their relations to non-Muslims) in Southeast Asia. It welcomes theoretical, conceptual, comparative, and issue-based research on historical and contemporary Southeast Asian Muslim communities, which are then examined and analyzed using paradigmatic lenses of philosophy, theology, jurisprudence (law), mysticism, and related social sciences. The workshop’s four major categories are: 1. Muslim Majority and Minority States in SEA; 2. Islam and Ethnicity in SEA; 3. Islam and Middle East Influences in the region; and 4. Muslim–non-Muslim relations in SEA. The UP-IIS encourages interdisciplinarity and eclectic contributions from (early, mid-career, and senior) scholars and practitioners (e.g. preachers, spiritual/religious leaders, and policy makers) to facilitate a holistic approach towards the study of Islam and of Muslim societies in the region.

Submission Process: Email the workshop organizers with a heading “UP-IIS Workshop” on or before July 31, 2018 (Tuesday) at iis@up.edu.ph with a word (.doc/.docx) attachment containing your 200 to 300-word abstract proposal of either for a book or for a paper, including its title and three relevant keywords. In the attached word file, please include your full name, university affiliation, and current status (faculty member or graduate student). Notification of accepted abstracts is on August 10, 2018 (Friday).

Call for papers for the first UP-IIS international conference on The role of the State, Education, Community Outreach, Responsible Media, and Religio-Cultural Dialogues in Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), which will be held on September 22, 2018 (Saturday) at the UP NISMED.

Countering Violent Extremism (abbreviated as CVE) has been at the forefront of international and domestic security policies around the world. The United States created financial, military and socio-political mechanisms in curbing the radicalization of its citizens and stopping them to support militant groups that commit acts of violence. In 2014, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2178 which provided a comprehensive CVE approach that calls for member-states to emphasize “the importance of the role of the media, civil and religious society, the business community and educational institutions” toward mutual understandings, dialogues, tolerance and coexistence. Southeast Asians have perennially experienced violent and terroristic attacks by extremist groups, such as Jemaah Islamiyah and other ISIS-linked organizations and sympathizers. In June 2017 report of Solicitor General Jose Calida to the Philippines’ Supreme Court, he revealed that aside from the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and the Maute Group, there are over 20 terrorist groups operating in Mindanao that claimed several violent attacks in just a short period of time. Professor Dr. Imtiyaz Yusuf lamented the danger of racializing, nationalizing and ethnicizing religion as part of one’s own political identity which may lead to anomie, insurgency and social disorder. It is this existential threat of politico-ethnicizing Islam that the UP Institute of Islamic Studies (UP-IIS) strives to prevent.

The UP-IIS, mandated to create deeper understanding of Filipino Muslims’ ethos and confident in taking part of UP’s excellence as public service university that provides scholarly and technical assistance to all stakeholders of the country, is organizing an international conference to address the CVE issue. The conference theme seeks to understand the ontologies, epistemologies, theories, studies, narratives, motivations, causes, effects, and impacts of violent extremism, including exploring approaches, frameworks, solutions, and mechanisms on how to counter it by utilizing the imperatives and significances of the state, education, sustainable community outreach programs, highly principled and responsible media, and inter/intra-faith or religio-cultural dialogues that promote religious pluralism, multiculturalism, respect for diversity, acceptance and tolerance.

Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi advocates the Safe Space Initiatives by creating communicative spaces in the larger civic-community in order to prevent, intervene, and eject presence of radicalized individuals and groups seen to have potentials of violent tendencies. With increasing threats, violent acts, and the need to look for preventive mechanisms against violent extremism, we invite proposals that address and problematize CVE within the lenses and parameters of state, education, community outreach, responsible media, and religio-cultural dialogues. We aim to bring scholars, practitioners and graduate students from a range of interdisciplinary and methodological perspectives to discuss, present research and receive collegial feedback. Of special interest are papers that develop new cross-disciplinary connections, methods, and theoretical approaches to the use of state, education, community outreach, media and dialogues in CVE. Some representative questions the international conference theme seeks to engage are:

1. How can we identify, define, and distinguish radicalism, extremism or terrorism? Are there any differences among violent acts carried-out by radicals, extremists or terrorists? Is there a connection between Islam/Muslims with radicalism, extremism or terrorism? Is conducting military operation the effective way to counter violent extremism?
2. What is the role of the state in CVE and in the framing of the discourse on radicalism, extremism and terrorism? In what ways has the state advocated for military and non-military responses? Have there been instances when various state agencies have come into conflict about strategies vis-a-vis CVE?
3. Does education decreases or increases radicalism especially in madrasa or traditional Arabic/Islamic schools? Why madrasa education opposes secular or Western education? Are combined secular-madrasa approaches, methods, and pedagogies plausible? Does state/government control or negligence of madrasa education contribute to the growing seeds of extremism?
4. How sustainable are community outreach programs in preventing violent extremism? What tools and approaches applicable for community outreach advocates in addressing CVE? When extremist groups utilize outreach programs in providing social services, what responses the communities or government must do?
5. How can we identity highly principled and responsible mass/social media with ethical value in addressing CVE from pseudo, commercialized and propagandistic ones, particularly those being used by political elites and business conglomerates? Furthermore, how media stakeholders maintain independence in their reportage and neutral presentation of ‘alleged’ radical individuals or groups without the socio-political influence of sectional interest (or lobbying) groups?
6. To what extent are inter/intra-faith dialogues effective in deradicalizing extremists? What impacts do religio-cultural norms and values have on militant radicals or extremists? How do agents of dialogues approach violent extremism? What have been the influence, effects and implications of interfaith conventions had on CVE?

One of the keynote speakers is Professor Dr. Jeffrey Ayala Milligan of Florida State University. He is the 2018 UP-IIS VIsiting Professor and Fulbright Specialist, and author of several scholarly articles and books on Islam and Muslims in the Philippines. His works are available here.

Submission Process: Email the conference organizers with a heading “UP-IIS Conference” on or before July 31, 2018 (Tuesday) at iis@up.edu.ph with a word (.doc/.docx) attachment containing your 200 to 300-word abstract proposal, including its title and three relevant keywords. In the attached word file, please include your full name, university affiliation, and current status (faculty member or graduate student). Notification of accepted abstracts is on August 10, 2018 (Friday).

Registration Process: PH₱2,000 (or US$40) for all participants and attendees (e.g. scholars, researchers, practitioners, teachers, graduate and undergraduate students) and it is due on August 17, 2018 (Friday) via bank-to-bank (wire) transfer or PayPal. Additional charges, such as bank transfer or PayPal charges, will be paid by the participant and attendee. Bank details will be available soon. If you plan to attend only one event, whether the conference or workshop, the fee is PH₱1,000 (or US$20).

It is possible to attend the conference and workshop without presenting a paper as long as registration is fully paid. It will give you access to all presentations, coffee breaks and programme related activities. Unfortunately, no conference, travel or accommodation grants are provided for both domestic and foreign participants. CHED endorsement and list of keynote and guest speakers will be available soon. For inquiries, please call +63.2.929.8286 or +63.2.981.8500 local 3583 and/or email us at iis@up.edu.ph.