King Faisal International Award winner urges review of Islamic political thought

Prof. Ridwan Al-Sayyid

JEDDAH: The winner of the King Faisal International Prize 2017 for Islamic Studies, Prof. Ridwan Al-Sayyid, has underscored the importance of revisiting Islamic political thought and heritage in Islamic sources.
Al-Sayyid was giving a lecture on Islamic political thinking, organized by the general secretariat of the King Faisal International Prize at the King Faisal Foundation auditorium in Riyadh. The lecture was attended by senior academics, political experts and ambassadors.
Al-Sayyid won the prize, which this year was for Islamic political thought, for his contributions and thorough knowledge of Arabic-Islamic jurisprudence and political heritage based on modern research methodology.
The lecture reflected the general secretariat’s efforts to provide innovative platforms to exchange ideas with prominent scientists and researchers, and shed light on their achievements.
Al-Sayyid highlighted the obstacles encountered in Islamic political thinking, and said the main task of any nation is to manage the public affairs of its people.
He criticized the extreme doctrine adopted by Daesh, saying it is little different to that of the Shiite doctrine.
During his lecture, he pondered why the Muslim world has failed to establish a global scientific reference institution for Islamic studies and humanities.
He also expressed surprise that Arab universities have not expanded their capabilities to act as reference entities. This, he said, is leading to a reliance on British, American, and even Japanese and Chinese universities.
Al-Sayyid’s academic research is characterized by its accuracy and successful integration of traditional Islamic political thought and current Arabic-Islamic reality.
He has conducted multiple studies on Islamic political thought, including issues of governance, authority, state, society and nation.