The conference will deal with the position of the Holy Land, Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Islamic theology, as well as the meaning and importance of the Night Journey by the Prophet Mohammed. The main historical events in Islam will be reviewed, including the Pact of Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab with the Patriarch Sophronius and the political affairs involving Jerusalem since 1948. This overview will end with the Hashemites’ custodianship through King Abdullah II (which includes direct support for the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the administration of charitable institutions and the waqf in Jerusalem, as well as the diplomatic efforts leading to the latest UNESCO resolutions), the city’s historical status quo, and Israeli policies and practices in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque since 1967.

With the participation of:

Mustafa Abu Sway, professor of Philosophy and Islamic Studies at Al-Quds University

Mustafa Abu Sway is the first professor (2013) to hold the Integral Chair for Study of Imam Al-Ghazali’s Work at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Quds University. He has been a professor of Philosophy and Islamic Studies at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, Palestine since 1996. Professor Abu Sway earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Bethlehem and both his Master’s degree and PhD from Boston College in the United States. He taught at the Islamic In University of Malaysia (1993-96) and was a Fulbright Scholarship recipient at Florida Atlantic University’s Wilkes Honors College (2003-4), as well as a visiting professor of Islamic Studies at Bard College in New York (Fall 2008 and 2010-2011). Similarly, Abu Sway is a member of the Hashemite Fund for Restoration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, as well as a member of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf council.