KU’s SACMS organises international conference on ‘Texts, Shrines, Sufis’

SRINAGAR –  Kashmir University’s Shaikh-ul Aalam Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies (SACMS) on Tuesday organised a one-day international conference titled “Texts, Shrines and Sufis: Reading Islam in South Asia.”

Dean Academic Affairs Prof Farooq A Masoodi presided over the inaugural session of the conference while Dean School of Social Sciences Prof M Y Ganai was the special guest and Registrar Dr Nisar Ahmad the guest of honour on the occasion.

In his presidential address, Prof Masoodi underlined the usefulness of such a conference in the present times while Prof Ganai remarked the importance of approaching such themes from a rigorous academic perspective.

In his welcome address, Professor G N Khaki, Chairman, Shaikh-ul Aalam Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies, reminded the audience about the significance of Sufism in South Asian history and beyond while emphasizing the need to undertake academic research on various aspects associated with.

Multiple academic sessions were chaired by Prof Manzoor Ahmad Bhat of Shah-i-Hamdan Institute of Islamic Studies, Prof Siddiq Wahid, former Vice Chancellor Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) and Prof G N Khaki respectively.

Noted academicians and scholars from various universities joined the conference including those from Delhi University, Ambedkar University (Delhi), Presidency University (Kolkatta), University of Haifa (Jerusalem), etc.

Among the more prominent ones who presented papers included Prof Salil Misra (Ambedkar University), Prof Raziuddin Aquil (Delhi University), Dr Sajjad Alam Rizvi (Presidency University), Dr Yogesh Snehi (Ambedkar University), Dr Rafiq Pirzada (Women’s College, Srinagar) and others.

The papers were themed on various dimensions of Sufism including Sufi texts, shrines, sainthood, etc.  These included “The Concept of Bay‘ah in the Writings of Shah Wali-Allah of Delhi” (Dr Rizvi); “Sufism and the Politics of Islam in Medieval India” (Prof. Aquil); “The Social Space of Sufi Shrines in Punjab” (Dr. Snehi), “The Creation and Articulation of Islamic Space in Medieval Kashmir” (Dr. Pirzada).

Prof. Misra gave an overview of Islam in South Asia. The conference was well attended by the participants both in the offline and online mode.