The Institute of Sufi Studies held a program titled “Islamic Studies Seminars” within the scope of the ‘Bilateral Cooperation Project in Education’ carried out with Tokyo Meiji University. Within the scope of the program, undergraduate students from Meiji University presented their end-of-term projects to experts in the field. The studies were evaluated by Assist. Prof. Dr. Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar from the Institute of Sufi Studies, along with Prof. Dr. Reşat Öngören, Prof. Dr. Emine Yeniterzi, and Assist. Prof. Dr. H. Dilek Güldütuna.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar: “Our diversity is our richness…”
Assist. Prof. Dr. Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar, one of the Deputy Directors of the Institute and program coordinator, said: “We are honored to see our former students, who have become our colleagues, among us. I am especially referring to Dr. Kie Inoue here… We are greatly pleased to meet our new generation of colleagues who contribute to creating a better world based on the principles of justice and honor. The current state of the world is proof that the humanities and topics within the humanities are absolutely important. Philosophy is important, religious studies are important, anthropology, sociology, political science… Every field that prompts people to think and contemplate is important… So much so that it is essential for the survival of humanity. With these thoughts, I would like to congratulate Dr. Kie Inoue once again for nurturing and raising these wonderful students. They embarked on an extremely difficult task of translating their own works and presenting them clearly to the audience. The program's topics include the audibility and importance of revelation, the relationship between the concept of wahdat al-wujud (unity of being) and Spinoza's philosophy, the dimensions of unity within wahdat al-wujud, different approaches to the idea of unity as light or being, a theoretical approach that makes Islamic philosophy relatable to Eastern philosophy, the diversity inherent in religious traditions and methods of living in harmony within this diversity, and the possibilities of artificial intelligence in philosophy. At a time when all humanity is witnessing an ongoing genocide, through the topics to be discussed, we hope to build stronger bridges among humankind and contribute to what is currently happening not only stopping but also never happening again. Just like the Sufis we strive to learn from at the Institute of Sufi Studies, we hope to follow the path they opened by treating everyone with the kindness and compassion they deserve, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, status, or class. Our diversity is our richness...”
In the program, which was also attended online by institute students, Azusa Fujiwara, Haruto Suzuki, Misari Saito, Ren Murakami, Tomoyoshi Handa, Yukino Saito, and Zeng Yingdong from Tokyo presented their assignments.
The program was also attended by Dr. Inoue and Prof. Dr. Masato Goda, Dean of the Faculty of Literature at Meiji University.
Prof. Dr. Reşat Öngören: “‘Sufi philosophy is the philosophy of divine truths”
In evaluating the seminars, Prof. Dr. Reşat Öngören emphasized the difficulty of the topics discussed in the presentations, highlighting the importance of commentators who expanded on these subjects by expounding them in Turkish, such as Ahmed Avni Konuk. Similarly, he expressed the value of Toshihiko Izutsu's works in Japanese. He mentioned the importance of publishing the works of both authors in a common language for the development of a shared understanding. Prof. Dr. Reşat Öngören said: “In the Islamic tradition, there is philosophy and there is also the Sufi tradition. In Islamic Philosophy, there are names such as Fârâbî, Ibn Sina, and Ibn Rushd. For the Sufi tradition, we can name figures like Ibn al-Arabi, Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi, and Mawlana. When we use the term 'Sufi philosophy,' what we essentially mean is the philosophizing of divine truths. This should not be confused with the philosophical tradition in Islamic Philosophy. Researchers working in this field will be able to express themselves more accurately if they are aware of these distinctions from the outset,” he stated.
Assist. Prof. Dr. H. Dilek Güldütuna posed various questions to the students during their presentations and emphasized the importance of the students' work being comparative studies.
Prof. Dr. Emine Yeniterzi touched upon the importance of the texts discussed and drew attention to the study of Sufi literature in future works. The students' presentations were generally well-received by the evaluating faculty members.
Works by Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan were presented…
At the end of the seminars, students and visiting faculty members from Japan were presented with works by Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, titled ‘Rumi Therapy’ and ‘Psychology of Belief’.
In the second part of the program, discussions were held with the delegation from Japan regarding the meetings, held for the second time this year at Üsküdar University's Institute of Sufi Studies, transforming into a bilateral cooperation project where different schools of thought in education come together.
Prof. Dr. Elif Erhan: “Human relations are the foundation and guarantee of long-term scientific relationships”
Prof. Dr. Elif Erhan, Director of Üsküdar University's Institute of Sufi Studies, said: “Dr. Inoue took part in the Institute's 'Bridge of Two Easts' project, supported by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities in 2016 and carried out between Üsküdar University and Kyoto University. Subsequently, he made significant contributions to the development of relations by participating in Üsküdar University's Institute of Sufi Studies Postgraduate Student Symposium and the international summer schools organized by the institute. The Institute recently held a workshop titled 'Sufi Thought and Practice from Past to Present' on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of Mawlana Rumi's passing. Dr. Inoue was part of the Japanese delegation with whom we co-organized this workshop, participating in the program alongside Assoc. Prof. Dr. Daisuke Maruyama from the Japan National Defense University and Dr. Makoto Sawai from Tenri University. Most importantly, during their visit to Turkey with their students, due to the earthquake disaster we experienced on February 6, they visited our Institute last April to donate a sum of financial aid and thermal clothing collected among students in Japan. They shared the pain we felt as a nation by offering their condolences and wishes for recovery. With the sensitivity of the current days, I would like to express that we will not forget their sensitivity shown in the name of humanity and will always remember it with respect. Human relations are the foundation and guarantee of long-term scientific relationships,” she concluded.
