"NIHU Area Studies Project for the Modern Middle East" began in April 2016...→







  • February 25-26
    The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies at Kyoto University, in collaboration with the Berlin Institute of Islamic Theology at Humboldt University and the Institute for Sufi Studies at Üsküdar University, held the International conference “Between Praying and Playing: Exploring the Potentials of Musical Performance in Religious Traditions” on February 25-26.

    The First Conference of “Musical Practices as an Instrument for Spiritual Ascension, Praying and Practicing Faith”
    Between Praying and Playing: Exploring the Potentials of Musical Performance in Religious Traditions

    [Prospectus]
    Music is an essential component of ritual practices and plays a central role in many religions, both historically and in contemporary contexts. The relationship between music (and related artificial expressions) and religion is shaped by a variety of often contradictory transcendent artistic concepts, normative functional claims, and theological expectations introduced by scholars, believers, religious and spiritual leaders, and musicians over time. This dialectical nature of music reflects the culture and musical perceptions of its respective era in diverse ways.
    By examining music, literature, and ritual within the traditions of Sufi Islam/Tasawwuf and Japanese culture (Buddhism, Shintoism, Hidden Christianity), the workshop aims to highlight both unique and shared elements across metaphysical concepts, religious practice, and artistic expression.

    Date: 25-26 February, 2025
    Venue: Meeting Room (AA447), 4th Floor, Research Building No. 2, Kyoto University

    [Program]
    25 February, 2025 (Day One of the Conference: Meeting of East and West)
    10:15-10:45 Opening Session (Opening remarks: Tonaga Yasushi & Tuba Işık, congratulatory speeches: Cemalnur Sargut, Chair: Suzuki Manami)

    10:45-12:15 Session 1 (Chair: TONAGA Yasushi)
    Tuba Işık: Singing as a Sufi Performance and its Impact on Character Cultivation
    Michael Conway: Shinran’s Japanese Language Hymns in Contemporary Shin Buddhist Ritual
    Arzu Eylül Yalçınkaya: Sufi Literature, Ritual, and Music/The Dynamics of Spiritual Awareness: Exploring Buddhist and Sufi Pathways through Text, Practice, and Sound

    13:45-15:15 Session 2 (Chair: Hatice Dilek Güldütuna)
    KOIZUMI Yurina: Reception of Christianity in Japan and its Influence on Various Arts
    Vasfi Emre Ömürlü: Flow of a Least Known Zikir Example of Istanbul Tekke: Rifâî Kelîme-i Tevhîd Zikir
    FUJITA Takanori: Sound patterns for invocation to the supernatural in kagura, the Shinto ritual and Noh drama of Japan

    15:45-17:45 Performance Workshop
    Vasfi Emre Ömürlü: Experiencing the Least Known Sûfî Practice of Rifâî Kıyam Kelîme-i Tevhîd Zikir
    FUJITA Takanori: Yuri (“to Sway”) , the Sound Symbol Used to Revive the Solar Deity in Noh Drama

    26 Febuary, 2025 (Day Two of the Conference: Artificial Expressions in between Practice and Meaning)
    09:30-10:30 Sesssion 3 (Chair: AKAHORI Masayuki)
    SUZUKI Manami: Melody and Lyrics in Cem Rituals of Alevi-Bektaşi: Music as a Form of Islam that Accompanies People
    Birhan Gencer: Rifai Qiyâm Dhikr in the Tradition of Ümmü Kenan Lodge

    10:45-11:45 Session 4 (Chair: İlknur Bahadır)
    YAMAGUCHI Takumi: Corporeality of Otherness: A Typology of Bodily Reactions at Sufi Ritual of Spirit Possession in Morocco
    Hatice Dilek Güldütuna: Mânâ of Sema Mukâbele and Mevlevî Âyin Example Through Various Composed Pieces

    11:45-12:15 General Discussion (Chair: Akahori Masayuki)
    12:15-12:30 Closing Session (Closing greetings: Elif Erhan, Chair: Suzuki Manami)

    [Supporting research Projects]
    Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS)
    Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals (Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research(B) (International Collaborative Research) JSPS)

  • February 20-21
    KR/KIAS/SIAS-CNRS Joint Seminar 2024 was held as below.

    Date: February 20th-21st, 2025, 13:30-17:15 (20th), 9:00-12:00 (21st)
    Venue: Toyo University Atami Training Center

    February 20: 13:00-17:15
    (13:00-13:30) Opening Remarks: AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)

    (13:30-14:15) TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University)
    “Wahda al-Wujud between Hama Ust and Tanzih”

    (14:15-15:00) Danielle Zwarthoed (CNRS-CETOBaC)
    “Loyalty and Humility in the Supplications of Mīram Sīāh Qazvīnī’s Inshā’ (End of 9th/15th Century)”

    (15:00-15:15 Break)

    (15:15-15:45) TAKEDA Tomoka (Sophia University)
    “The Relationship between Religious Communities and Political Parties in Ultra-Orthodox Judaism in Israel”

    (15:45-16:15) HIGASHI Yuta (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
    “Marriage and Identity in Early Statehood Israel: The Indian Jews’ Struggle for Recognition Under the Religious Marriage System”

    (16:15-16:30 Break)

    (16:30-17:15) AMO Kae (Kyoto University)
    “Tarbiya as Meditation Process: An Ethnographic Study on the Sufism in Senegal”

    February 21: 09:00-12:00 (09:00-09:45) Alexandre PAPAS (CNRS-CETOBaC)
    “Two New Genealogical Documents on Sufi Lineages in Ladakh”

    (09:45-10:30) SUZUKI Manami (Kyoto University)
    “Musical Structure of Dhikr in Cerrahi Order, Turkey: Melodies and Rhythm Patterns that Lead to Fan?”

    (10:30-10:45 Break)

    (10:45-11:30) Thierry ZARCONE (CNRS-GSRL)
    “Calligraphic and Figurative Representations of ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī and Their Devotional Use”

    (11:30-12:00) Discussion, Closing Remarks

    Organizers:
    Alexandre PAPAS (CNRS-CETOBaC)
    Thierry ZARCONE (CNRS-GSRL)
    AKAHORI Masayuki (SIAS, Sophia University)
    MISAWA Nobuo (ACRI, Toyo University)
    TONAGA Yasushi (KIAS, Kyoto University)
    SUZUKI Manami (Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University)
    UCHIYAMA Chie (SIAS, Sophia University)

    Sponsoring Institutes and Research Projects:
    CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
    KIAS (Center for Islamic Area Studies, Graduate School of Asian and African Studies)
    SIAS (Institute of Islamic Ares Studies, Sophia University)
    ACRI (Asian Culture Research Institute, Toyo University)
    KR (Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University)
    Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS)
    Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals (Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research(B) (International Collaborative Research) JSPS)

  • February 19-20
    Academic Year 2024 Sufism/Saint Veneration Research Convention was held as below.

    Date: February 19th-20th, 2025, 13:00-18:00 (19th), 9:00-12:00 (20th)
    Venue: Toyo University Atami Training Center

    Program:
    Day 1: 19th February
    13:00-13:30 Opening, Self-introduction by participants

    13:30-15:00 HARA Rikuo (Kyoto University)
    “The Tradition and Development of Sufism in the Hanbali School of Damascus in the 13th?14th Centuries: Focusing on Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya”

    15:15-16:45 TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University), AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University), and MARUYAMA Daisuke (National Defense Academy of Japan)
    Review Meeting on For Those Who Study Sufism

    17:00-18:00 TONAGA Yasushi, AKAHORI Masayuki, and SUZUKI Manami (Kyoto University)
    Field Research Report on Indonesian Tariqas

    Day 2: 20th February
    09:00-10:30 MISAWA Nobuo (Toyo University)
    “Why the Integration of Ethnicity and Religion? The Diversification of Nationalism in Turkey” (Report on the master’s thesis by Merve Gündoğan, Milliyetçi, Siyasette Bir Fikir ve Aksiyon Adamı: Ağah Aktay Güner.)

    10:30-11:30 SAKAGUCHI Ryosuke (Kyoto University)
    “Examining the Discourse of ‘Moderate Islam’ in Sufi Orders: The Case of the Tarekat Qadiriyah Naqshbandiyah Pondok Pesantren Suryalaya (TQN PP Suryalaya)”

    11:30-12:00 Discussion about Future Research

  • December 19
    Assoc. Prof. Ayaka Kuroda (Islamic Moderate Trend Research Group, KIAS) delivered a lecture at the Seminar on International Understanding (a study group organized by graduates of the Hyogo Hanshin Senior College).

    Date: Thursday, December 19, 2024
    Lecture: Ayaka Kuroda, "Islamic Thought and Gender"



  • December 7-8
    Islamic Moderate Trend Research Group, KIAS organized a panel session titled “Frontier of Digital Humanities in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies in Japan” at the 15th Conference of the Asian Federation of Middle East Studies Associations (AFMA).

    Date: December 7-8
    Venue: Imadegawa Campus, Doshisha University

    Presenters:
    Ayaka Kuroda (ASAFAS, Kyoto University), Emiko Sunaga (ILCAA, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies), Yukari Tanahashi (ASAFAS, Kyoto University)
    Yushi Chiba (Commentator: Kyoto Sangyo University)

  • December 6
    Assoc. Prof. Ayaka Kuroda (Islamic Moderate Trend Research Group, KIAS) delivered a lecture at the Hyogo Hanshin Senior College.

    Date: Friday, December 6, 2024
    Venue: Department of International Understanding, Hanshin Senior College

    Lecture:
    "Origins of Islamic Extremism"
    "Challenges of Islamic Thought"

  • November 29
    Prof. Yasushi Tonaga, Director of the KIAS, delivered a lecture at the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication Sciences, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, Indonesia.

    Date: Friday, November 29, 14:00-16:00
    Venue: Faculty of Da'wah and Communication Sciences, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta

    Lecture:
    "Martabat Tujuh Theory of Wahda al-Wujud"

  • November 11-December 1
    On-demand lecture series “The Lives of Muslim Migrants in Diverse Local Contexts” (Sophia Open Research Weeks 2024)

    Online lectures on demand “The Lives of Muslim Migrants in Diverse Local Contexts” was held jointly with the Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies at Kyoto University, which offer lecture videos on Monday November 11 until Sunday December 1 (in Japanese). This is one of the programs of Sophia Open Research Weeks 2024.





  • November 3-4
    Islamic Moderate Trend Research Group and Islamic Economy Research Group (KIAS) gave a presentation at the 2nd International Conference on Islamic and Halal Economic Studies (ICIHES).

    Date: November 3-4 (Joint presentation by both research groups)
    Venue: University of Science Malaysia (Johor, Malaysia)

    Presenters:
    Shinsuke Nagaoka, Hasham Ammar, Yushi Chiba, Shin Yasuda, Yasushi Kosugi

  • September 21
    The 3rd Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

    Date: September 21st Saturday, 2024, 10:00-11:00
    Venue: Online (Zoom)

    Program:
    So Yamane (Osaka University), and Aeka Inoue (Okayama Shujitsu University) “Fieldwork Report in Pakistan”

  • August 31
    The Seminar at the University of the Punjab in Pakistan Featured in a Pakistani Newspaper, August 31st.

    A report on the seminar, in which Prof. Yasushi Tonaga (Director of Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies), Prof. So Yamane (Osaka University), and Prof. Aeka Inoue (Okayama Shujitsu University) presented, was published in the Pakistani daily newspaper Nawa-i Waqt (“Voice of the Times”). This seminar was held as part of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)”.

    Translation of the Article Headline:
    “Punjab University Hosts International Conference in Collaboration with Three Japanese Universities”
    “Dr. Muhammad Kamran Concludes the Conference: Remarks on the Topic from the Perspective of Urdu Literature”

  • August 8
    The 2nd Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

    Date: August 8th Thursday, 2024, 13:00-17:00 (face-to-face and Zoom “hybrid format”)
    Venue: Meeting Room [AA447], 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University

    Program:
    KURODA Ayaka (ASAFAS, Kyoto University) “The Politics of Moderate Islam (al-wasaṭiyya) in the Arab World”
    KAMADA Shigeru (Emeritus Professor, The University of Tokyo) “The Qur’ān and Thoughts of Moderation”

  • June 9
    Academic year 2024 1st Sufism / Saint Veneration research meeting was held by face-to-face and Zoom “hybrid format” as below.

    Date: June 9th, 2024 (Sunday), 13:00-17:00
    Venue: Building No. 6, Room 2-615a, Sophia University (face-to-face and Zoom “hybrid format”)
    Language: Japanese

    Program:
    HOMMA Ryusei (ASAFAS, Kyoto University)
    “Constructing the South Asian Version of the School of Ibn ‘Arabi : Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi’s Doctrine of waḥda al-wujūd”
    OGURA Satoshi (ILCAA, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
    “Interim Report of the Edition of the Persian Translation of Laghu Yogavāsiṣṭha (the Akbar Edition) ”

  • May 25
    The 1st Research Meeting (2024) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

    Date: May 25th Sunday, 2024, 13:00-17:00
    Venue: Lecture Room [AA401], 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University

    Program:
    1. Meeting about Field Research in Pakistan

    2. Rethinking the Concept of “Moderate Islam”

    3. Presentation
    UCHIYAMA Chie (Sophia University)
    Reconstructing the “Islamic Sphere” of Senegal without a Salafi-Sufi Dichotomy: The Case of Islamic Education

  • March 22-23
    Academic Year 2023 Sufism/Saint Veneration Research Convention was held as below.

    Date: March 22nd-23rd, 2024
    Venue: Toyo University Atami Training Center

    Program:
    Day 1: 22nd (Fri.)
    13:00-13:30 Opening, Self-introduction by participants

    13:30-15:20 Presentation 1
    TANAHASHI Yukari (Kyoto University)
    “Social Reform by Sufis in the 15th-16th Century Morocco: Focusing on Tariqa Jazuliyah”

    15:40-17:00 Presentation 2
    MORIGUCHI Yohei (Kyoto University)
    “Ilahabadi’s Understanding of Wahda al-Wujud in his al-Taswiya bayna al-Ifāda wa-l-Qabūl”

    17:00-19:00 Book Review Related to the Researches on the Tariqa Rifaiya
    1. AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)
    Morgan Clarke, “Cough Sweets and Angels: The Ordinary Ethics of the Extraordinary in Sufi Practice in Lebanon.” The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, vol. 20 no. 3, pp. 407-425 2. TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University)
    Alexandre Popovic, «La Rifâ’iyya.» dans: Alexandre Popovic et Gilles Veinstein (dir), Les voies d’Allah: les ordres mystiques dans l’islam des origines à aujourd’hui. Paris: Fayard, 1996, pp. 492-496.

    Day 2: 23rd (Sat.)
    8:30-10:20 Presentation 3
    AMO Kae (Kyoto University)
    “Physicality and Politics of a Tariqa in Senegal: From the Religious Experiences of Members of the Murid and Tijani Orders”

    11:00-11:30 Report of Field Research in Turkey and Balkans
    SUZUKI Manami (Kyoto University)
    “The Role of Music and its Structure in Social Activities of the Tariqas: A Comparative Analysis of Bektashi (Albania), Halveti (Kosovo), and Rifâiyye (Turkey)”

    11:30-12:00
    Discussion about Future Research

    Organizers:
    AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)
    TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University)
    MISAWA Nobuo (Toyo University)
    Kondo Fumiya (Sophia University)
    SUZUKI Manami (Kyoto University)
    TAKAHASHI Kei (Toyo University)

    This convention was co-hosted with projects below.
    ACRI (Asian Cultures Research Institute, Toyo University)
    KIAS (Center for Islamic Area Studies, Graduate School of Asian and African Studies, Kyoto University)
    SIAS (Institute of Islamic Ares Studies, Sophia University)
    KR (Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University)
    Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of　Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS 22H00034)
    JSPS Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research (B)) “Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals” [JP21KK0001]
    Anthropological Studies on Veneration of Saints and Holy Relics in Islam and Christianity (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS 19H00564)
    International Collaborative Study on the Photographic Archives of the Greater Japan Muslim League (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), JSPS 19H04369).
    Research on the Dynamics of the Reconstruction of Publicness in Contemporary Islam (Academic Research Promotion Fund by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan) Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan

  • March 18-19
    The 4th AFOMEDI Conference ”Spaces of Familiarity, Spaces of Difference in the Mediterranean” was held as below.

    【Date and Time】 March 18-19, 2024
    【Venu】 Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
    【Language】 English

    【Program】 (Excerpt)
    Yohei Moriguchi, Kyoto University (Japan), “On the theory of ‘waḥdat al-wujūd’ in Muḥibb Allāh Allāhābādī’s ‘Taswiya’ (‘Equivalence’) and its pre-modern South Asian characteristics”
    Yukari Tanahasi, Kyoto University (Japan) , “Social Reform in the 15-16th Centuries Morocco Tackled by the Sufis of al-?arīqa al-Jazūlīya”
    Ryusei Homma, Kyoto University (Japan), “Ashraf ‘Alī Thānavī and Sufi Metaphysics: The Modern Development of the School of Ibn ‘Arabī in South Asia”
    Manami Suzuki, Kyoto University (Japan), “Musical Structure of Islamic Ritual Practice in Turkey: Focusing on the Connection between Circular Motion and Beat Structure of Alevi’s Semah」

    This conference was hosted by:
    Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan

  • February 4
    On February 2, 2024, the field survey of “Religious Facilities and its Fusion with Urban Spaces: Coexistence of Mosque-gathering Muslims with Japanese Society” (Research Grants, Kajima Foundation) was conducted at mosques in Shizuoka City (Shizuoka Prefecture) and Nagoya City (Aichi Prefecture).

  • February 2
    The 3rd Research Meeting (2023) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

    Date: February 4th Sunday, 2024, 13：00-17：00
    Venue: Research Building No. 2, 4th Floor, Lecture Room (AA401), Kyoto University

    Program: ARAI Kazuhiro (Keio University)”Habib Umar and Moderate Islam in Indonesia”

    MISAWA Nobuo (Toyo University) ” Examinations of ‘Moderate Islam / ılımlı İslam in Turkey”

    TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University) “Fieldwork Report in Turkey, August 2023”



  • January 16
    Dr. Lloyd Ridgeon (University of Glasgow) gave his special lecture titled “Rūmī’s criticism of Awḥad Al-Dīn Kirmānī's shāhid-bāzī” on 16 January.

    Date: January 16, 2024, Tuesday, 16: 00-18: 00
    Venue: Meeting Room [AA447], 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University

    Program:
    Dr. Lloyd Ridgeon (University of Glasgow) , “Rūmī’s criticism of Awḥad Al-Dīn Kirmānī's shāhid-bāzī”.

    Co-hosted by:
    Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University
    ““Sunnis” and “Shiis”: Historical Inquiries into Confessional Identities and Mutual Perceptions” (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), 23H00674, JSPS)
    Kazuhiro Arai Laboratory, Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University
    Center for Islamic Area Studies, Kyoto University

    In cooperation with:
    “Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals” （Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research(B) (International Collaborative Research), 21KK0001, JSPS）

    →Report

  • November 13
    On-demand lecture series "Transmission of Sacredness in Islam: Prophet’s Family, Saints’ Descendants, and Holy Relics" will be held jointly with the Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University, which offer two lecture videos on November 13 and the other two on November 20, until December 3 (in Japanese). This is one of the programs of Sophia Open Research Weeks 2023.



    Date: From November 13 (Monday) / November 20 (Monday) to December 3 (Sunday), Online

    Contact:
    Institute of Islamic Area Studies at Sophia University (SIAS) ：sias-co@sophia.ac.jp

    This lectures was supported by:
    JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (P19H00564, JP21KK0001, JP22H00034)
    The Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan

    For more information, please visit
    https://dept.sophia.ac.jp/is/SIAS/achievement/2023/sorw_2023.html

  • November 12
    The 2nd Research Meeting (2023) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

    Date: November 12th Sunday, 2023
    Venue: Through online

    Program
    AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)

    SASAKI Takuo (Kurume University)

    →Report



  • September 1
    The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University (KIAS), Institute of Islamic Area Studies at Sophia University (SIAS) and Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) held the SIAS/KIAS-CNRS Joint Seminar 2023 "SUFISM AND SAINT VENERATION PAST AND PRESENT".

    Date: September 1, 2023, 9:30-16:30
    Venue: Collège de France - Centre d’études ottomanes Salle Claude Lévi-Strauss, 52 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005 Paris

    Program:
    9:30-9:45 Alexandre PAPAS (CNRS-EPHE) & Thierry ZARCONE (CNRS-GSRL): Introduction

    9:45-10:15 HARA Rikuo (Kyoto University): "Traditionalist Ways of Dhikr: The Case of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzīya"
    10:15-10:30 Rachida CHIH (CNRS-CETOBaC): Chair, Q&A

    10:30-11:00 KONDO Fumiya (Sophia University): "From Festivals to Anniversaries: Recent Reconstructions of Mawlid's Space in Egypt"
    11:00-11:15 Rachida CHIH: Chair, Q&A

    11:15-11:30: Break

    11:30-12:00 UCHIYAMA Chie (Sophia University): "Destructuring the Discours of 'Islam noir' Persisting in Senegalese Islamic Education"
    12:00-12:15 Thierry ZARCONE: Chair, Q&A

    12:15-13:45 Lunch

    13:45-14:15 Clara GAUTIER (Université Paris 1 Sorbonne): "Burns and scars: representations of Bektashi self-mutilations in illustrated manuscripts and in various 'Collection of Ottoman Costumes' (15th-18th centuries)"
    14:15-14:30 AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University): Chair, Q&A

    14:30-15:00 Makbule Nur AYAN (CNRS-CETOBaC): "Khoja Ahmad Yasavi in Turkey's political discourse between 1998 and 2022"
    15:00-15:15 TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University): Chair, Q&A

    15:15-15:30: Break

    15:30-16:00 MARUYAMA Daisuke (National Defense Academy of Japan): “Who are Ahl al-Dhikr?: Political Appropriation of Sufism and Saint in Contemporary Sudan”
    16:00-16:15 Alexandre PAPAS: Chair, Q&A

    16:15-16:30 AKAHORI Masayuki & TONAGA Yasushi: Conclusion

    Convenors:
    Akahori M., Tonaga Y., C. Gautier, Kondo F., A. Papas, Suzuki M., Th. Zarcone

    Sponsors:
    Institute for Islamic Area Studies (SIAS)
    Center for Islamic Studies-Graduate School of Asian and African Studies (KIAS)
    Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies (KR)
    Groupe Société, Religion et Laïcité, UMR8582 - CNRS (GSRL)
    Islam médiéval, UMR8167 - CNRS (Orient et Méditerranée)
    Centre d’études ottomanes, Collège de France (CEO)

  • August 28
    The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, and Uskudar University Institute for Sufi Studies held the Joint Seminar “Bridging Mystical Philosophy and Arts in Sufism: Poetry, Music and Sama’ Ritual” as follows. (This Joint Seminar was as part of the “Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals” (Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research(B) (International Collaborative Research) ), 21KK0001, JSPS ).

    Date: August 28th Monday, 2023, 10:00-19:00
    Venue: Nermin Tarhan Hall, Uskudar University

    Program
    Opening Session
    Welcoming Speeches: Cemalnur Sargut
    Yasushi Tonaga, Ph.D., Prof.
    “Aim and Scope of the Joint Research ‘Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music, and Rituals”
    Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Ph.D., Prof.
    Hikmet Kocak, MD. Prof.

    Session１Mystical Thought of Sufis
    Chairperson: Kenan Gürsoy, Ph.D., Prof.
    Petek Kutucuoğlu, MA.Stu.
    “Ahmed Avni Konuk’s Mathnawi Commentary and the Concept of　Predisposition”
    Azusa Fujimoto, Ph.D.-C.
    “New Spirituality and Sufism in Turkey: Focusing on Western Interpretations of Mawlana”
    Reşat Öng×ren, Ph.D., Prof.
    “Dimensions of Sufi Thought in Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi”

    Session 2 Literature of Sufism
    Chairperson: Masayuki Akahori, Ph.D., Prof.
    Yasushi Tonaga, Ph.D., Prof.
    “Arts of Literature, Music and Rituals in Buddhism”
    Emine Yeniterzi, Ph.D., Prof.
    “Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi’s Influence in Turkish Sufi Literature: Stories from Mathnawi”

    Session 3：Sufi Music
    Chairperson: H. Dilek Guldutuna, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.
    Manami Suzuki, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.
    “Ney in Mevlevi: Forming the Religious Specificity through the Image and Practice”
    V. Emre Ömürlü, Ph.D., Prof. (Ph.D.-C)
    “Mawlawi Collations (Muqabalah) in Mawlawi Rites and Types of Practicing Dhikr in Some Tariqas”

    Session 4：Ritual of Sufism
    Chairperson: Yasushi Tonaga, Ph.D., Prof.
    H. Dilek Güldütuna, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.
    “Wayfaring (Sayr wa Suluk) Symbolism in Sama’ Ritual”
    Masayuki Akahori, Ph.D. Prof.
    “Reviewing Anthropology of Sufism: Changing Perspectives”
    F. Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.
    “Mawlawi-khanas as Civilized and Civilizing Spaces”

    General Discussion:
    Towards a Comprehensive Understanding of Sufism
    Chairperson: F. Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.

  • August 21
    The essay "Turkey and I: 35 Years of Turkish-Islamic Thought" by Yasushi Tonaga, Director of KIAS, was published in the Asia-Japan Research Web Magazine Asia Map of the Asia-Japan Research Institute, Ritsumeikan University.

    Asia-Japan Research Web Magazine Asia Map, "Turkey and I: 35 Years of Turkish-Islamic Thought"

  • June 17
    Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies held the Joint Workshop "The Trends in Pro- and Anti-Sufi Movements".
    This workshop was conducted with modern Arab Sufism researcher Prof. Rachida Chih (CNRS-CETOBaC) as a commentator.

    Joint Workshop "The Trends in Pro- and Anti-Sufi Movements"

    Date: 17 June, 2023, Saturday, 15：30-17：30
    Venue: Room AA 447 (Meeting room), 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Kyoto University

    Program
    HARA Rikuo (Kyoto University) "Descriptions of Sufism in the Premodern Hanbali Biographical Dictionary"

    UCHIYAMA Chie (Sophia University) "Rethinking the Dichotomy of Sufism and Salafism in Senegalese Islamic Education"

    FUJIMOTO Azusa (KyotoUniversity) "Sufism in Contemporary Turkey: The Latest Trends in Religion, Society and Spirituality"

    Commentator：Rachida Chih (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique）

    Co-hosted by:
    Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies (KR), Kyoto University
    Institute of Islamic Area Studies (SIAS), Sophia University

    This workshop is sponsored by;
    "Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey"(Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), 22H00034, JSPS)
    "Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals" ( Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research(B) (International Collaborative Research) ), 21KK0001, JSPS )
    "Anthropological Studies on Veneration of Saints and Holy Relics in Islam and Christianity"(Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JP1900564, JSPS)
    "Research on the Dynamics of the Reconstruction of Publicness in Contemporary Islam" (Academic Research Promotion Fund by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan)


  • June 11
    The 1st Research Meeting (2023) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

    Date: June 11 (Sunday), 2023, 15: 00-17: 30
    Venue: Building No. 2, 6th Floor, Room 2-603, Sophia University

    Zoom link:
    https://kyoto-u-edu.zoom.us/j/83257945101?pwd=aStIaWVrRmMxTUdsKzhhRzdHUXhKQT09
    ID: 832 5794 5101
    Passcode: 226147

    Program:
    WAZAKI Seika “Main Stream of Islam in Modern Uzbekistan: Thoughts of Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf”
    TONAGA Yasushi “Research Report: Indonesia”

  • June 11
    Institute of Islamic Area Studies at Sophia University (SIAS), Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University (KIAS) and The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies invited Prof. Rachida Chih (CNRS-CETOBaC, France) to hold a lecture as follows.

    Date: 11 June, 2023, Sunday, 13: 00-15: 00
    Venue: Room 2-607, 6th floor, Bldg. No. 2, Sophia University

    Zoom Link:
    https://kyoto-u-edu.zoom.us/j/83864756131?pwd=eEUyZS95RHhFUmJaVisvZkljcUFrUT09
    Meeting ID: 838 6475 6131
    Passcode: 003279

    Program:
    Rachida Chih (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique）"The Presence of the Prophet: The Construction of the Figure of Muhammad and the Politics of Prophetic Piety in Early Modern and Modern Islam"

    Co-hosted by:
    “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey” (JSPS22H00034, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS: TONAGA Yasushi, Kyoto University )
    Anthropological Studies on Veneration of Saints and Holy Relics in Islam and Christianity (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS: AKAHORI Masayuki, Sophia University)[JP19H00564]

  • May 20
    Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University (KIAS) and The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies invited　Prof. Rachida Chih (CNRS-CETOBaC, France) to hold a lecture as follows.

    Date: May 20, 2023, Saturday, 16:00-18:00
    Venue: Room AA 447 (Meeting room), 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Kyoto University

    Zoom Link:
    https://kyoto-u-edu.zoom.us/j/85458237829?pwd=cHk1bFRzcEhVUFd1TW5nV2VGeWhidz09
    Meeting ID: 854 5823 7829
    Passcode: 205894

    Program:
    Rachida Chih (Centre national de la recherche scientifique）"Waking Visions of the Prophet and Sainthood in al-Jazūlī’s Dalā’il al-khayrāt (Fifteen century)"

  • March 29
    The 5th Joint Research Meeting “Moderate Islam in Non-Arab World” was held.

    Date: March 29th, 2023, 14:00-17:00
    Venue: Through online

    Program:
    KUSHIMOTO Hiroko (Sophia University)“‘Extreme’ Moderation?: The Delicate Position of the ‘Moderate’ in Malaysia”

    This Research Meeting was co-hosted by:
    “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey” (JSPS22H00034, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS: TONAGA Yasushi, Kyoto University)
    “An Attempt of Moderate Islam to Counter the Islamism: Focusing on “Religious Moderation” Policy of Indonesia” (Heiwa Nakajima Foundation, Aids for the Academic Research in Asia Region)

  • March 8
    Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University (KIAS) has signed a Letter of Intent with the Indonesian National Committee for Sharia Economy and Finance (KNEKS) regarding the future academic cooperation.

    For more information, click here →



  • February 18-19
    Academic Year 2022 Sufism/Saint Veneration Research Convention was held as below.

    Date: February 18th-19th, 2023, 13:30-20:00 (18th), 9:00-11:30 (19th)
    Venue: Toyo University Atami Training Center

    Program
    Day 1: 18th (Sat.)
    13:30-14:00 Opening, Self-introduction by participants
    14:00-16:00 SUENO Takanori (Kyoto University) “Understanding the Discursive Tradition of Ibn Arabi: From the Western Perspective of the Islamic World”
    16:00-17:30 YAMAGUCHI Takumi (Toyo University) Book Review: Talal Asad “Isuram no Jinrui-gaku ni tsuite Kangaeru (The Idea of an Anthropology of Islam)”, supervised by AKAHORI Masayuki, translation and commentaries by KONDO Fumiya (SIAS Working Paper Series 40, The Center for Islamic Studies at Sophia University, 2022)
    19:00-20:00 TONAGA Yasushi “Report of Field Research in Senegal”

    Day 2: 19th (Sun.)
    9:00-11:00 FUJIMOTO Azusa (Kyoto University) “Healing Therapy in Modern Turkey: Spiritualism and Sufism”
    11:00-11:30 AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University) “Report of Field Research in Philippines”

    Organizers:
    AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)
    TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University)
    Kondo Fumiya (Sophia University)
    SUZUKI Manami (Kyoto University)

    This convention was co-hosted with projects below.
    KIAS (Center for Islamic Area Studies, Graduate School of Asian and African Studies)
    SIAS (Institute of Islamic Ares Studies, Sophia University)
    Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University
    Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS 22H00034)
    Anthropological Studies on Veneration of Saints and Holy Relics in Islam and Christianity (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS 19H00564)
    Research on the Dynamics of the Reconstruction of Publicness in Contemporary Islam (Academic Research Promotion Fund by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan)

  • February 17-18
    The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University (KIAS) and Center for Islamic Studies, Sophia University (SIAS) held the 2nd SIAS/KIAS-CNRS Joint Seminar 2022.

    Date and time: February 17th-18th, 2023, 13:00-16:15 (17th), 9:00-11:00 (18th)
    Venue: Toyo University Atami Training Center

    Program:
    February 17, 13:00-16:15
    (13:00-13:30) Opening Remarks
    (13:30-14:00) Alexandre PAPAS (CNRS-CETOBaC) “Human Figuration and Contemplation in Islam: The Devotional Portraits of the Sufis”
    (14:00-15:00) WAZAKI Seika (Chubu University) (Video Presentation) “S?ance and Islam: The Eurasian Legacy as Transmitted by the Bakhshi”
    (15:15-15:45) Samuel VARLEY (EPHE-GSRL / EHESS-CETOBaC) (Online Presentation) “Ethics in the Narratives of Khidr-Seekers in Contemporary Turkey”
    (15:45-16:15) SUZUKI Manami (Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University) “The Structure of Music for Islamic Ritual in Turkey: Focused on Repetitive Singing and Call-And-Response”

    February 18, 09:00-11:00
    (09:00-09:30) Clara GAUTIER (Paris 1-UMR8167-CETOBaC) “The Figure of the Z?hid in His Cave: Defining the Representation of Khalwa in Persian and Turkish Manuscripts from the Xvth to the Xviith Century”
    (09:30-10:00) Ghada Said (The University of Tokyo) (Online Presentation) “The Point under the Ba and the Point above the Noon”
    (10:00-10:30) Thierry ZARCONE (CNRS-GSRL) “Second Karbala and Second Najaf from Iran and Central Asia to India: About Alternative Shi’ite Pilgrimages”
    (10:30-11:00) Discussion, Closing Remarks

    Sponsoring Institutes and Research Projects:
    CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique)
    KIAS (Center for Islamic Area Studies, Graduate School of Asian and African Studies)
    SIAS (Institute of Islamic Ares Studies, Sophia University)
    Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University
    Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of　Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS)
    Anthropological Studies on Veneration of Saints and Holy Relics in Islam and Christianity (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS)
    Research on the Dynamics of the Reconstruction of Publicness in Contemporary Islam (Academic Research Promotion Fund by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan)

  • February 15
    The 4th Joint Research Meeting “Moderate Islam in Non-Arab World” was held.

    Date: February 15th, 2023, 16:00-18:00
    Venue: Building No. 2, 6th Floor, Room 2-615a, Sophia University (Face-to-face and Zoom “hybrid format”)

    Program:
    NOUE Aeka (Shujitsu University) “Jinnah as a Minority Leader”
    YAMANE So (Osaka University) “Literary Space and Religion in Urdu Materials in the Late 19th Century: Masnavi in the Cow Protection Movement”

    This Research Meeting was co-hosted by:
    “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey” (JSPS22H00034, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS: TONAGA Yasushi, Kyoto University)
    “An Attempt of Moderate Islam to Counter the Islamism: Focusing on “Religious Moderation” Policy of Indonesia” (Heiwa Nakajima Foundation, Aids for the Academic Research in Asia Region)

  • January 30-February 6
    1st “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey” (22H00034, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS) and “An Attempt of Moderate Islam to Counter the Islamism: Focusing on “Religious Moderation” Policy of Indonesia” (Heiwa Nakajima Foundation, Aids for the Academic Research in Asia Region) Field Research in Jakarta, Indonatia.

    January 30th: Masjid Lautze (Chinese mosque, Interview with the Imam)
    January 31st: Visited to Prof. Iik Mansur Noor (UIN［Universitas Islam Negeri)
    February 1st: Visited to Prof. Oman Fathurahman (UIN)
    February 2nd: Visited to UNUSIA (Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Indonesia, Founded in 1999) (Interview with Dr. Fariz Alnizar about educational research)
    February 3rd: Visited to UIN (Interview with Prof. Ismat Ropi (Convey program manager); Prof. Oman Fathurahman gave an overview of Moderasi Beragama; Q&A session) + Invited by Pusantoren Al-Hamidiyya (Prof. Oman is the principal) and interacted with students
    February 4th: Interview with former Religious Minister Lukman Hakim
    February 6th: Visited an NPO influenced by the ideas of Syafii Maarif (the former president of Muhammadhia), and participated in training for young people on “deradicalization”, and hearing about the exchanges between with Christian, Buddhist, and Confucian groups in Indonesia.

  • January 10
    Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University (KIAS) and Institute for Mediterranean Studies (IMS), Busan University of Foreign Studies held the Joint Seminar as follows:

    Date: 10 January 2023, 13: 00-17: 30
    Venue: Conference Room (AA447), 4th Floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University

    Zoom link:
    https://kyoto-uedu.zoom.us/j/83567907704?pwd=MkRtQTlVYzZPZE5CdE5oSWFVdFJOUT09
    Meeting ID: 835 6790 7704
    Pass code: 137739

    Program:
    Opening Session (13:00-13:20)
    Chair: SUZUKI Manami

    TONAGA Yasushi (Director, Center for Islamic Area Studies; Professor, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies)
    “Opening Speech”

    Session 1 (13:20-14:50)
    Chair: HAH Byoung Joo

    Mona FAROUK
    “Tracking the Sufi presence in Jerusalem”

    MORIGUCHI Yohei
    “From Aegean Sea to Indian Ocean: Muḥibb Allāh Allāhābādī (Ilāhābādī)'s Threory of ‘Oneness of Being’”

    Yang MINJI
    “Evliya Çelebi’s Seyahatname and Sufism in the Jerusalem”

    Session 2 (15:10-17:10)
    Chair: DANISMAN Idris

    ARAI Yuta
    “An Essay on Ibn Khaldun's Historical Writing: The Kitab al-'Ibar as an Universal History”

    Motahare MOZAFARI
    “Concepts of Peace and Coexistence in Rumi’s Mathnavi.”

    TANAHASHI Yukari
    “The Campaign to Eradicate Bid‘a by Sufis in 16th Century Morocco”

    Mohammadhassan MOZAFARI
    “Self-discipline and Mystical Coexistence”

    Closing Session (17:10-17:30)
    Chair: Mohammadhassan MOZAFARI

    Yong Soo YOON (Director, Institute for Mediterranean Studies)
    “Closing Remarks”

    Organizers:
    Center for Islamic Area Studies (KIAS) , Kyoto University
    Institute for Mediterranean Studies (IMS), Busan University of Foreign Studies
    Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies (KR), Kyoto University