SADeW holds symposium on ‘Allama Iqbal and Democracy’

DALLAS: How Eastern scholarship is relevant in today's world and what kind of democracy was proposed by a widely recognized poet-philosopher of South Asia Sir Mohammad Iqbal. These were the themes of a scholarly and thought provoking international symposium held in Dallas last Saturday as part of the launching ceremony of a new organization South Asia Democracy Watch (SADeW).

Former Ambassador of Iran at UN, Dr. Jaffar Mahallati, now a professor of Islamic studies in Oberlin College, Ohio, speaking as keynote speaker said Iqbal's philosophy and poetry has a huge impact on the Iranian society. Paying glowing tributes to the poet-philosopher he said as a reformer Iqbal modernized Islamic thoughts using Ijtihad as the most significant need of the day. Because Iqbal's poetry has a universal appeal, he is hugely popular in Iran like Moulana Jami and Hafiz Shirazi, and it is also taught in our schools.

The Symposium included a panel discussion, several presentations on Iqbal and democracy by known scholars and political leaders, and a musical evening to pay tributes to Iqbal's poetry in Urdu and Persian. Mayor of Paris in Texas Dr. Arjumand Hashmi, was master of the ceremony.

Dallas County Commissioner, Theresa Daniel addressing the audience, said democracy is incomplete without inclusion of minorities in the United Sates and everywhere else. She congratulated South Asia Democracy watch for organizing a quality symposium and bringing well known speakers on the Eastern scholarship to Dallas.

Another scholar from University of Oklahoma, Dr. Nyla Ali Khan said Iqbal's multidimensional work in philosophy, poetry and politics has been immensely appreciated in his ancestral homeland of Kashmir. He was deeply concerned about daily hardships of workers and the disadvantaged of his society, she articulated.

As part of the panel on the relevancy of Iqbal today, Dr. Qaisar Abbas of University of North Texas, said the poet was also a progressive thinker who reinterpreted the concepts of state, religion and politics based on morality and spirituality. As an Islamic revivalist he opposed militancy and sectarianism in the Muslim world, he emphasized.

Dr. Masood Raja of the same university discussed how the poet is being reinterpreted today with new insights which are also critical sometimes. Urdu writer and poet Talmeez Fatima discussed Iqbal's concept of time in his poetic discourse. Dr. Basheer Ahmed chaired the panel.

Known theater director, actor and playwright from India Davinder Daman analyzed the role of theater in India in raising political consciousness in society. Stage drama, he said, is a strong medium for analyzing social, cultural and political issues.

Earlier in the event, Attorney Tausif Kamal and political activist Syed Fayyaz Hassan also presented an impressive overview of democracy and related issues in South Asia. SADeW board members Aftab Siddiqui, Siraj Butt, Muzaffar Raja, Raja Zahid Akhtar Khanzada and Asif Effendi introduced the speakers and greeted participants.

The evening ended with a melodious, musical rendering of Iqbal's poems by the known ghazal maestro, Ustad Salamat Ali. The well-organized symposium was attended by a large number of South Asian and American audience.

The event was organized in collaboration with several organizations including Fun Asia Radio, Muslim Community Center for Human Services and Pakistan Chronicle. Prominent community memberssponsored the program including Dr. Rehana Kausar, Farooq Khan, Dr. Basheer Ahmed, Dr. Arjumand Hashmi, Dr. Ashfaq Siddiqui, Ashraf Loan, Irfan Ali and others.