Prominent Academicians & Islamic Figures to Participate in al-Zaytouna Conference on the Stance of the Islamists on the Palestinian Issue

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Al-Zaytouna Centre in Beirut convenes on 28 and 29 November a conference entitled:

The Islamists of the Arab World and the Palestinian Issue
in Light of the Arab Uprisings

The Conference Theme

The Palestinian issue draws a great deal of interest from Islamic movements; some of which considers it the central issue of the Muslim world. Their literature is full of emphases on Palestine’s Islamic and Arab character, refusal to give up any part of it, and the necessity to work towards its liberation. The Islamists in particular have stood at the forefront of the forces that reject peace settlement plans and confront normalization with Israel.

With the state of revolutions and changes that is sweeping the Arab world since the beginning of 2011, the Islamic movements emerged at the forefront of the political scene, whether in the changing process or in winning people trust to assume power and lead the country. This has placed great responsibilities on the Islamists, not only in the political reshaping of the system, generating a civilized developmental renaissance in their societies, and building balanced foreign relations; but also in dealing with issues and commitments that they have inherited from the previous regimes, such as the peace settlement treaties with Israel.

The Islamists who are now at the forefront of the political scene in their countries are facing challenges related to determining their priorities, their ability to implement their convictions, political programs and visions and to refrain from engaging in external problems before putting their internal affairs in order.
Under these conditions, the Islamists are widely faced with questions about the status of Palestine in their programs, in light of the changes and revolutions taking place in the Arab world, and in light of the transition of some of their forces from the ranks of the opposition to the ranks of power.

Furthermore, there will be questions about the mechanisms they would use in their dealing with the peace settlement plans and treaties, resistance forces, Israeli blockade of Gaza Strip, the internal Palestinian situation and the reconciliation plan; and how would they face Israeli arrogance and the Judaization plans for Jerusalem and Palestine in general, etc. This is what prompted al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations to organize this conference.

The conference of al-Zaytouna Centre will only focus on the Islamists of the Arab world, in particular in those countries that have witnessed political change and rise of Islamists, considering this as the most prominent development that must be addressed and highlighted.

The conference will try to foster an environment of open discussion, in which Islamists from a number of countries, academicians, interested parties, some independents and some belonging to different trends and currents, will participate. In the conference, there will be exchange of serious views, maturation of ideas, quest to explore opportunities and know the challenges of this phase and how best to deal with the Palestinian problem and the challenges of the Zionist project.

The Conference’s Objectives:

The main objectives of the conference can be summarized as follows:

1- Shedding light on the new political map of the Arab region and its impact on the Palestinian issue.

2- Getting to know the real positions of the Islamic movements, especially of those who had risen to power, vis-à-vis the Palestinian issue and its priority in their plans and programs.

3- Attempting to identify the main challenges faced by the Islamic project for Palestine as well as the best opportunities that the process of change in the Arab world has to offer.

4- Seeking to arrive at the best concept for dealing with the Palestinian issue and confronting the Zionist project, in light of the changes in the Arab world.

Conference Tentative Program (Last update: 27/11/2012 , 10 pm)

Beirut, Hamra St., Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1st Floor, Queen of the Colonies Hall
Day 1: Wednesday 28/11/2012
Reception	8:00	9:15	Registration of participants
Opening Session	9:15	10:15	Al-Zaytouna Centre Address	Prof. Dr. Mohsen Mohammad Saleh
			Keynote Address: The General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood	Dr. Muhammad Badie
			Keynote Address: Head of Hamas Political Bureau	Mr. Khalid Mish‘al
			Keynote Address: Secretary General of. Palestinian Islamic Jihad	Dr. Ramadan Shallah
First Session	10:15	12:00	Session Moderator: Mr. Jawad al-Hamad
			1. The Islamists in Tunisia and the Palestinian issue (Renaissance Party “al-Nahdah”).	Mr. Riad al-Sho‘aibi
			2. The Islamists in Libya and the Palestinian issue.	Mr. Wanis al-Mabrouk
			3. The Islamists in Morocco and the Palestinian issue (Justice and Development Party).	Mr. ‘Abdul Rahim al-Sheikhi
Break	12:00	12:15	Coffee Break
Second Session	12:15	14:00	Session Moderator: Dr. Muhammad Akram al-‘Adluni
			1. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Palestinian issue (Freedom and Justice Party).	Dr. Hazim Faruq
			2. The Salafi Da‘wah and the Palestinian issue	Mr. Nash’at Ahmad
			3. The impact of changes and revolutions in the Arab world on the stances of Islamists towards peace treaties.	Dr. Saifuddin ‘Abdul Fattah
Break	14:00	15:15	Lunch
Third Session	15:15	17:00	Session Moderator: Dr. Talal ‘Atrissi
			1. The Islamists in Yemen and the Palestinian issue (Yemeni Congregation for Reform).	Mr. Amin Ali Amin
			2. The Islamists in Algeria and the Palestinian issue (The Movement for the Society of Peace).	Dr. ‘Abdul Razzaq Muqri
			3. The impact of the rise of the Islamists in the Arab world on the Palestinian internal situation.	Mr. ‘Abdul Rahman Farahanah
Coffee Break

Day 2: Thursday 29/11/2012
Fourth Session	9:15	11:15	Session Moderator: Dr. Basim ‘Alim
			1. The Islamists in Jordan and the Palestinian issue (the Islamic Action Front).	Mr. Hamza Mansur
			2. Al-Jama‘ah al-Islamiyyah in Lebanon and the Palestinian issue.	Mr. Azzam al-Ayyoubi
			3. Hizbullah Party in Lebanon and the Palestinian issue.	Dr. Ali Fayyad
			4. The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria and the Palestinian issue.
Break	11:15	11:45	Coffee Break
Fifth Session	11:45	13:45	Session Moderator: Dr. Hilal Khashan
			1. The impact of the rise of the Arab world Islamists on the Iranian position towards the Palestinian issue.	Dr. Abbas Khamayar
			2. The impact of the rise of the Arab world Islamists on the Turkish position towards the Palestinian issue.	Mr. Muhammad Gül
			3. The Israeli stance towards the rise of Islamists in the Arab world.	Dr. Adnan Abu Amer
			4. The impact of American pressures and policies on the stances of Islamists in the Arab world towards the Palestinian issue.	Dr. Ibrahim Sharqieh
Break	13:45	15:00	Lunch
Sixth Session	15:00	16:45	Session Moderator: Dr. Muna Haddad Yakan
			1. The Islamists in the Arab world and the culture of resistance.	Dr. Usama al-Ashqar
			2. The Islamists media in the Arab world and the Palestinian issue.	Mr. ‘Atif al-Joulani
			3. The vision of The Liberation Party (Hizb ut-Tahrir) of the implications of the changes and revolutions in the Arab world on the Palestinian issue.	Mr. Ahmad al-Qasas
Final Session	16:45	17:00	Conclusions and Recommendations
Coffee Break

Paper Presenters (Last update: 27/11/2012 , 10 pm)

Prof. Dr. Mohsen Mohammad Saleh	General manager of al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies & Consultations
Dr. Muhammad Badie	The general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood
Mr. Khalid Mish‘al	Head of Hamas Political Bureau
Dr. Ramadan Shallah	Secretary General of. Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Dr. Hazim Faruq	A member of the Egyptian parliament (Freedom and Justice Party—FJP) and secretary of the parliamentary foreign relations committee.
Dr. Saifuddin ‘Abdul Fattah	Adviser to Egyptian President Dr. Muhammad Mursi
Mr. Riad al-Sho‘aibi	Politburo member in Renaissance Party “al-Nahdah”
Mr. Wanis al-Mabrouk	Founding member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) and head of the General Assembly of Libya’s Rebels Union
Mr. ‘Abdul Rahim al-Sheikhi	General coordinator of the Consultative Council of the Movement for Unity and Reform (MUR)
Dr. ‘Abdul Razzaq Muqri	Vice president of the Movement for a Society of Peace (MSP)
Mr. Abu ‘Imad al-Rifa‘i	Representative of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (PIJ) in Lebanon
Mr. ‘Abdul Rahman Farahanah	Researcher specialized in Palestinian affairs
Mr. Amin Ali Amin	A leader in Yemeni Congregation for Reform
Mr. Hamza Mansur	Secretary general of the Islamic Action Front Party-Jordan
Mr. Azzam al-Ayyoubi	Head of the Political Bureau of al-Jama‘ah al-Islamiyyah in Lebanon
Dr. Ali Fayyad	Member of the Lebanese Parliament and a leader in Hizbullah Party
Dr. Abbas Khamayar	Iranian cultural attaché in Kuwait
Mr. Muhammad Gül	Turkish writer and researcher
Dr. Adnan Abu Amer	Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Ummah University-Gaza and an expert in Israeli affairs
Dr. Ibrahim Sharqieh	Fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings and deputy director of the Brookings Doha Center
Dr. Usama al-Ashqar	Head of Palestine Foundation for Culture
Mr. ‘Atif al-Joulani	Editor-in-chief of the Jordanian daily newspaper Assabeel
Nash’at Ahmad	Representative of the Salafi Da‘wah
Mr. Ahmad al-Qasas	ead of the Media Office of The Liberation Party (Hizb ut-Tahrir)-Lebanon