The Eighteenth Annual Conference of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists

Abstract

The Annual Conference of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists(AMSS) has acquired a certain niche for itself in the academic life of Muslimsin North America. Each year the Conference is attended by Muslim andseveral non-Muslim scholars from across North America and overseas.The 18th Annual Conference was held in conjunction with the 15th AnnualConference of the Association of Muslim Scientists and Engineers (AMSE).This provided an opportunity for exchange of ideas among specialists fromvarious disciplines. It was coordinated by the AMSS Vice President Dr.Salahuddin Malik. In all, some forty papers on Islam and Muslims werepresented followed by interesting discussions.Dr. Taha J. Al- 'Alwani, President of the International Institute of IslamicThought (IIIT) was the keynote speaker at the Banquet. The Isma'il and Lamya'al Fariiqi Memorial Lecture was delivered by Dr. Ralph Braibanti of DukeUniversity. One highlight of the Conference was the well-attended InterfaithTrialogue 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 eighteenpanels on a variety of subjects.The First Session comprised two panels: Business and Economics inIslam where Dr. Ausaf Ali reflected on the "Systemized Theory of the IslamicEconomy." Dr. M. E. Biraima's paper, which was presented in his absence,discussed "A Qur'anic Model For a Universal Economic Theory." Dr. HishamAhmad of the University of Chicago spoke about the "Qur'anic Perspectiveon the Creation and Distribution of Wealth and Economic Justice," whileMohamed 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. WaheedFakhri of Chicago State University who introduced the 1989 survey of fulltimeIslamic Schools in North America. Dr. Ni'mat H. Barazangi of Cornellspoke on "North American Parents and Children: Theoretical Model forIslamization of Education," and Dr. Kamal Nimer of the Islamic Saudi Academyfocused on adult education ...