Conference on Civilization Vision and Leading Generation Held at the Faculty of Islamic Studies
As part of the 2nd Tatvan Eastern Anatolia Book Fair, which took place from October 6th to October 15th in Tatvan, Bitlis, the renowned Journalist and Author, Yusuf Kaplan, also paid a visit to our city. On October 13th, he delivered a conference at our university's Faculty of Islamic Studies, addressing the topic of Civilization Vision and the Leading Generation.
Our Deputy Rector, Prof. Dr. Kenan Yıldırım, and various faculty members and administrative staff from our university, including the Faculty of Islamic Studies, attended this conference at the Faculty of Islamic Studies Conference Hall. The conference drew significant interest and had a strong turnout of students. During Kaplan's speech, which focused on the dynamics of Islamic Civilization and an analysis of Western Civilization, he touched upon several key points:
The Flawed Identity Construction Process of Western Civilization
"Western civilization constructs its identity not through self, but through the other. The civilization which builds its identity in this manner has a pathological condition. This disorder is crucial in analyzing not only Western civilization's relationship with itself but also its relations with Asia, Africa, India, and China."
Committing Murder against the Children of a Civilization that Has Its Own Savior
"The killings in Palestine are blatantly heinous acts. Ironically, the subject perpetrating these crimes is the same as the one subjected to these crimes about a century ago. Examining who these murders are committed against, it is clear that they are not against those who killed them a century ago but against the representatives of a civilization that has embraced them throughout history."
The Indecency of Speaking on Behalf of Others
"Michel Foucault is one of the greatest thinkers of our time. One of his brightest students was Gilles Deleuze. Deleuze, in reference to his mentor Foucault, once said, 'Even if he taught us nothing, he taught us one thing that was enough: the indecency of speaking on behalf of others.' While Western history has been notorious for many acts of cruelty, it further validates Foucault's assessment by trying to depict the Muslims who have contributed to Western civilization for centuries, as barbaric, as exemplified in the case of Al-Andalus."
Learning One's Own Civilization from Another
"Islamic civilization has engaged with all civilizations throughout history, drawing from them and nourishing them in return. It has never sought to destroy any of them but rather aimed to revive them. In this regard, Western civilization learned what it had from us; Aristotle, Plato, Greek philosophy, and the Presocratics, among others. Despite Christianity emerging six centuries before Islam, Western civilization could not establish contact with its Greek forefathers until it interacted with Islamic civilization. In contrast, Islamic civilization has strived to interpret aspects that the Western world struggled with for centuries."
Education, Spirit, and the Leading Generation
"What education should primarily instill in a mind is the spirit. The Western educational system is epistemological; it lacks heart and soul. In this context, we are unaware of our own depth because we have lost the faculties of distinction and awareness. Separation, distance; Leyla and Mecnun. Without love and passion, even light is darkness. This, we can also call the enthusiasm of being a Muslim. Unfortunately, we have lost this enthusiasm. I witnessed this enthusiasm in Fuat Sezgin, who was a child of this land. I call those who possess this enthusiasm 'the Leading Generation.' The Leading Generation, living in this world but not living for this world."
After the conclusion of the conference, Yusuf Kaplan took photographs with the students and engaged in conversation with them.
