Report: Muslim Institute Winter Gathering 1-3 November 2024

On the first weekend of November fellows of the Muslim Institute gathered at Sarum College, Salisbury for our annual gathering.

This year we came together with a diverse roster of speakers to educate ourselves and discuss and debate the ongoing killing and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians, military action by the Israeli state against Lebanon and the escalating destabilisation of the region.

The theme of the weekend was Against Genocide – is a new Palestine/Israel possible?

We invited speakers who could contribute expertise and personal knowledge of the history, politics and culture of the region, and who had unique and important perspectives and how we might build towards a lasting, peaceful and just solution to the conflict and the suffering of the Palestinian people.

The Muslim Institute prides itself on its independence of thought and fraternal relations. Topics at the gathering ranged from the history of the Jewish and Muslim peoples in Bosnia, a geo-political overview of the present conflict, the history of Palestine told through culture, an eyewitness account of the massacre of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon in 1982, what anti-racism struggles in Britain can teach us, to dialogues with Jewish political and religious leaders from the UK. We also curated a live arts event celebrating contemporary Palestinian poetry and music.

Videos of each session will be posted on this website shortly.

Dr Mirnes Kovac opened the Winter Gathering with a lecture on The Bosnian Experience of  Judeo-Islamic Convivencia
Andrew Feinstein mapped out the go-political longview of the conflict
Dr Rania Hafez outlined the Lebanese dimension and Israel's historic aggression against it
Dr Atef Alshaer talking on history and culture
Dr Ang Swee Chai on her experiences in Lebanon and Palestine, treating victims of war and brutality
Ilyas Nagdee spoke on the lessons of Britain's anti-racist struggles and coalitions against injustice
Singer-songwriter Reem Kelani (accompanied by jazz pianist Bruno Heinen) gave a virtuoso performance of her work.
Rabbi Alexandra Wright, President of Liberal Judaism, addressed the closing topic: British Muslims and British Jews –can we come together to combat Islamophobia and antisemitism?' We also heard from activist Emily Hilton, co-founder of Jewish NGO Na'amod 

 

Photos: Rehan Jamil