Islamabad, November 10, 2020 (PPI-OT): A two-day international Conference or webinar on the significance and relevance of Allama Iqbal’s message in contemporary times was organized by the Consulate General of Pakistan, Toronto in collaboration with International Iqbal Society on 7-8 November 2020 on the occasion of the Iqbal Day. Some of the most prominent experts from six countries including Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, India, UK and Canada participated in it. The inaugural session of the conference was presided by Mr. Abdul Hameed, Consul General of Pakistan, Toronto.
He said that the westphalian nation state system was under pressure from both extremist nationalist movements and the forces of globalization. The humanity had already spent the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, coping the nationalism and exploitative colonialism. A large part of the 20th century was consumed by the Cold War. In contemporary times, modernity is being criticized by both post-modernists as well as by the movements of religious revival. In these circumstances, Iqbal’s balanced views on the human ego, human dignity, the role of intuition and reason, inductive thinking, and human equality irrespective of geography and race can save humanity.
Several speakers highlighted the importance of Iqbal’s thoughts for the youth and the coming generations in three separate sessions. The panellists included famous intellectuals like Ahmad Javed, Dr. Fateh Muhammad Malik, Dr. Khurshid Rizwi, Dr. Aslam Ansari, Dr. Rafiuddin Hashmi, Dr. Abdul Haq, Dr. Sharif Baqa, Dr. Baseera Ambreen, Dr. Ali Temizel, Dr. Wajid Jawad, Dr. Alireza Ghazveh, Dr. Tahir Hameed Tanoli, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Kamran, Dr. Syed Taqi Abedi and Dr. Khalid Sanjrani. The webinar became immediately viral on social media as it had been viewed more than 30 thousand times at Facebook within a few hours of its conclusion.
During the discussion, Dr. Khursheed Rizwi underlined that Iqbal needed to be appreciated as an artist also. Dr. Fateh Muhammad Malik said that Iqbal promoted the philosophy of action and his views were not being implemented by the Muslim world. Ahmed Javed said that Iqbal articulated the Muslim world view in an effective manner during the last 200 years. Dr. Alireza Ghazveh, Dr. Abdul Haq and Dr. Ali Temizel surveyed the research and scholarly work done on Iqbal in Iran, India, and Turkey during the last few decades.
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