March 10-11, 2016

The Communities of the Qur’an conference brings together eminent scholars and practitioners of various Islamic traditions to discuss and deliberate each traditions' respective interpretations of Qur'anic verses. It comes in the wake of increased sectarian violence in the Middle East, renewed military intervention in the region and a rise in Islamophobia. This conference-–the first of its kind-– places rich, diverse and at times opposing interpretations of the Qur’an, in direct conversation with one another.

Welcoming Remarks (watch video)
Paula Sanders, PhD
Director, Boniuk Institute
Professor of History, Rice University

Emran El-Badawi, PhD
Director, Middle Eastern Studies Program
Professor of Modern and Classical Languages, University of Houston

How the Qur'an Shapes the Sunni Community (watch video)
Ingrid Mattson, PhD
London and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic Studies

The Speaking Qur'an and the Praise of the imam: the Memory and Practice of the Qur'an in the Shi'i Ithna'ashari Tradition (watch video)
Sajjad Rizvi, PhD
Director, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
University of Exeter

Why the Qur'anists are the Solution (watch video)
Ahmed Subhy Mansour, PhD
President, The International Quranic Center

Men in Charge?: Qur'an and Gender as a Category of Thought (watch video)
Amina Wadud, PhD
Professor Emerita of Islamic Studies

The Qur'an and the Ahmadiyya Community (watch video)
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan

The Baha'i Reception of the Qur'an (watch video)
Todd Lawson, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
Department for the Study of Religion
University of Toronto

African-American Communities of the Qur'an (watch video)
Aminah Beverly Al-Deen, PhD
Professor of Religious Studies
Founder, Islamic World Studies Program
DePaul University