The first event in the Istanbul Forum Talks series took place on Thursday, July 25, 2024, featuring an online lecture by Prof. İbrahim Halil Üçer of Istanbul Medeniyet University. Under the theme “Knowledge, Will, Order: What Does a World of Our Own Mean?”, Üçer explored the intellectual foundations of the Istanbul Forum 2024 and addressed the historical and contemporary challenges faced by the Islamic world.
As an expert in Islamic philosophy and a project coordinator for the Islamic Thought Atlas, Üçer emphasized the importance of understanding the Islamic world’s position in the modern era. He discussed how the crises of knowledge and power that emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries continue to shape the challenges Muslims face today, compounded by a more recent crisis of order. Üçer highlighted the need for cohesive, purposeful actions to reclaim a world shaped by Muslim will and values.
This lecture set the stage for a series of thought-provoking discussions leading up to the Istanbul Forum 2024.
In his talk, Üçer clarified that the concept of “a world of our own” is not an insular or isolated world exclusive to Muslims, closed off to other perspectives. Instead, it refers to a world that is genuinely accountable, worth living in, with an authentic daily life shaped by the will of Muslims. He argued that if Muslims do not position themselves as subjects in the world they inhabit, they will inevitably become objects. Therefore, Muslims face the pressing issue of alienation from their own world. Üçer further noted that the desire for a world of one’s own can only be achieved through Muslim actions that are united, cohesive, and consistent. He pointed out that many of the crises in the Islamic world stem from the fragmentation of Muslim actions. He underlined that, just as someone else’s ideas and will cannot truly belong to an individual, actions not based on Muslim will and thought cannot be attributed to them either.
Üçer explained that the defeats Muslims faced in the 19th century led them to compare their intellectual and civilizational traditions with those of the West, particularly sparking a search for the causes of their perceived decline within Islamic history. He referred to this period as the “age of doubt,” marking it as the time when Muslims began to question their own worldview and knowledge. Moving into the 20th century, Üçer highlighted how, in losing the political order they once controlled, Muslim communities were forced to confront external wills at odds with their own, ultimately leading to a loss of Islamic values. He described the 20th century as an “age of crisis in will.” Üçer concluded by emphasizing that today, there is a need for actions that remove these obstacles and clear the way for a genuine Muslim will.
