{"id":2510,"date":"2017-02-09T16:56:55","date_gmt":"2017-02-09T16:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/habib.edu.pk\/HU-news\/?p=2510"},"modified":"2025-07-25T11:43:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T06:43:28","slug":"harvard-professor-highlights-significance-religious-cultural-literacy-cosmopolitan-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/habib.edu.pk\/HU-news\/harvard-professor-highlights-significance-religious-cultural-literacy-cosmopolitan-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Harvard Professor Highlights the Significance of Religious and Cultural Literacy in a Cosmopolitan World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Living in times where most of the conflicts in the world are being framed in religious terms, it becomes essential for an individual to understand and comprehend the nexus between religion and culture in a certain society. These are the times which call for an understanding of various differences that has led to polarizations, tensions and unrest in various corners of the world. Revolving around the same concern, Habib University hosted a talk on the significance of Religious and Cultural Literacy in a Cosmopolitan World<\/em>, at the Tariq Rafi Lecture Theatre.<\/p>\n

Moderated by an esteemed member of Habib University, Dr. Nauman Naqvi<\/strong><\/a>, Founding Faculty and Director of the Liberal Core<\/strong><\/a>, an enlightening and engaging session was conducted by Dr. Ali Asani<\/strong><\/a>, Professor of Indo-Muslim, Islamic Religion and Culture at Harvard University.<\/p>\n

Being the former Director of the Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard, Dr. Asani has also served on the faculty of the Departments of South Asian Studies and African and African-American Studies. He is the recipient of the Harvard Foundation Medal for his outstanding contributions to improving intercultural and race relations by promoting a better understanding of Islam and Muslim Civilizations.<\/p>\n

Open to the general public, the event drew a large number of people from various walks of life, including donors, renowned personalities from the fields of education and media, students, and corporates from different organizations.<\/p>\n

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Starting off with a brief introductory address by Dr. Mariam Chughtai<\/strong><\/a>, Country Director Pakistan, Harvard University South Asia Institute (SAI), the event consisted of a two-hour long session by Dr. Asani, exploring how illiteracy concerning the nature of religion has led to political climates that are threatening the pluralistic fabric of society. The talk also stressed on how important it is to create awareness and promote literacy in the same sphere, which eventually contributes towards the well-being of societies on the whole.<\/p>\n

Tracing the root cause of religious and cultural illiteracy, the presentation began with a question which according to the speaker, reverberates almost all over the world. The question, \u201cWhy do they hate us?\u201d has always been the nucleus triggering all sorts of polarization and differences rising around religion. Rather than learning from individual differences and treating it as a sign of divine genius<\/em>, the exposure to religious and cultural diversity, unfortunately, has not led to understanding one another thus, resulting in the following adverse manifestations of religious illiteracy such as:<\/p>\n