‘3’

The Qur’anic Studies Unit hosted an occasional lecture by Dr Asma Hilali of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris entitled Pragmatic Aspects of the Religious Text: The San‘a Qur’an Palimpsest in May 2010.

The IIS hosted a series of international events in Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver in Canada and Leicester in the UK to launch A Companion to Muslim Ethics.

Professor Mervyn Frost, Head of the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London, was the second guest speaker at the ‘Talking Ethics’ series held on 24 March 2009. Titled ‘Understanding contemporary conflict in ethical terms’, the talk argued that ethical discourse plays a pivotal role in how participants as well as observers frame their positions in conflict, regardless of the legal and political language that is used.

Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov of the Institute’s Department of Academic Research and Publications presented a paper at the seminar, The Current State of Research on Medieval Islam.

The IIS co-sponsored a workshop, held in conjunction with the American Academy of Religion (AAR), in Chicago, Illinois, in late October 2008. The workshop, a series of round-table discussions, focused on the subject of commentaries on the Qur’an. It brought together experts in the field of Qur’an commentaries with an audience of interested scholars.

The IIS organised a panel presentation at the 45th Middle Eastern Studies Association (MESA) conference held in Washington DC, USA. The panel, entitled Fatimid Studies, continued on from the previous year’s panel, Approaches to Governance in the Fatimid Period.

The 2010 IIS Alumni Academic Seminar was held at the Ismaili Centre, Dubai, UAE from 4-6 December, 2010. Thirty-five alumni from Asia, Europe and North America, gathered to debate and discuss the theme of Education and Faith Communities: Issues and Responses.

Dr Stephen Burge, Research Associate in the Institute’s Qur’anic Studies Unit, attended the American Oriental Society (AOS) Annual Meeting, held in Boston, USA.

The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of The Vernacular Qur’an: Translation and the Rise of Persian Exegesis, written by Travis Zadeh. This publication is the seventh volume in the Qur’anic Studies Series and presents varied views held by early Muslim theologians and jurists on the translation of the Qur’an.

The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to announce the publication of Pearls of Persia: The Philosophical Poetry of Nasir-i Khusraw edited by Dr Alice C. Hunsberger. This volume combines articles from a range of contributors on different aspects of Nasir-i Khusraw’s philosophical poetry, including its rhythm, self-reference, structure and speech.