This conference was given by Professor Atallah Muhajirani, Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Education, in the context of “Platforms of Beit al-Hikma”. An eminent man of culture, he has published numerous books including a refutation of "The Satanic Verses" by Salman Rushdie.

After a brief sketch of ancient Persia, the speaker stressed its contribution to civilization, science and the arts. With the advent of the Islamic period, schools of Coranic exegesis and jurisprudence (fiqh) sprang up nearly everywhere. But under the Umayyad rule, non-Arabs weren’t allowed to distinguish themselves. However, despite all the obstacles, Persian scientists excelled in several scientific fields, especially in medicine, history, astronomy, etc. The Umayyads would even be forced to draw their inspiration from the Persian office institutions to organize their own administrative offices (diwans).Thus the post office would originate, followed by others: The tax office, the seal office, etc.

But the Abassides, who came to power through the support of Persians from the Khorassan region, would be friendlier towards them. The most outstanding representatives of the Iranian culture were famous grammarians (Sibawayh, in particular), scholastic theologians (mutakallimun) and exegetes of the Coran. Under the reign of the Abasside Caliph, Al-Mansour, the Gundayssapour School of Medicine would even have the right to get established in Baghdad. This school later reached its golden age with al-Razi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Jorjani and many others. This period was characterized by the rise of rationalism, encouraging all efforts to ijtihad and the spirit of tolerance.

The conference was followed by an impassioned debate on the current participation of Iran in the advancement of culture.

   This book is a publication of the lecture given by Professor Kazuo Miyaji within the framework of “Platforms of Beit Al-Hikma”. He is a leading Japanese researcher, author of numerous scholarly publications including "Contemporary History of North Africa" (1978) and "The Democratic Process and Social Movements in the Maghreb" (1988), and has been a Professor at Keisen University in Tokyo since 1993.
   He has also been for a long time a researcher at the CERES (Centre for Economic and Social Research and Studies in Tunis). Therefore, he is someone who knows our country quite well, and as such, he spoke mainly of the Japan-Tunisia relations in his conference. He thinks that these relations are still lagging far behind at a rudimentary level because of the huge geographical distance between the two countries. Then he proceeded to an assessment of the diplomatic, trade and cultural relations between the two countries and came to a simple conclusion: that the geographical distance is not the only reason hindering closer ties between them, but more importantly the psychological barriers, which he went on to  explain exhaustively in terms of causes and manifestations.
   With a view to opening up new prospects for a rapprochement between the two countries in the twenty-first century, and living up to the challenges of globalization, the speaker suggested some practical solutions of methodological and strategic nature and offered a more concrete measure: The restoration of the crumbling Tunisian village of Takrouna, with the participation of the locals and the close collaboration of Tunisia and Japan.  
   Following the conference, a friendly and constructive chat ensued,     during which the participants commended Professor Kazuo for his suggestions and the depth of his analysis.

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-640-0

This booklet was published in the series "Platforms of Beit al-Hikma," and it contains the lectures given on the occasion of the symposium that was held as a tribute to Professor Mohamed Khalifa Tellissi, a Libyan man of letters, famous for his contributions to many cultural events and member of several Arab academies and scientific societies. The ceremony brought together a panel of Tunisian and Libyan researchers and academics who saluted him for the publication of his dictionary "An-Nafis" which, as its name suggests (in Arabic), is a valuable thesaurus  insofar as it meets an urgent need for defending the Arabic language against linguistic invasion , as it has the worst effect on our language and civilization.

The dictionary consists of four volumes and includes 2547 pages. This gigantic work had taken Pr.Tellissi years of strenuous efforts in the company of “Taj Al-Arous” by Al-Mortetha Al-Zoubeidi, from which he drew the material for his thesaurus “An-Nafis”. The author admits that he had three aims in mind. First, it was for his own personal satisfaction. Secondly, he was driven by his pan-arab convictions that pushed him to do something to “preserve the Arabic language and shield it from the dangers that are threatening it”, especially that some Arab satellite television channels are openly calling for the consolidation of local dialects at the expense of standard Arabic. His third aim is purely educational; he wanted to make Al-Zoubeidi’s “Taj Al-Arous” more useful and more easily accessible to people and especially to young students. For this end, he simplified the task of using this thesaurus by proceeding to a careful selection from a huge quantity of lexical items, excluding those that have more or less fallen into disuse and providing significant refinements to “Taj Al-Arous” by eliminating lengthy explanations and discussions of encyclopaedic nature. “An Nafis” is therefore closer to a modern dictionary.    

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-75-6

This booklet is a publication of the conference given by the great poet Salah Stétié within the framework of "Platforms of Beit al-Hikma".   Former Ambassador of Lebanon to UNESCO, he has written numerous books in Arabic and French and is also an outstanding poet in Francophone literature.

   "Reason and Unreason of Poetry" deals with the multiple dimensions of the poetic word and the different registers in which it is embedded.

   According to Salah Stétié, "The greatest pieces of writing in human history, those where we can sense a commitment to the destiny of Man in the noblest connotations of the term (maybe delusively, maybe not, this is not to the point), where the fate of his being, his soul if you like, is played, are those conveyed by poetry, which is perhaps no more than the human language he uses when he addresses himself to himself as a witness and as a mediator of the whole cosmos".

   Accordingly, "The Book of the Dead" (the ancient Egyptian funerary text) is poetry, the Upanishads (the Hindu scriptures) are poetry, the Bible is poetry, the Padma Dict is poetry, the Popol Vuh (the Book of the Community) is poetry, the Gospels are poetry, and the ontological suras of the Coran are poetry".
   "Before being the progeny of his parents, man is an offshoot of the word, crowned with poetry beads like a rose, in its sublime vulnerability, blurred in the early morning mists and fog."

This booklet is a publication of the conference given by the great poet Salah Stétié within the framework of "Platforms of Beit al-Hikma".   Former Ambassador of Lebanon to UNESCO, he has written numerous books in Arabic and French and is also an outstanding poet in Francophone literature.

   "Reason and Unreason of Poetry" deals with the multiple dimensions of the poetic word and the different registers in which it is embedded.

   According to Salah Stétié, "The greatest pieces of writing in human history, those where we can sense a commitment to the destiny of Man in the noblest connotations of the term (maybe delusively, maybe not, this is not to the point), where the fate of his being, his soul if you like, is played, are those conveyed by poetry, which is perhaps no more than the human language he uses when he addresses himself to himself as a witness and as a mediator of the whole cosmos".

   Accordingly, "The Book of the Dead" (the ancient Egyptian funerary text) is poetry, the Upanishads (the Hindu scriptures) are poetry, the Bible is poetry, the Padma Dict is poetry, the Popol Vuh (the Book of the Community) is poetry, the Gospels are poetry, and the ontological suras of the Coran are poetry".
   "Before being the progeny of his parents, man is an offshoot of the word, crowned with poetry beads like a rose, in its sublime vulnerability, blurred in the early morning mists and fog."

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-79-9

History naturally takes up  a dominant position in this collection, as Professor Ahmad Abdessalam has brilliantly studied the Tunisian historians of the 17^th , 18^th  and 19^th  centuries, thus contributing to making a comprehensive inventory of sources and documents relating to the modern history of Tunisia. His research paper: "Ibn Khaldun and Justice" is published here in its entirety, because of the paramount importance of Ibn Khaldun in the Arab-Muslim thought and even in universal thought. There is also a detailed analysis of the concept of justice ('adl) and injustice (dhulm) in "Prolegomena". Also included in this collection are some extracts from  his book: "Studies on the political terminology among Arabs", along with a study in French, entitled: "Ibn Khaldun and his readers," where  we discover a reading of "Prolegomena"as interpreted by the Andalusian writer Ibn Al-Azraq, dating back to the fifteenth century .
It is commonly known, on the other hand, that Pr. Abdessalam has also shown a great devotion to reformism in Tunisia, before The French Mandatory Protectorate, through extensive research on its main proponents including Kheiredine Attounsi and Ibn Abi Dhiaf. As such, extracts from his book:"Reformist Stances in Tunisia before the Protectorate" have been selected as well as part of the introduction to
"Letters from General Hussein to Kheiredine"; but concerning his book: "Ibn Abi Dhiaf: Selected Works", it has been published here in its entirety. As a conclusion we can confidently say that this collection is a clear witness to Dr. Abdessalam’s scientifically rigorous   approach to Tunisian history. It is also a testimony to the originality of his research and ideas on literary and cultural issues (inter alia, poetry, theatre, novels, maqamat…), which had already been published in "Al-Mabaheth" magazine in the 1940’s and are republished in this collection.
I.S.B.N: 9973-929-88-8

This book is a publication of the lecture given by the Ambassador of Japan in Tunisia in the framework of " Platforms of Beit-Al Hikma" in his quality as specialist researcher on Asian affairs. At the beginning of his lecture, he gave a historical overview of the Japan-China relations stressing straightaway that the two countries have been united by a long and deep history dating back to ancient times, when Japan had been kind of vassal of China, adapting to Chinese culture and even adopting the Chinese ideograms, and Buddhism.
But during the 19^th century, Japan decided to put an end to 300 years of isolationism, which had protected it from European or American invasion, and gradually began to assimilate the western culture; and that marks a reversal of roles, with China adopting a lot from Japan’s modernization process in that nowadays, many Chinese technicians and students go to Japan for training or further studies.
Although the natural conditions and the geography of the two countries are very different (Japan is a set of small islands while China is a vast sub-continent); even if there are about fifty ethnicities in China  while the Japanese have for a long time been the descendants of the same ethnicity; and even if Chinese traders are world famous for their skills and knowhow and the Chinese outdistance the Japanese in culinary skills, it is essential that Japan and China respect their differences and deepen their ties of friendship and good  neighbourliness.
The speaker concludes by referring to a famous adage: there will be no peace in Asia if there is no peace between China and Japan.

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-93-4

This book is a publication of the lecture given by Professor Egon Matzner in the framework of " Platforms of Beit-Al Hikma" in February 2003. He is an Austrian specialist in economics and social sciences; he is also a scientific adviser to German and Austrian ministries and many international organizations.
He started his talk by analyzing the foundations of the hegemony of the USA stating that it rests on a ‘tripod’, with the three ‘legs’ representing: the military and technological complex, the financial and industrial complex, and the third is the ideological influence through the media. Then tackling the question of globalization, he defines it as the constant growth of world trade, the expansion of multinational companies, the dissemination of information technologies, and the increase in direct foreign investment or the volume and speed of financial transactions. But Pr.Matzner states that there are three different interpretations for the term ‘globalization’: It is first perceived as the establishment of standard rules globally applicable (e.g. the terms of granting loans by the IMF or that American laws must be applicable in case of conflict between American and foreign interests). The second concerns the advantages of globalization (the eradication of epidemics) and the drawbacks (the greenhouse effect). The third interpretation is that globalization means the supply at global level of goods produced by private companies (Coca Cola or Microsoft).
Prof. Matzner concludes that a multipolar world order would create the conditions for a global cooperation, where the profits would be for the benefit of all, whereas a unipolar world would only benefit a few private companies.

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-94-2

This work is a publication of the conference given, within the context of  " Platforms of Beït Al-Hikma ", by  Pr. Henry Laurens, Professor at the ‘College de France’ ,  eminent historian and a specialist in the affairs of the contemporary Arab world. 

Many have often held out hopes of the United States  using all their might and influence in helping the peoples of the Middle East, and especially the Arabs materialize their legitimate aspirations for independence, development and, by the same token, democracy and social justice. However, as the years went by, these hopes vanished into thin air, especially because of the unconditional support to Israel and the strange  and benevolent protection granted to all  forms of oppression, odious as they are, from which the Palestinian people have been suffering.  The two wars in Iraq have turned the feeling of doubt and circumspection into true hatred towards a country which, in other circumstances, could have been a friend of the Arab countries. 

In this conference, Pr. Henry Laurens presented a comprehensive and eloquent dossier concerning the gradual deterioration of the relations between the United States and the Arab World. More particularly, he tried to elucidate the reasons why the Arabs have lost any influence on American policies and why the Americans have lost their credibility in the Arab world.  Pr.Laurens claims that the Americans “ are not fully aware of the negative repercussions of their policies in the region… the djihadist movements, and many other forms of resistance to the American hegemony in the region, would be, since the early nineties defined, labelled and then propagated throughout the world under the broad term of terrorism”   

I.S.B.N:  9973-49-010-X

This work is a publication of the conference given by Professor Sheik Hamidou Kane within the framework of  " Platforms of Beït Al-Hikma ". A great novelist, he was born in Senegal and, ever since his early youth, he was deeply-rooted in his black African and Muslim identity before immersing himself in the Western culture.  He had studied philosophy, economics and law. In 1961, he published his first novel " the Ambiguous Adventure " which was a blockbuster. His second novel, "the Guards of the temple», published in 1996, was awarded the  Rachid Mimouni prize. 

Concurrently with his literary career, Sheik Hamidou Kane has taken up many ministerial positions and played a significant role in international organizations like the UNICEF and the famous ONG " Enda  Third World ". 

The conference deals with " the role and scope of mediation in the African societies and adaptation to the current context ". Right from the start, he brings up an important question: Why should the governing elites in modern Africa be concerned with this mediation in their effort of construction and modernization?  He answers by a series of arguments drawn from  the lessons, precepts and manners of the African cultural heritage, stressing the importance of dialogue in the African culture and mentioning the wisdom of eminent people like Sheik Anta Diop, Nelson Mandela or Soundjata Keita.  

In front of the obscene violence, intolerance and ethnic conflicts which are devastating Africa, Sheik Hamidou Kane concludes with a proverb:  "can there be favorable winds for someone who has lost touch with his origins?" 

I.S.B.N: 9973-49-043-8

This book is a publication of the lecture given by Professor Mounira Chapoutot - Remadi in the context of "Platforms of Beit Al-Hikma." The subject is both historical and literary. The lecturer opens by referring to two real historical characters who have been the subject of two novels where reality and fiction are intertwined, both to reconstruct a "moment" and convey a "message". These two characters are Leo The African (alias Al-Hassan al-Wazzan) and François Cocardon (alias Mustafa of the Six-Furnaces). The two novels are: "Leo The African" by Amin Maalouf and "The tribulations of Mustafa of the Six-Furnaces"by Bartholomé Benassar. The destiny of both characters intersects in the Mediterranean, midway between the Arab-Islamic world and Christian Europe.Then the speaker relates the real  stories, both parallel and intersecting at the same time, of the two characters,  both of whom having experienced the tribulations of captivity. She also deals with the structure of the plot in both novels, and raises the question of identity, and she concludes by saying that the story of both characters is a call for tolerance through an intimate encounter with the Other.
As a conclusion, "both in history and in these two novels, we can see the unity of the scene : the sea and its shores;  of time : the century of piracy; and of action : the journey that expresses a keen desire for travelling and a tendency no less profound to meet the Other. "


I.S.B.N: 9973-49-044-5