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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260204
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260306
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SUMMARY:Conference: AI Methodologies and Applications in Middle Eastern and Islamic World Studies\, Kuwait University\, February 4–5\, 2026
DESCRIPTION:From the organizers: \nDate: February 4-5\, 2026\nVenue: Global Studies Centre\, Gulf University for Science and Technology\, Kuwait \nThe new age of artificial intelligence (AI) presents many opportunities and challenges to methodology in all disciplines of Social Sciences and Humanities including in Middle Eastern and Islamic World Studies. AI technologies\, such as data analysis\, machine learning\, and natural language processing\, can uncover hidden patterns\, automate repetitive tasks\, and provide deeper insights into the topic of study. \nHowever\, these benefits also come with some significant ethical challenges such as concerns about data privacy\, algorithmic bias\, and human responsibility and accountability in the use and application of AI technologies. This research conference is focused on the use and application of AI in the methodology of all disciplines of Middle Eastern and Islamic World Studies broadly defined. \nOverarching questions to be addressed include: What is the difference between the types of uses of AI: are some more acceptable than others? Are there some fields in which the use of AI presents huge opportunities and others in which it causes major issues? Can we speak of AI in terms of being a “net-good” in Middle Eastern and Islamic World Studies? \nConference themes include but are not limited to the following: \n\nOpportunities/Challenges/Ethics in incorporating AI in the methodology of the Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines including in Islamic Philosophy\, History\, Religious Studies\, Literature\, Anthropology\, Theology\, Sociology\, Communications.\nSpecific Social Sciences or Humanities research projects or applications with significant use of AI or other digital technologies in Middle Eastern and Islamic World Studies.\nAI applications in religious law\, textual commentary and prophetic traditions.\nAI applications in the cultural heritage of the Middle East and Islamic World.\n\nConfirmed Keynote Speakers \n\nDavid Wrisley\, Professor of Digital Humanities\, New York University Abu Dhabi\nShoaib Malik\, Lecturer in Science and Religion\, University of Edinburgh\n\nLimited travel funding may be available for graduate students\, post-doctoral fellows and faculty from low-income countries and institutions. We aim to publish the revised papers as articles/chapters in either a refereed special issue of a journal or as an edited volume. \nEmail questions to both Dr. Ismail Lala (Lala.I@gust.edu.kw) and Dr. Jennifer Lofkrantz (Lofkrantz.J@gust.edu.kw).
URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/conference-ai-methodologies-and-applications-in-middle-eastern-and-islamic-world-studies-kuwait-university-february-4-5-2026/
CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260302
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260303
DTSTAMP:20260622T181755
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SUMMARY:Presentation: Lutforahman Saeed—God’s Law\, Man’s Rule: Debating Women’s Right to Health from Sacred Texts to the Taliban\, March 2\, 2026
DESCRIPTION:God’s Law\, Man’s Rule: Debating Women’s Right to Health from Sacred Texts to the Taliban \nIn this virtual talk\, Lutforahman Saeed (Visiting Scholar and Islamic Law Lecturer\, Birgham Young University Law School\, Provo) will discuss women’s right to healthcare in Islamic law\, outlining its foundations in the Qur’an\, the Prophet’s Sunnah\, and the core objectives of Sharia\, and examining how these principles compare with the Taliban’s restrictive policies on women’s access to medical education and healthcare services. \nMonday\, March 2\, 2026\n11:00 AM PST / 2:00 PM EST\nREGISTER HERE \nIn Islam\, the focus on access to healthcare services is reflected in three out of five universal objectives of Islamic Sharia: the preservation of life (hifiz al-nafs)\, the preservation of intellect (hifiz al-ʿaql)\, and the preservation of progeny (hifz al-nasl). Furthermore\, the Quran’s direct orders and the Prophet’s Sunnah provide the foundation for every human being to enjoy healthcare services in an Islamic society. Despite growing attention to the women’s right to healthcare in Muslim-majority states\, the Taliban authorities\, under the name of Islamic Sharia\, have closed all public and private medical education institutions for women. Moreover\, they have issued several directives preventing male healthcare service providers from serving women patients. This study represents the first substantive scholarly inquiry into the contemporary discourse on women’s right to healthcare within the framework of Islamic jurisprudence\, juxtaposed with the Taliban’s distinctive and exclusivist interpretations of Islamic law. It examines women’s access to healthcare services both in Islam and under the Taliban’s de facto governance\, seeking to address the central research question: What is the status of women’s right to healthcare in the primary sources of Islamic law\, the Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah\, and to what extent do Taliban policies on women’s healthcare correspond with or diverge from the views of mainstream classical and contemporary Muslim jurists\, particularly the Hanafi school’s doctrines? The study employs a qualitative\, multi-source methodology that integrates textual\, doctrinal\, and empirical analyses. \nLutforahman Saeed is a distinguished scholar in Islamic law and human rights. He formerly served as a faculty member at the Faculty of Islamic Studies (Sharia) at Kabul University (KU)\, where he taught for over 27 years. Dr. Saeed earned his B.A. in Islamic Studies from Kabul University in 1991\, followed by an LL.M. from the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle in 2010. He completed his Ph.D. with summa cum laude honors in Islamic Law and Human Rights from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)\, Germany\, in December 2019. His doctoral dissertation received the STAEDTLER Foundation’s Award for Outstanding Dissertation in 2020. Dr. Saeed’s research mainly focuses on Islamic law\, Islamic studies\, and the intersection of custom and human rights\, with an emphasis on Afghanistan. His scholarly work includes several articles in national academic journals as well as his 2022 monograph\, Islam\, Custom\, and Human Rights in Afghanistan. He was also editor-in-chief of the Journal of Afghan Legal Studies from 2017 to 2022. His research currently focuses on women’s right to freedom of movement within Islamic law and under Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. His work advocates for a nuanced understanding of Islamic legal traditions and their contemporary implications\, especially in contexts marked by authoritarianism and ideological control. Through scholarly analysis and engagement with current legal discourse\, he aims to amplify critical perspectives on women’s rights in Afghanistan today. In addition to his academic endeavors\, Dr. Saeed has held several significant public and institutional roles. He served as a member and vice president of the Independent Commission for Overseeing the Implementation of the Constitution (ICOIC) for four years. Currently\, he is a visiting scholar at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS) at J. Reuben Clark Law School of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo\, Utah\, where he teaches Islamic Law. \n 
URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/presentation-lutforahman-saeed-gods-law-mans-rule-debating-womens-right-to-health-from-sacred-texts-to-the-taliban-march-2-2026/
CATEGORIES:lectures and talks
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