Islam and Buddhism are the two main religions of Southeast Asia. Islam is the second largest religion in the world which has had a far-reaching impact on world civilization while Buddhism is part and parcel of the cultures of some of the most important countries today. Islam and Buddhism have a shared interreligious and inter-cultural exchange in India, Central Asia and Southeast Asia. Thus, Muslim-Buddhist understanding and dialogue is critical at the moral, spiritual, cultural and also political levels. This presentation will delve on the history and the current state of the interreligious understanding and dialogue between Islam and Buddhism.

Dr. Imtiyaz Yusuf is currently non-Resident Research Fellow at the Center for Contemporary Islamic World (CICW), Shenandoah University, Leesburg, USA. Formerly, he was an Associate Professor and the Coordinator for the Islamization of Knowledge Program and also the Islam and Buddhism Program at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC-IIUM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dr. Yusuf specializes in the study of Religion with a focus on Muslim-Buddhist relations and dialogue, Islam in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Yusuf ‘s recent publications are: Imtiyaz Yusuf and Pham Thuy Quynh, “Bridging Tradition and Modernity in Thai Islam: The Political And Religious Roles Of Surin Pitsuwan (Abdul Halim)” Al-Shajarah: Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) 28 (2023) 1:119-42; “Nūr Muḥammadī, Muhammadan Light, and Amitābha/Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light – A Muslim’s Comparative Theological Perspective” BuddhistChristian Studies, vol. 42, October 2022, p. 347-358(Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) Indexed); “Muslims as Thailand’s Largest Religious Minority” in Routledge Handbook of Islam in Southeast Asia edited by Syed Muhammad Khairudin Aljunied (London: Routledge, 2022) pp. 234-249; “Building Muslim-Buddhist Understanding: The Parallels of Taqwa/Allah Consciousness in the Qur’an and Satipatthana/Mindfulness in Anapanasati Sutta” in Overcoming Orientalism – Essays in Honor of John L. Esposito edited by Tamara Sonn (New York: Oxford University Press, 2021) pp. 173-190; “Islamic Theology of Religious Pluralism: Building Islam-Buddhism Understanding” in Pluralism in Islamic Contexts – Ethics, Politics and Modern Challenges edited by Mohammed Hashas, (Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2021) pp. 201-219; Essential Writings Ismail Al Faruqi (Kuala Lumpur: Center for Islam in the Contemporary World at Shenandoah University, USA and Islamic Book Trust, Malaysia, 2021); “A Muslim’s Reflections on Saddharamapundariksutra—The Lotus Sutra” in Buddhist-Christian Studies 40 (2020) pp. 79 –104 (Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) Indexed).

This event was organized by the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies on October 4, 2023.

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