Conference on
Religions and Constitutional Transitions in the Muslim Mediterranean:
“The Pluralistic Moment”
Co-sponsored by the
International Center for Religion, Law and Economy in the Mediterranean Area, Insubria University,
and the
International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Brigham Young University
Como, Italy
June 3-5, 2014
I. Description of Conference Theme
The conference aims at investigating the role and the place of religion in the present constitutional transitions in the Islamic Mediterranean area. In particular, the conference aims at analyzing how Islam influences and is influenced by the constitutional changes that are taking place in majority Islamic Mediterranean countries. Particular emphasis will be placed on the interaction of Islam and state legal systems in these countries and the role that the latter give to religious political parties, religious laws, and religious freedom.
The conference will pay special attention to experience with rule by Islamic-oriented political parties in recent transitional contexts. It will investigate how, in these countries, religious political forces have dealt with the challenges of pluralism, both at the constitutional level and in ordinary legislation. The effort will be to analyze pressing concerns flowing from increasing pluralism for states, religions and societies and the consequences for their normative systems.
The conference will focus on three principal topics: 1) the role of Islamic political parties, and more generally, on the extent to which religion is allowed to play a role in political processes; 2) the place of religious freedom in constitutional evolution and 3) the treatment of religious minorities, both as an object and a subject of political and legal debate.
The conference will focus in greater depth on selected countries, but will place this analysis in the framework of investigation of a broader range of MENA countries, aiming on one hand to investigate specific developments in considerable depth, while also providing a context sufficiently broad to identify ideal types that can help provide a conceptual framework for analysis of national cases.
II. Conference Schedule
Tuesday, June 3
Moderator: Giorgio Conetti (Università degli Studi dell’Insubria)
10.00-11.00 Conference Welcome and Introduction
- 00: Lectiones Magistrales
Yadh Ben Achour (President of Tunisia’s Higher Political Reform Commission) Le compromis historique entre État Civil et religion dans le néo-constitutionnalisme arabe post révolutionnaire
Silvio Ferrari (Università degli Studi di Milano) Religion(s), Religious Freedom and State Transformations: the European Side
13.00: Lunch
14.30 Islam in Italy: an Italian Model? The Inter-University International Forum for Democracy & Religion
Moderator: Grazia Mannozzi (Università degli Studi dell’Insubria)
14.30-15.00 Intervento del Sottosegretario al Ministero degli Affari Esteri Benedetto Della Vedova
15-15. 30: Cultural and Religious Integration: the Italian Way (Roberta Ricucci, Università degli Studi di Torino- Fieri)
15.30-16.00: Islam in Italy: Sociological Framework (Stefano Allievi, Università degli Studi di Padova)
16.00-16.30: Islam en Italie: les difficultés de la liberté religieuse (Roberto Mazzola, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale)
16.30: Break
17.00-18.30: Video: The FIDR Experience: Training for Leaders of Muslim Associations.
Debate coordinated by Paolo Branca (Università cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano)
20.00: Dinner
Social Event: Concert in the cloister of S. Abbondio
Wednesday, June 4
Moderateur: Giorgio Grasso (Università degli Studi dell’Insubria)
9.30-10:00: Introduction: Dynamiques de la liberté religieuse dans la région méditerranéenne (Alessandro Ferrari, Università degli Studi dell’Insubria)
10:00-12:00 National Cases - Egypt
10.00- 10.20: Religion and Constitution, Adel Omar Sherif (Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt);
10.20-10.40: Partis politiques religieux, Wael Rady (Chief Judge, Economic Court of Cairo)
10.40-11.00: Religious Freedom, Amr Abdel Rahman (The American University in Cairo)
11:00-11:30 Break
11.30-11.50: Discussant: David Risley (U. S. Department of Justice)
11:50-12:20 Discussion on Egypt
13:00-14:30: Lunch
14:30-16:30: Cas Nationaux -Tunisie
Moderateur: Francesco Margiotta Broglio (Unesco - Università degli Studi di Firenze)
14.30-14.50: Religion et Constitution, Ghazi Gherairi (Université de Carthage)
14.50-15.10 : Partis politiques religieux, Chérif Ferjani (MSH Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée) 15.10-15.30 : Liberté religieuse, Jinan Liman, (Université de Tunis)
Discussant: 15.30-15.50 : Massimo Campanini (Università degli Studi di Trento)
15:50-16:30: Débat sur le cas tunisien
16:30-17:00 : Break
17.00-18.45: National Cases -Turkey
Moderator: Umbero Galmarini (Università degli Studi dell’Insubria)
- 17.00-17.20: Religion and Constitution, Emre Oktem (Galatasaray University, Istanbul)
- 17.20-17.40: Religious Political Parties, Ihsan Yilmaz (Fatih University, Istanbul)
- 17.40-18.00: Religious Freedom, Talip Kucuckan (Institute for Middle East Studies, Marmara University)
Discussant: 18.00-18.20: Rossella Bottoni (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano)
18.20-18.45 Discussion on Turkey
20.00: Dinner
Thursday, June 5
9:00-10:30: Cas Nationaux -Maroc
Moderateur: Jeremy Gunn (Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane)
9.00-9.20: Constitution and Religion, Driss Maghraoui (Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane)
9.20-9.40 : Partis politiques religieux, Amal Idrissi (Moulay Ismail University, Meknès)
9.40-10.00 : Liberté religieuse, Mohammed Mouaquit (Université Hassan II, Casablanca)
Discutant : 10.00-10.20 : Roberta Aluffi (Université de Turin)
10.20-10 :45 : Débat sur le cas marocain
10:45-11. 15: Break
Moderator: Fabrizio Vismara (Università degli Studi dell’Insubria)
11.15- 12.45: National Cases - Jordan, Palestine, and Algeria
11.15-11.35: Le cas algérien, Souad Ghaouti (Université d’Alger)
11.35-11.55 : The Jordan case , Mohammad Abu Rumman (Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan) 11.55-12.15: Le cas palestinien, Moussa Abou Ramadan (MISHA-CNRS Strasbourg)
12.15-12,30: Discussant: Anne Fornerod (MISHA-CNRS Strasbourg)
- 30-12.45: Discussion
12:45-13:15: Concluding Remarks, Cole Durham - Alessandro Ferrari