Conference Program

Last update: Nov 1st 2024.

Day 1

Thursday (Nov 14) - John Carroll University (1 John Carroll Boulevard, University Heights)

5:00-6:30pm: Dinner - Jardine Room, Lombardo Student Center

6:30-9:00pm: Keynote Addresses - Jardine Room, Lombardo Student Center

Prof. Zeki Saritoprak - "Why Nursi Matters: How Nursi and the Risale-i Nur can shape the 21st Century encounter between Islam and the West?""
Prof. Oliver Leaman - "Said Nursi on how reading nature is like reading the Qur'an, and why it is important."

Friday (Nov 15) - John Carroll University (1 John Carroll Boulevard, University Heights)

8:30-9:00am: Registration & Networking Time

9:00-11:00am: Session 1 - "Developing the Tradition of Said Nursi: Critical and Reflexive Approaches"

Prof. Lucinda Mosher, Moderator
Prof. Adnan Aslan, "Devotional and Intellectual Readings of Risale-i Nur."
Prof. Ori Soltes, "Furthering Said Nursi Through the Lens of Hizmet." (Online)
Dr. Zuleyha M. Fikret, "God Taught Adam all the Names: The Fall of Adam as the Fall of Humanity."
Prof. Mehmet Ozalp, "The relevance of Risale-i Nur for Muslims and Humanity in 21st Century and Beyond."

11:00-11:30am: Coffee Break & Networking Time

11:30am-1:00pm: Session 2 - "Developing the Tradition of Said Nursi: Critical and Reflexive Approaches" (Continuation)

Prof. Kim Shively, Moderator
Dr. Ozgur Koca, "An Evaluation of Said Nursi's Engagement with Islamic Intellectual and Spiritual Traditions."
Hilal Akdeniz, "Between Tradition and Modernity: Said Nursi's Perspective on Women in Dialogue with Chandra Mohanty."
Dr. Halim Calis, "I Was a Hidden Treasure": the Keystone of Faith Essentials in Said Nursi's Writings."

1:00-2:00pm: Lunch Break

2:00-3:00pm: Jummah Prayer (on campus)

3:00-5:00pm: Afternoon Session - "Nursi's Grounded Spirituality as the Future of Interfaith Dialogue"

Prof. Adnan Aslan, Moderator
Prof. Lucinda Mosher, "Putting Iḥsān to Work: Nursi, Theological Anthropology, and the Dialogical Study of Ethics"
Dr. Safiye Yigit, "Guided by Divine Wisdom: Epistemic Ajz and Faqr and a Reinterpretation of Plato's Charioteer Metaphor."
Dr. Naailah Duymun-Demirtas, "The Risale-i Nur as a catalyst to belief – an invitation to non-believers to cosmological reflections."
Dr. Albert Frolov, "Can There Be Objective Mysticism? Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and Bernard Lonergan in Dialogue on the Epistemic Value of Religious Experience."

5:00-5:30pm: Free Time & Maghrib Prayer

5:30-7:00pm: Dinner & Networking Time

7:00-8:30pm: Evening Session: "Extending the Horizon"

Dr. Albert Frolov, Moderator
Prof. Ismail Albayrak, "The (Im)possibility of Dual or Multiple Religious Belongings in the lights of Said Nursi's Epistles"
Dr. Hakan Coruh, "From Scholarly Inquiry to Public Engagement: The Future of Risale-i Nur Studies."
Kerim Balci, "Can Bakhtin Read the Risale: The Novelness of the Epistles of Light."

Saturday (Nov 16) - John Carroll University (1 John Carroll Boulevard, University Heights)

9:00-10:30am: Session 1: "Nursi's Theology of Non-Violence"

Dr. Zuleyha M. Fikret, Moderator
Prof. Mustafa Gokcek, "Nuances of Nursi's approach to nationalism and its interpretations."
Dr. Owais Manzoor Dar, "Peacebuilding in Islam and Said Nursi's Model of Positive Action (Müsbet Hareket)."
Semih Kiyma, "Said Nursi's Approach to Justice and Forgiveness: Informing Modern Restorative Justice."

11:00-11:30am: Side-Line Session: "AI and the Future of Risale-i Nur Studies in the West"

Dr. Mahmut Sait Okyay, "Ustad's Eleven: A Futuwwa Example Around Risale-i Nur in the Modern Era."
Muhammed Turco, "Leveraging AI to Revitalize and Disseminate Said Nursi's Teachings for Contemporary."

11:30-12:00pm: Side-Line Session: "Tribute to Fethullah Gulen: His Contribution to the Study of the Risale-i Nur"

12:00-12:30pm: Discussion on Conference Topics and Next Steps

12:30-1:30pm: Lunch (Invitation Only)