More than 70 international projects were launched at Uzbekistan's first Islamic Civilisation Forum, where delegates called for greater scientific cooperation, education and preservation of Islamic heritage.
Education, scientific cooperation and cultural exchange are being presented as tools for dialogue at the first International Forum of Islamic Civilisation, as scholars and officials gather in Uzbekistan to discuss the role of Islamic heritage in contemporary global debates.
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More than 450 scholars, religious leaders, diplomats and researchers from more than 50 countries are taking part in the five-day forum, held across Tashkent, Samarkand and Termez.
Organised by the Centre of Islamic Civilisation in Uzbekistan, the event focuses on the contribution of Islamic civilisation to science, education and intellectual life, as well as new forms of international academic cooperation.
In a message delivered at the opening ceremony, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said the world was going through a period of deep transformation marked by conflict, mistrust, extremism and Islamophobia.
He said science, education, culture and shared moral values remain essential foundations for peace, dialogue and sustainable development.
Education over division
For the organisers, one of the forum's central aims is to challenge perceptions that associate Islam with violence or extremism by highlighting centuries of scholarship and scientific achievement.
“The main purpose of this forum is to once again demonstrate the contribution of Muslim scholars to world civilisation and to show that Islam has always called for knowledge, education and humanism,” Rustam Jabborov, Scientific Secretary of the Centre of Islamic Civilisation in Uzbekistan, told Euronews.
“Associating Islam with violence or extremism contradicts its true nature.”
A scientific legacy that still shapes the modern world
The discussions place particular emphasis on the legacy of scholars from Central Asia whose work transformed mathematics, astronomy, medicine and philosophy.
For Dr Salem bin Mohammed Al-Malik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), that influence continues to be felt today.
"AI could not exist without the principles that were laid down by Al-Khwarizmi. Astronomy would not be where it is without Ulugh Beg and Al-Biruni. We have to be proud of our Islamic scholars."
The Forum is also examining how artificial intelligence can help preserve, catalogue and study manuscripts, alongside broader initiatives to expand academic exchanges and international research partnerships.
Scholarship in a modern world
Abdul-Ati Al-Sharqawi, Chairman of the Board of the Science Foundation for the Revival of Heritage and Digital Services in London and Cairo, said Uzbekistan's scientific heritage extends far beyond its borders.
"This country used to export great science, literature and creativity to the whole world", he said.
According to Al-Sharqawi, researchers have identified close to 100,000 manuscripts produced by scholars from Transoxiana that are now preserved in libraries worldwide, while new discoveries continue to emerge.
Türkiye's Deputy Chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Kürşad Zorlu, described the forum as another sign of Uzbekistan's growing role in the Islamic and Turkic worlds.
"Today Uzbekistan is home to a very important organisation for the Turkic and Islamic world. We see that the reforms carried out over the past ten years are crowned by this important institution", he explained.
"With its strength from more than 3,000 years of history, Uzbekistan has now become one of the important centres of Islamic civilisation. In this sense, Uzbekistan is of great importance to Türkiye."
The programme continues until 10 July, with participants expected to present more than 70 collaborative initiatives involving universities, museums, research institutions and international organisations.
The agenda also includes the planned adoption of the Tashkent Declaration and discussions on future cooperation in research, manuscript preservation, education and digital technologies.
