JEDDAH, 8 November 2006 — A seminar on the “Qur’an in Orientalist Studies,” which began in Madinah yesterday, will debate 33 research papers and explore whether such studies have played a role in creating a wrong impression about Islam and the Qur’an among Westerners.
Madinah Gov. Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Majed inaugurated the seminar, which was organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in association with the King Fahd Qur’an Printing Complex. The seminar is being held at the Meridian Hotel in the holy city.
In his opening address, Prince Abdul Aziz highlighted the spread of Islam despite the weakness of Muslims and the efforts of the enemies of Islam to tarnish its image. “The Qur’an is protected by Almighty Allah. It will not be harmed by the efforts of the jealous and forgers,” he said.
The governor urged Muslim scholars to confront the falsifications against the Qur’an and Islam in a modern and scientific manner by presenting convincing evidences in order to win the hearts of other communities. “People came to the fold of Islam after learning its great divine teachings and not by the application of force,” he said.
Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh, who attended the opening session, emphasized Saudi Arabia’s efforts in the service of the Qur’an in terms of spreading its message. He stressed the importance of studying Orientalist writings about the Qur’an, its sciences and their translation of the holy book.
A large number of Saudi and foreign experts on Orientalist studies are taking part in the seminar. “The main objective of the seminar is to enlighten the public on the dangers of distorting the message of Qur’an to tarnish the image of Islam,” the minister said. Another objective is to promote a scientific studies of the Qur’an and develop a critical view of Orientalist studies, he added.
The minister hoped that the seminar would be a suitable reply to those who concocted a fake Qur’an named “The True Furqan.”
The research papers to be presented at the three-day event will focus on the objectives of Orientalists in studying the Qur’an, the methodology followed by Orientalists in such studies, modern trends in Qur’anic studies, and the efforts made by Muslim scholars in analyzing Orientalist studies on the Qur’an.
“Orientalists have conducted a lot of studies on Islam and the Qur’an and have translated the Qur’an into different languages. They have deeply influenced Western minds as well as others in their understanding of Islam,” said Dr. Muhammad Salim Al-Aufi, secretary-general of the Qur’an Printing Complex.
Al-Aufi said the organizers had received more than 60 research papers for presentation at the seminar. “Adversaries of Islam have often tried to disprove the divinity of the Qur’an by adopting different methods including creating suspicion and said it was produced by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
Dr. Muhammad Al-Sarhani, associated professor at Um Al-Qura University in Makkah, said the seminar would help expose the real intent of Orientalists by conducting studies on the Qur’an and Islam.
