Regional Studies Center

Regional Studies Center organized a seminar for the research entitled “Secularism in Arab Thought: A Comparative Study between Shibli Shumayyil and Farah Antun,” by Assistant Lecturer Ula Mumtaz Ismail on November 24, 2024.

The seminar sought to review the emergence and development of the concept of secularism among European thinkers and to shed light on the most prominent pioneers of progressive and secular thought in the Arab world. It also aimed to explore the intellectual and cognitive sources from which Shibli Shumayyil and Farah Antun were inspired, and to provide an analytical comparison between their respective visions of secular thought.

The research dealt with the study of four topics: The first discusses the emergence and development of the concept of secularism and its impact on Arab thinkers, the second focuses on the emergence and intellectual sources of Shibli Shumayyil‎, the third discusses the emergence and intellectual sources of Farah Antun, and the fourth offers a comparative view of the secular ideas of Shibli Shumayyil and Farah Antun.