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Special Lecture by Dr. Amir Artaban Sedaghat “Rumi beyond Linguistic Borders: The Cultural Stakes of a Reception”

We will be holding a lecture entitled ” Rumi beyond Linguistic Borders: The Cultural Stakes of a Reception” at Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies at Kyoto University on April 4th (Fri.), inviting Dr. Amir Artaban Sedaghat (University of Toronto).
You are cordially invited to attend this lecture.

 Special Lecture

“Rumi beyond Linguistic Borders: The Cultural Stakes of a Reception”

【Date】April 4th, 2025　15:00-18:00
【Venue】Kyoto University Headquarters Building No.2 (4th floor) AA447
Dr. Amir Artaban Sedaghat (University of Toronto)
Rumi beyond Linguistic Borders: The Cultural Stakes of a Reception 15:00-17:00 (100min, 20min Q&A )
Demonstration of recitation of Rumi’s poetry by Dr. Sedaghat 17:20-18:00

 

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February 25-26 International conference “Between Praying and Playing: Exploring the Potentials of Musical Performance in Religious Traditions”

 

The First Conference of “Musical Practices as an Instrument for Spiritual Ascension, Praying and Practicing Faith”
Between Praying and Playing: Exploring the Potentials of Musical Performance in Religious Traditions

[Prospectus]                                                                                                 

Music is an essential component of ritual practices and plays a central role in many religions, both historically and in contemporary contexts. The relationship between music (and related artificial expressions) and religion is shaped by a variety of often contradictory transcendent artistic concepts, normative functional claims, and theological expectations introduced by scholars, believers, religious and spiritual leaders, and musicians over time. This dialectical nature of music reflects the culture and musical perceptions of its respective era in diverse ways.
By examining music, literature, and ritual within the traditions of Sufi Islam/Tasawwuf and Japanese culture (Buddhism, Shintoism, Hidden Christianity), the workshop aims to highlight both unique and shared elements across metaphysical concepts, religious practice, and artistic expression.

Date: 25-26 February, 2025
Venue: Meeting Room (AA447), 4th Floor, Research Building No. 2, Kyoto University

[Program]
25 February, 2025 (Day One of the Conference: Meeting of East and West)
10:15-10:45 Opening Session (Opening remarks: Tonaga Yasushi & Tuba Işık, congratulatory speeches: Cemalnur Sargut, Chair: Suzuki Manami)
10:45-12:15 Session 1 (Chair: TONAGA Yasushi)
Tuba Işık: Singing as a Sufi Performance and its Impact on Character Cultivation
Michael Conway: Shinran’s Japanese Language Hymns in Contemporary Shin Buddhist Ritual
Arzu Eylül Yalçınkaya: Sufi Literature, Ritual, and Music/The Dynamics of Spiritual Awareness: Exploring Buddhist and Sufi Pathways through Text, Practice, and Sound

13:45-15:15 Session 2 (Chair: Hatice Dilek Güldütuna)
KOIZUMI Yurina: Reception of Christianity in Japan and its Influence on Various Arts
Vasfi Emre Ömürlü: Flow of a Least Known Zikir Example of Istanbul Tekke: Rifâî Kelîme-i Tevhîd Zikir
FUJITA Takanori: Sound patterns for invocation to the supernatural in kagura, the Shinto ritual and Noh drama of Japan

15:45-17:45 Performance Workshop
Vasfi Emre Ömürlü: Experiencing the Least Known Sûfî Practice of Rifâî Kıyam Kelîme-i Tevhîd Zikir
FUJITA Takanori: Yuri (“to Sway”) , the Sound Symbol Used to Revive the Solar Deity in Noh Drama

26 Febuary, 2025 (Day Two of the Conference: Artificial Expressions in between Practice and Meaning)
09:30-10:30 Sesssion 3 (Chair: AKAHORI Masayuki)
SUZUKI Manami: Melody and Lyrics in Cem Rituals of Alevi-Bektaşi: Music as a Form of Islam that Accompanies People
Birhan Gencer: Rifai Qiyâm Dhikr in the Tradition of Ümmü Kenan Lodge

10:45-11:45 Session 4 (Chair: İlknur Bahadır)
YAMAGUCHI Takumi: Corporeality of Otherness: A Typology of Bodily Reactions at Sufi Ritual of Spirit Possession in Morocco
Hatice Dilek Güldütuna: Mânâ of Sema Mukâbele and Mevlevî Âyin Example Through Various Composed Pieces

11:45-12:15 General Discussion (Chair: Akahori Masayuki)
12:15-12:30 Closing Session (Closing greetings: Elif Erhan, Chair: Suzuki Manami)

[Supporting research Projects]
Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS)
Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals (Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research(B) (International Collaborative Research) JSPS)

Contact：inq-kr(at)asafas.kyoto-u.ac.jp

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The Report of the 2nd Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World”

The 2nd Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”)

Date: August  8th Thursday, 2024, 13:00-17:00
Venue: Meeting Room [AA447], 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University

Report:

KAMADA Shigeru （University of Tokyo) “The Qur’ān and Thoughts of Moderation”
Thoughts and practices in Islam seek their final sanction in the text of the Qur’ān, the words of God. It is inevitable for different Muslim groups to peruse its text in order to find support for their positions. In the present day Muslim groups we find various types of Islam from a moderate type to an extreme one. The recent commentaries of the Qur’ān may reflect not only composers’ religious standpoints but also social, political, and cultural circumstances that create their works. To study modern commentaries of the Qur’ān in contrast to classical ones would open our eyes to understanding modern Islam, in which a moderate type of Islam has a wider role.

 
KURODA Ayaka”The Politics of Moderate Islam (al-wasaṭiyya) in the Arab World”
This report examines the origins and use of the term “moderate Islam (al-wasaṭiyya)” in contemporary Arab-Islamic thought. According to previous research, the term was first used by Azharite scholars in the mid-20th century, while its meaning and context have changed over time. In the period of Islamic revival since the 1970s, Yusuf al-Qaradawi popularized the term, which had a serious impact on the discourse of Islamist movements. In addition, in the case of Egypt, some modernist intellectuals who seek to reconcile modernity and Islam, without necessarily joining Islamist organizations, were seen as applying the methodology of al-wasaṭiyya. The presentation also discussed the changing relationship between the actors calling for al-wasaṭiyya from the 2010s to the 2020s.

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On-demand lecture series “The Lives of Muslim Migrants in Diverse Local Contexts” (Sophia Open Research Weeks 2024)

Online lectures on demand “The Lives of Muslim Migrants in Diverse Local Contexts” was held jointly with the Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies at Kyoto University, which offer lecture videos on Monday November 11 until Sunday December 1 (in Japanese). This is one of the programs of Sophia Open Research Weeks 2024.

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The 3rd Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World” was held

The 3rd Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

Date: September 21st Saturday, 2024, 10:00-11:00
Venue: Online (Zoom)
Program:
So Yamane (Osaka University), and Aeka Inoue (Okayama Shujitsu University) “Fieldwork Report in Pakistan”



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The Seminar at the University of the Punjab in Pakistan Featured in a Pakistani Newspaper, August 31st

A report on the seminar, in which Prof. Yasushi Tonaga (Director of Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies), Prof. So Yamane (Osaka University), and Prof. Aeka Inoue (Okayama Shujitsu University) presented, was published in the Pakistani daily newspaper Nawa-i Waqt (“Voice of the Times”). This seminar was held as part of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)”.

Translation of the Article Headline:
“Punjab University Hosts International Conference in Collaboration with Three Japanese Universities”
“Dr. Muhammad Kamran Concludes the Conference: Remarks on the Topic from the Perspective of Urdu Literature”

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The 2nd Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World” was held

The 2nd Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

Date: August 8th Thursday, 2024, 13:00-17:00 (face-to-face and Zoom “hybrid format”)
Venue: Meeting Room [AA447], 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University

Program:
KURODA Ayaka (ASAFAS, Kyoto University) “The Politics of Moderate Islam (al-wasaṭiyya) in the Arab World”
KAMADA Shigeru (Emeritus Professor, The University of Tokyo) “The Qur’ān and Thoughts of Moderation”





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Academic year 2024 1st Sufism / Saint Veneration research meeting was held

Academic year 2024 1st Sufism / Saint Veneration research meeting was held by face-to-face and Zoom “hybrid format” as below.

Date: June 9th, 2024 (Sunday), 13:00-17:00
Venue: Building No. 6, Room 2-615a, Sophia University (face-to-face and Zoom “hybrid format”)
Language: Japanese
Program:
HOMMA Ryusei (ASAFAS, Kyoto University)
“Constructing the South Asian Version of the School of Ibn ‘Arabi : Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi’s Doctrine of waḥda al-wujūd”
OGURA Satoshi (ILCAA, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
“Interim Report of the Edition of the Persian Translation of Laghu Yogavāsiṣṭha (the Akbar Edition) ”





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The Report of the 1st Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World”

The 1st Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”)

Date: May 25th Sunday, 2024, 13:00-17:00
Venue: Lecture Room [AA401], 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University

Report: UCHIYAMA Chie (Sophia University) “Reconstructing the “Islamic Sphere” of Senegal without a Salafi-Sufi Dichotomy: The Case of Islamic Education”

This presentation examines the discourse that there is an ideological influence of Salafi Muslims on moderate Islam in Senegal, which is strongly influenced by Sufi orders, through a case study of Islamic education. The Senegalese government has developed school textbooks to promote a tolerant form of Islam that aligns with the existence of Sufi orders and is acceptable to Muslims with a Salafi orientation, while in a school affiliated with Salafi organizations, where the presenter conducted a survey, some parts of their teachings oppose the African practice of Sufism. However, even in the latter, not a few of the students belong to the order, and the interviews suggest that they coexist without much contradiction. In addition, the narratives of Muslim informants who are identified as either Salafis or Sufis suggest that the division between Muslims who belong to a Sufi order and those who do not is not absolute in practice, and that the distinction is not always considered important. Senegalese Islam has traditionally been dichotomized into a majority and of moderate Sufis and a minority of strict Salafis. However, the notion of a “moderate and tolerant Senegalese Islam” seems to be acceptable to many Muslims, including Salafis. Therefore, it would be useful to reconstruct the image of Islam in Senegal from this perspective.

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The 1st Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World” was held

The 1st  Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

Date: May 25th Sunday, 2024, 13:00-17:00
Venue: Lecture Room [AA401], 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University

Program:
1. Meeting about Field Research in Pakistan
2. Rethinking the Concept of “Moderate Islam”
3. Presentation
UCHIYAMA Chie (Sophia University)
Reconstructing the “Islamic Sphere” of Senegal without a Salafi-Sufi Dichotomy: The Case of Islamic Education