Co-organised by IAIS MALAYSIA & ICRC
02 December 2021 (Thursday) 09:30am - 12:10pm
(Malaysian Standard Time GMT +8)
Venue: ZOOM / IAIS Malaysia's FB Page
INTRODUCTION
The principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the laws limiting the use of force in times of armed conflict, are based on humanitarian principles that are ultimately rooted in the world’s religious traditions. The role of religious scholars in promoting common humanitarian principles is therefore crucial. Since the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has a mandate to promote IHL, it has long reached out to academics and religious scholars to explore correspondences between IHL and other traditions, the aim being to learn from each other and encourage debate on key issues.
For a number of decades, the ICRC has worked closely with Islamic scholars across the world to encourage scholarship on the correspondences between IHL and the law of armed conflict in Islam. Some of the world’s leading Islamic scholars have researched and published on the subject. These contributions from scholars have had real influence in increasing the interest and acceptance of humanitarian issues in areas of conflict in the Islamic world.
Throughout 2021 the Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS), Malaysia, has been partnering with the ICRC and the Journal al-Jamiah of the State Islamic University (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, Indonesia to explore the important contribution made by Southeast Asian Islamic scholars to humanitarianism and restraint in times of war. In this Regional Symposium organized by the IAIS and the ICRC three scholars from Malaysia and Indonesia will present original research on this topic which will be followed by discussion among participants. The Symposium aims to highlight the tradition of Islamic humanitarianism in Southeast Asia and provoke further research and debate.
OBJECTIVES
- To contribute to the global development of IHL and the law of armed conflict in Islam with particular focus on Southeast Asian perspectives
- Raise the profile and contribution of Southeast Asian scholars on Islam and IHL
- To identify writings by leading historical Islamic scholars in Southeast Asia (Ulama Nusantara) on the topic of limits to the use of force in warfare
- To promote research on Southeast Asian perspectives on Islam and IHL and humanitarianism to larger audiences in SEA