The Eighteenth Annual Conference of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists Brockport, New York Rabi' al Awwal 28-30, 1410/October 27-29, 1989

Abstract

The Annual Conference of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists
(AMSS) has acquired a certain niche for itself in the academic life of Muslims
in North America. Each year the Conference is attended by Muslim and
several non-Muslim scholars from across North America and overseas.
The 18th Annual Conference was held in conjunction with the 15th Annual
Conference of the Association of Muslim Scientists and Engineers (AMSE).
This provided an opportunity for exchange of ideas among specialists from
various disciplines. It was coordinated by the AMSS Vice President Dr.
Salahuddin Malik. In all, some forty papers on Islam and Muslims were
presented followed by interesting discussions.
Dr. Taha J. Al- 'Alwani, President of the International Institute of Islamic
Thought (IIIT) was the keynote speaker at the Banquet. The Isma'il and Lamya'
al Fariiqi Memorial Lecture was delivered by Dr. Ralph Braibanti of Duke
University. One highlight of the Conference was the well-attended Interfaith
Trialogue which was addressed by Dr. James Evans of Colgate Divinity School,
Dr. Tamara Sann of St. John Fisher College, Rabbi Judea Miller of Rochester,
NY, and Dr. Jamal Badawi of Halifax University, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The Conference, which was spread over twelve sessions, included eighteen
panels on a variety of subjects.
The First Session comprised two panels: Business and Economics in
Islam where Dr. Ausaf Ali reflected on the "Systemized Theory of the Islamic
Economy." Dr. M. E. Biraima's paper, which was presented in his absence,
discussed "A Qur'anic Model For a Universal Economic Theory." Dr. Hisham
Ahmad of the University of Chicago spoke about the "Qur'anic Perspective
on the Creation and Distribution of Wealth and Economic Justice," while
Mohamed R. Bouz.akuk of the University of Oklahoma spoke on "lbn Khaldun:
The Economist."
The parallel panel on Language and Education featured Dr. M. A. Waheed
Fakhri of Chicago State University who introduced the 1989 survey of fulltime
Islamic Schools in North America. Dr. Ni'mat H. Barazangi of Cornell
spoke on "North American Parents and Children: Theoretical Model for
Islamization of Education," and Dr. Kamal Nimer of the Islamic Saudi Academy
focused on adult education ...