BYU to hold long awaited conference on Islam next week

A copy of the Quran is on Professor Grant Underwood’s desk. Representatives of the Islamic faith are due to visit Provo next week to help the BYU campus community better understand Islam and its loyal followers. (Aubry Black)

Renowned scholars and religious leaders are gathering in Provo this weekend for the long-awaited Islamic Conference taking place this Monday and Tuesday.

The conference, titled The Islamic World Today: Issues and Perspectives, lasted years, according to Grant Underwood, Ph.D., director of the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding.

“There is a strong interest on the part of the faculty on this campus and the students and senior leaders at Latter-day Saint Church headquarters to deepen our understanding of Islam and perhaps to better appreciate our Muslim friends.” said Underwood.

The number of Muslims around the world is nearly two billion, which makes Islam the second largest religious group in the world. The conference website states that the purpose of the conference is to provide “an intense yet accessible introduction to key aspects of Islam” and the nearly two billion people it represents. The information presented is intended to “clarify why such information is relevant, and even essential, for an informed citizen today”.

The speakers at the conference are among the most respected scholars of Islam in the United States. They represent a broad spectrum of the Muslim community, eight of the 14 speakers are women and two are African American.

The Tuesday evening meeting will be attended by Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The theme of their presentation will be “Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Understanding One Another”.

All speakers were specifically asked to distance themselves from the academically focused lecture and present in a TED talk-like manner. This is to make the presentations more engaging and easier for the audience to use.

“The BYU experience gave our students an open, inquiring mindset that says, ‘I want to get to know other cultures. I want to appreciate other religions, ‘”said Underwood. He talked about how this natural curiosity from BYU students and church members makes them an “ideal audience” for this conference as they seek to see the good, truth and beauty of Islam.

In addition to the students and faculty invited to attend, members of the Utah Muslim community were personally invited. Underwood shared part of a conversation he had with a prominent Muslim leader in the area. That leader expressed his enthusiasm for the conference and called it a “unique event” in his 20 years in Utah.

The first session on Monday starts at 9:00 a.m. and the presentations last until 3:30 p.m. At 11.30 a.m. speakers will address the topic of women and gender in the Islamic world.

The conference will continue on Tuesday and sessions will last all day, starting at 9:30 a.m. and ending at 9:00 p.m. that evening. The topics of the session range from diversity in Islam to contemporary Islamic politics. Elder Bednar and Elder Gong will close the conference with their presentations on Tuesday evening at 8:00 pm.

Individuals interested in the conference are invited to attend the sessions in person at the Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center. In addition, all sessions will be available via live stream on the Islam Conference website.

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