Giving Tuesday 2021: Support IQSA’s Global Scholarship

Dear Friends of IQSA,

For over eight years the International Qur’anic Studies Association has made fostering Qur’anic scholarship its mission. The Qur’an is an integral part of world literature, and it has shaped and continues to shape the world in which we live. IQSA is mindful of its members, partners, and friends during this difficult time, and we want to reach out to those among you who can afford to support IQSA when the organization needs it most at a time when our operational costs remain high despite cutting back on operations themselves. By giving to IQSA as you are able, you are promoting high quality scholarship and building bridges across the globe, which in turn has positive ripple effects on high quality education, journalism, publishing and public engagement.

IQSA is the only non-profit learned society exclusively dedicated to convening regular Qur’an conferences in North America and in Muslim majority countries around the world, as well as to publishing rigorous cutting edge scholarship on the Qur’an. Within seven short years IQSA has convened eleven major conferences. These have included large scale conferences throughout major US cities, Carthage, Palermo, Tunisia and Jogjakarta, Indonesia, as well as co-sponsored panels in Berlin, Germany and St. Andrews, Scotland. IQSA conferences showcase cutting edge research on manuscripts, historical documents, and high tech digital resources, as well as debate critical issues including methodology, hermeneutics and gender. This is possible because IQSA members include the very best scholars in the field.

The fifth issue of the bilingual Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association (JIQSA) was released this year, and IQSA’s publications in the Studies in the Qur’ān series are available from ISD. For your convenience we have included a TOC for the latest issue of JIQSA along with direct links to access the publications!

JIQSA Volume 5 (2020)

Cover, Copyright, and Table of Contents

  1. Firestone, Reuven. Obituary: F. E. Peters. JIQSA 5 (2020): 3-4.
  2. Reynolds, Gabriel S. The Qurʾānic Doublets: A Preliminary Inquiry. JIQSA 5 (2020): 5-39.
  3. Cellard, Éléonore and Louis, Catherine. From Coptic to Arabic: A New Palimpsest and the Early Transmission History of the Qurʾān. JIQSA 5 (2020): 41-96.
  4. Hussain, Saqib. The Prophet’s Visions in Sūrat al-Najm. JIQSA 5 (2020): 97-132.
  5. Sidky, Hythem. On the Regionality of Qurʾānic Codices. JIQSA 5 (2020): 133-210. 
  6. Alsulaimi, Nadeen. Sūrat al-Insān, Meccan or Medinan? A Thematic and Rhetorical Reading of Sūrat al-Insān (Q 76) in Parallel with Sūrat al-Qiyāmah (Q 75). JIQSA 5 (2020): 211-238. 

In addition to receiving free access to JIQSA, IQSA members can also access the Review of Qur’an Research (RQR), the exclusive member directory (including world renowned Qur’an specialists), and PhD students and recent graduates gain valuable professional development experience. Lifetime and Institutional members carry additional member benefits. IQSA also rewards junior scholars and international academics with the opportunity to learn from colleagues around the world and publish their research. By giving, you help IQSA keep membership dues low and you reward those members of our community who need it most.

It goes without saying that the current restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic has made our task — especially critical scholarship and building bridges — more important than ever. As academics, professionals and philanthropists we have a duty to support the Humanities and Social Sciences across the globe. This also means we have the opportunity to bring about a much more intellectual discussion of the Qur’an when the public needs it most.

IQSA was founded by a generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, and is now funded through the generous support of its members, partners and friends. Please take time this #GivingTuesday to DONATE NOW to further IQSA’s mission across the globe.

Most gratefully,

Hythem Sidky, Executive Director
International Qur’anic Studies Association
https://www.iqsaweb.org | contactus@iqsaweb.org

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2021. All rights reserved.

IQSA Annual Meeting Recordings

The International Qur’anic Studies Association’s 2021 Annual Meeting held online in San Antonio, Texas concluded last week, marking IQSA’s 15th conference held in conjunction with the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion. The 2021 Annual Meeting was the first of its kind—a hybrid conference with both in person and virtual attendees in response to the continued Covid-19 health situation.

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All recorded sessions as participant permission allows will be available on-demand through January 31, 2022 to registered attendees. These recordings are available through the mobile app and online planner. If you missed a session, or want to rewatch a panel or presentation, be sure to do so before the videos expire!

In addition, find the conference schedule, abstracts, bios, and IQSA’s Annual Reports in the 2021 IQSA Program Book. IQSA is grateful for its sponsors whose support make the organization’s programming possible!

Finally, IQSA would love to see pictures or screenshots from this year’s events! Please send or share images to contactus@iqsaweb.org, or tag @iqsaweb and use #IQSA21 on social media.

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2021. All rights reserved. 

View the 2021 IQSA Annual Meeting Program Book!

The 2021 IQSA Annual Meeting is just 4 days away! Find all the IQSA sessions, meetings, messages from sponsors, and events in the 2021 Program Book, now available online at this link

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In addition, don’t forget to prepare for the meeting ahead of time!

  • Have you downloaded the Virtual Meetings planner yet? If not, please follow the instructions here.
  • Don’t want to download the app, but would prefer to use your desktop? Please go here.
  • To log into the planner you’ll need the last name used with your registration and your reference number.
  • Whether you’re attending in person or virtually, IQSA wants to see your photos and hear your thoughts! Use #IQSA21 and tag @iqsaweb 

Questions? Email contactus@iqsaweb.org. We look forward to seeing you at IQSA’s 15th Annual Meeting!

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2021. All rights reserved.

Virtual Tools: IQSA Annual Meeting 2021

IQSA looks forward to gathering next week both in person and virtually to convene its 15th Annual Meeting held in conjunction with the Society of Biblical Literature and American Academy of Religion. For those participants joining us virtually, please find important information about online tools and technical support below:

The mobile app and online planner are now available!

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Using the mobile app or interactive web version of the virtual planner will allow you to easily access event sessions, speakers, exhibitors, and organizer messages for the 2021 IQSA Annual Meeting. Download the native app to personalize your schedule, take notes, share contacts, and more! To log into the Virtual Annual Meetings Platform, you will use your registration Reference Number as your username, and your last name as your password.

phone_planner (1)Install the App on Your Device

Download on the Apple App Store
https://ativ.me/sgb

Get it on Google Play
https://ativ.me/sgc

Information and instructions for specific meeting roles:

Need technical assistance? Contact the help desks at helpdesk@aar.org or AMHelpDesk@sbl-site.org. In addition, find FAQs regarding the Annual Meeting platforms here.

Find the full IQSA schedule of events and reports on the IQSA Annual Meeting Program Book & Annual Report.

We look forward to see you on screen or in person next week!

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2021. All rights reserved.

RSVP to IQSA’s 2021 Annual Meeting General Reception!

Denver_MeetingSignThe 2021 IQSA Annual Meeting held in conjunction with the Society of Biblical Literature and American Academy of Religion in San Antonio, Texas from November 19–22 is only one week away! One of the highlights of the IQSA Annual Meeting is its General Reception following the Presidential Address, an opportunity for IQSA members convene over food and drink in a causal setting.

This year’s General Reception will be held in person on Friday, November 19th from 8:00 – 10:00pm offsite. If you are registered for the Annual Meeting and plan on attending the General Reception, please RSVP here. Location and other details will be sent to all registrants via email.

Questions? Email contactus@iqsaweb.org.

We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting!

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2021. All rights reserved.

New Publication: Solomon and the Ant (Wipf and Stock, 2021)

IQSA Member and Professor Emertius at the University of Saint Thomas, David Penchansky, has recently published a book in the field with Wipf and Stock, Solomon and the Ant (2021). 

antSolomon and the Ant, using the Bible as a dialogue partner, examines stories from the Qur’an, their drama, characters, and meaning. Although some qur’anic stories have close biblical parallels, here Penchansky examines stories without biblical precursors. Qur’anic narratives in dialogue with biblical texts enhance understanding. Penchansky chooses biblical stories that address similar questions about the nature of God and God’s interaction with people.

Former IQSA Executive Director, Emran El-Badawi (University of Houston), comments “his is a conversation between the Qur’an and the Bible as serious as it is simple. Applying a wealth of scholarly experience, Penchansky engages the holy texts both thematically and thoughtfully. Using his mastery of post-biblical and Islamic traditions, the author ensures a robust discussion about how readers wrestle with God through the stories of Scripture.”

Find purchasing options for this book in a variety of formats at http://www.solomonandtheant.com/where-to-buy.html

 

About the Author
penchanskyDr. David Penchansky is Professor Emeritus from the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he taught for 29 years.  While earning a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from Vanderbilt University (1988) he taught in Missouri and Kentucky.  Then took a position in the Theology Department at the University of St. Thomas in 1989.  He has written  about the Bible, and now also the Qur’an from the perspective of a literary critic, attending to characterization, plot, theme, and especially gaps and fissures in a text, omissions and ambiguities.  He approaches the Qur’an as a sympathetic outsider, respectful though critical.

He continues to teach in community venues, churches, the Selim Center (lifelong learning for seniors), assisted living facilities, as well as a course a year for the University.  He has only begun his exploration of Qur’anic narratives.  Solomon and the Ant is the first product of his research. He is active in Islamic-Christian dialogues both locally and on a national level.

 

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2021. All rights reserved.