Rabat International Book Fair Seminar Discusses Interactions between East and West

The Muslim Council of Elders organized a seminar at the 29th International Publishing and Book Fair in Rabat titled "Interfaith Encounters in Al-Andalus and Morocco: Exploring Muslim-Christian Interactions." 

The seminar was presented by Dr. Samir Boudinar, Director of the Al-Hokama Center for Peace Research, Dr. Jaafar Ben El Haj Soulami, Professor of Moroccan and Andalusian Studies at the Faculty of Letters and Humanities in the Abdelmalek Essaâdi University in Tetouan, and Dr. Mohamed Reda Boudchar, a researcher in the history of Morocco, Al-Andalus, and Sufi studies.

At the beginning of the seminar, Dr. Samir Boudinar stated that the activities of the Muslim Council of Elders' pavilion at the International Publishing and Book Fair in Rabat focus on the intellectual production of the council, which deals with contemporary cultural issues and highlights the enlightened moderate Islamic approach. 

He pointed out that this seminar discusses one of the latest releases of the council, which is the book "Interfaith Encounters between Muslims and Christians in Morocco and Al-Andalus." 

The seminar reviewed the scholarly work of the same name organized by the Al-Hokama Center for Peace Research, affiliated with the Muslim Council of Elders, in the city of Tetouan, Morocco in 2022, in collaboration with the Faculty of Letters and Humanities at Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, and the Moroccan Association for Andalusian Studies, and the Association of Asmir in celebration of the memory of the Dutch orientalist and great scholar, Peter van Koningsveld.

Dr. Jaafar Ben El Haj Soulami mentioned that the book "Interfaith Encounters between Muslims and Christians in Al-Andalus" is a result of constructive cooperation between the Moroccan Association for Andalusian Studies in Tetouan and the Muslim Council of Elders. 

It aims to unify perspectives on the issue of relations between Muslims and Christians in Morocco and Al-Andalus, clarify the boundaries of knowledge between the two sides, and elucidate how these relations have contributed to broadening the vision of future generations on this issue.

Dr. Mohamed Reda Boudchar praised the efforts of the Muslim Council of Elders in publishing several books that discuss many important intellectual and cultural issues, including the book "Interfaith Encounters in Morocco and Al-Andalus between Muslims and Christians," which is characterized by seriousness and depth in the research it presents. 

He highlighted that the book meticulously sheds light on the intertwined relations between Muslims and Christians in Morocco and Al-Andalus, representing a rigorous study and a pioneering reference that significantly contributes to a deeper understanding of these relations in the specific geographic context of Al-Andalus and Morocco, emphasizing the extent of cultural exchange and intellectual dialogue that prevailed between the two cultures during that historical period.