AMU researchers deliver online lecture in Cambridge programme

Dr. Rahat Abrar, former Director of the Urdu Academy at Aligarh Muslim University, spoke on “Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as a Promoter of Interfaith Dialogue” as part of a lecture series on “Introduction to Hinduism for Muslim Audiences” organized by the Cambridge Interfaith Programme, University of Cambridge, UK, in partnership with Project Noon, a forum devoted to Hindu-Muslim relations and dialogue.

Sir Syed, according to Dr. Abrar, set the groundwork for comparative religious studies and revived the spirit of Dara Shikoh’s philosophy to unite the major communities of India by identifying shared religious beliefs and assimilating them into a single mighty stream.

Sir Syed interacted with Hindu reformers, seers, and ideologues of his time, such as Raja Rammohan Roy, Dadabhai Nauroji, Sir Surendranath Banerjee, Keshabchand Sen, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Lala Lajpat Rai, and others, in his search for a common belief system that could unite Hindus and Muslims of India on a shared platform for syncretism.

Dr. Abrar stated that the Maulana Azad Library at AMU has uncommon Persian-language copies of the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Gita, and other Hindu scriptures, some of which were translated by Dara Shikoh.

Dr. Saad Ismail, Editor of Project Noon and Resident in the Department of Physiology, J.N. Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, stated that the lecture series was led by Dr. Ankur Barua, Senior Lecturer in Hindu Studies, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge. Dr. Barua explored the diverse tapestries of Hindu philosophical, cultural, and socio-historical landscapes, sometimes decoding and translating Indic idioms for an Abrahamic audience.

Prof. Sher Ali Tareen, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Franklin and Marshall College in the United States, Prof. Muhammad U. Faruque, Inayat and Ishrat Malik Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati in the United States, and Prof. Abdur Raheem Kidwai, Professor and Director at K.A. Nizami Center for Quranic Studies at Aligarh Muslim University, were also featured in the sessions.

Prof. Kidwai discussed “Sir Syed’s Reform Mission for Hindu Brethren”