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From 7 to 11 July this year, the First International Islamic Civilization Forum under the theme “Islamic Civilization: The Path of Peace, Tolerance and Enlightenment” will be held in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Termez.

The initiatives put forward by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017 marked the beginning of a new phase in the study and promotion of the rich scientific and spiritual heritage of Islamic civilization. These initiatives, aimed at showcasing the immense contribution of the scholars of the Central Asian Renaissance to world civilization, preserving and studying the scholarly legacy of great hadith scholar Imam Bukhari, and promoting the principles of enlightenment and religious tolerance at the international level, are now being consistently implemented. As a logical continuation of these noble objectives, the First International Islamic Civilization Forum under the theme “Islamic Civilization: The Path of Peace, Tolerance and Enlightenment” will be held from 7 to 11 July this year in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Termez.

The Forum is jointly organized by the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Imam Maturidi International Scientific Research Center, the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center, the Imam Tirmidhi International Scientific Research Center, the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan, and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).

The Forum is expected to bring together nearly 300 international participants from more than 50 countries. Among them will be heads of state institutions, public figures, ministers, muftis, academicians, prominent scholars of Islamic studies, manuscript experts, directors of museums and libraries, as well as representatives of leading international organizations and the media. This demonstrates that the Forum will serve as a genuine platform for international dialogue and academic cooperation.

Established at the initiative of the Head of State, the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, together with the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center, the Imam Maturidi International Scientific Research Center, the Imam Tirmidhi International Scientific Research Center, the Hadith School, and the Burhaniddin Marginani Scientific, Educational and Pilgrimage Tourism Complex, has become a source of great pride for the people of Uzbekistan.

Today, these institutions are conducting fundamental research with the participation of scholars not only from Uzbekistan but also from many countries around the world. They are engaged in the scientific study of manuscripts and the preparation of new academic publications.

The “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance” resolution, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, has once again confirmed the country's active role in promoting the ideals of peace, tolerance, and enlightenment at the international level.

The First International Islamic Civilization Forum under the theme “Islamic Civilization: The Path of Peace, Tolerance and Enlightenment,” planned as a logical continuation of the noble initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, is particularly significant as it is being held for the first time in the history of our country. This prestigious event is expected to become a landmark occasion not only for Uzbekistan but also for the scientific and educational life of the entire Islamic world.

One of the Forum’s most significant features is that it will open at the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, established at the initiative and under the vision of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This is no coincidence. In a remarkably short period, the Center has become one of the largest and most influential scientific and educational platforms not only in Uzbekistan but throughout the region.

The Forum will feature a series of major events, globally significant discoveries, and presentations of scientific and educational projects.

The central event of the Forum will be the official opening ceremony, during which a congratulatory message from the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Forum participants is expected to be delivered.

The event is also expected to bring together the Director-General of ICESCO, Salim AlMalik; the Director-General of IRCICA, Mahmud Erol Kılıç; the Secretary General of TURKSOY, Sultan Raev; the President of the International Turkic Academy, Shahin Mustafayev; as well as distinguished statesmen, public figures, scholars, and leaders of international organizations from Uzbekistan and abroad.

The First International Islamic Civilization Forum is also remarkable for its scale. The program includes four international conferences, ten general sessions, fifteen plenary meetings, and six thematic panel sessions.

These sessions will address a broad range of topics, including the history of Islamic civilization, Hadith studies, Islamic theology (kalam), manuscript studies, museology, archaeology, the preservation and digitization of cultural heritage, cultural diplomacy, and the spiritual and educational reforms being implemented in New Uzbekistan.

Special attention will also be devoted to the presentation of books and academic publications. Among the highlights will be the international conference and proceedings entitled “Al-Jami’ as-Sahih – The Book of the Ummah,” prepared in cooperation with ICESCO; the book-album “Shavkat Mirziyoyev – An Enlightened Leader,” published in collaboration with IRCICA; the Russian academic edition of Imam Tirmidhi’s “Shama’il al-Muhammadiyyah,” published jointly with the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation; along with several other fundamental scholarly projects, all of which will constitute an important part of the Forum.

The Forum will bring together representatives of major international organizations, as well as directors of leading museums and libraries from around the world. This serves as yet another practical confirmation of Uzbekistan’s steadily growing reputation in the field of international scientific and cultural cooperation.

The plenary sessions on the Forum’s opening day will focus on the spiritual heritage of Islamic civilization, the religious and educational reforms being implemented in New Uzbekistan, the role of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan as an international scientific and educational platform, as well as such pressing issues as the preservation of manuscripts and the development of cooperation among museums and libraries. The participation of ministers, muftis, presidents of academies, and heads of international organizations from various countries will further enhance the Forum’s international standing.

Throughout the Forum, joint projects between Uzbekistan’s scientific and educational institutions and leading international research organizations will be presented, alongside new academic publications, archaeological discoveries, rare manuscripts, and digital initiatives. Discussions will also be held on cooperation roadmaps, with the signing of memoranda of understanding and cooperation agreements planned. This demonstrates that the Forum is designed not only as a venue for academic discussion but also as a platform for achieving tangible practical outcomes.

A key component of the Forum will be the international conferences held in Samarkand and Termez, dedicated to the comprehensive study of the rich scholarly legacy of the great Muslim scholars Imam Bukhari, Imam Maturidi, and Imam Tirmidhi.

In particular, the international conference in Samarkand entitled “Imam al-Bukhari’s Al-Jami’ as-Sahih – The Book of the Ummah” will examine the life of the great hadith scholar, his scholarly achievements, the history of the compilation of Al-Jami’ as-Sahih, its manuscript tradition, Imam al-Bukhari’s methodology for the authentication and selection of hadiths, and the work’s significance in the development of Islamic civilization. Five plenary sessions are scheduled within the framework of this conference, featuring presentations by leading hadith scholars from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Türkiye, India, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Tunisia, and other countries.

The conference dedicated to the invaluable legacy of Imam Maturidi will explore such themes as moderation, religious tolerance, and the harmony between reason and revelation from a contemporary perspective. Meanwhile, the conference in Termez will focus on the Termez school of hadith studies and the outstanding contribution of Imam Tirmidhi to the global development of hadith scholarship. Through these conferences, Uzbekistan will demonstrate not only that it is the homeland of great scholars, but also that it has become a modern international center for the systematic study and global promotion of their intellectual heritage.

Undoubtedly, the First International Islamic Civilization Forum will become one of the landmark events not only in the scientific and educational life of Uzbekistan but also in the history of international humanitarian cooperation. The Forum will stand as another vivid example of the enlightened state policy pursued under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, aimed at preserving the rich legacy of our ancestors and promoting it for the benefit of all humanity.