For Immediate Release: ARDD – Legal Aid and LUISS University hold the first annual
conference to discuss Mohammed Al Jabri and the Future of the Arab World
Rome, Italy- On the fifth anniversary of the death of the Moroccan philosopher Mohammed Al
Jabri, Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD)-Legal Aid, LUISS Guido Carli
University of Rome, Reset DOC, and the Moroccan Embassy in Italy are organizing a conference
on “Mohammed Abed Al Jabri and the Future of the Arab World: Islam, State and Modernity.”
The conference will take place on May 5, 2015 at LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, Italy and
will examine the impact of Al Jabri’s work and its continued relevance in today’s changing
Middle East.
Mohamed Al Jabri is considered one of the foremost philosophers on contemporary Arab and
Islamic Thought. After his death in 2010, his work has been used to gain a greater understanding
of the political events of the Arab Spring. The aim of his work was to rise above the current
division of Arab thought and to emphasize the role of the social and political traditions in the
modern Middle East.
It is in this spirit that the first conference to examine his work and its influence on the modern
day has arisen. During his lifetime, Al Jabri received many awards and notable honors for his
contributions to the study of Arab-Islamic traditions. “In light of the unprecedented violence and
atrocities in the Arab world, and while moral and political exits out of this tragedy are sought, Al
Jabri and his seminal work on the Arab mind and the moral Arab mind serve as our guide and
savior, hence the importance of this conference. The name Arab Renaissance for Democracy and
Development (ARDD) was inspired by the work and thought of Al Jabri, who had dedicated his
life in the hopes of a new Renaissance of an Arab nation” said Professor Zaid Eyadat Chairman of
the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Board for ARDD – Legal Aid.
This conference brings together experts from around the world to discuss Mohammad Al-Jabri’s
work and its influence on several different issues:

Arab Reason: Past, Present, and Future

Arab-Islamic Political Thought

Arab-Islamic Ethical Thought

Religion and Politics: State Formation and Democracy

Human Rights and the Public Good

Education for Arab Renewal

The Arab revolts in Al Jabri's Thought
“ARDD – Legal Aid adopts the notion of the Arab Renaissance as a philosophy of work… and a
drive to its contributions, the organization hopes to contribute through this conference a
‘renewed hope’ among the younger generations with the possibility of finding solutions to the
crises impacting the nation and crippling its renaissance. ARDD – Legal Aid hopes that this
conference will be a scientific, practical and moral call to civil society institutions in the Arab
world to engage in the production of knowledge, consolidate the values of science, and explore
new depths in the fields of civil society.” said Samar Muhareb, Director of ARDD – Legal Aid.
ARDD-Legal Aid and LUISS Guido Carli University are launching this conference to reflect on the
continued importance of Al Jabri’s work and invites the participation and discussion from all
sectors of society.