The Shared Ethical, Intellectual and Historical Values between Islam and the West and Their Role in Promoting International Peace New Release by the Elders Center for Peace Research within “the European Studies Program”

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By Dr. Tijani Boulaouali
Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies
KU Leuven Belgium

The Arabic and Islamic library has been enriched by a collective work consisting of three volumes, supervised and edited by Dr. Tijani Boulaouali, a university lecturer, researcher, and coordinator of Islamic Theology at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven in Belgium. This work was published at the beginning of 2025 in Cairo. It falls within the framework of “the European Studies Program,” whose first scientific project is dedicated to the study of Islam in Europe and the West, including Islam’s pioneering role in fostering international peace.
This project highlights the positive and illuminating aspects of Islam’s relationship with others—dimensions that are often overlooked or marginalized by both Muslims and non-Muslims. This marginalization occurs either due to derogatory interpretations, misrepresentations, or an excessive focus on aspects of conflict, rejection, and denial rather than peace, tolerance, and mutual recognition. Traditional European Orientalism has also contributed to the crystallization of an exoticized image of the East (including Islam), detached from its actual historical and cultural reality. This negative perception persists among certain researchers and ideological experts who form a significant trend within contemporary Orientalism, or what is now referred to as Arabic and Islamic studies. This field, too, is not devoid of non-objective academics.

On the other hand, objective studies have accumulated, creating a clear break from traditional Orientalist or ideologically driven academic perspectives. Attention has shifted toward alternative topics such as interfaith dialogue, the theory of pluralism, the origins of Islam, Islamic tolerance, shared values, Islam’s contributions, the history of coexistence, and more. This objective trend in academic work provides space for exploring the intellectual, humanistic, and civilizational potentials embedded in Islamic heritage—topics that are rarely addressed in contemporary academic studies, whether by Muslim or Western researchers.
The goals of the European Studies Program significantly align with the ideas and perspectives put forward by this objective trend in its studies on Islam and the West. It is impossible to develop a forward-looking approach to Islam in the West without drawing on the research insights and analytical engagement of this trend, especially since its contributions remain scattered across books, articles, and dialogues, reaching only a limited audience of readers, researchers, and interested individuals.
The European Studies Program was established to examine the various moral, spiritual, social, and civilizational potentials offered by Islam in a world increasingly characterized by spiritual emptiness, materialistic tendencies, and consumer culture. We believe that the time will come for Muslims to contribute effectively to the civilization of the future, just as their ancestors successfully contributed to the civilization of the past.

The first project of the European Studies Program was launched in September 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Tijani Boulaouali. Today, we have reached the final stage of the work, which is presenting it to readers, students, researchers, and interested individuals in its final form, adhering to internationally recognized scientific research standards. This project consists of twenty research papers, worked on by twenty researchers and experts covering 11 countries: Belgium, England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Denmark, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, and Nigeria. They belong to 9 universities: The KU Leuven in Belgium, the University of Oxford, the University of Rome, the University of Lewis, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, the German Institute for Oriental Research, the University of Madrid, and the University of Montpellier, in addition to various research centers. These research papers have been distributed across three volumes. The first and second volumes were written in Arabic, while the third volume was edited in English.

The first volume is titled “Global Peace; Shared Values and Key Concepts.” It includes an introduction by Dr. Samir Boudinar, Executive Director of the Elders Center for Peace Research, and a preface by Dr. Tijani Boulaouali, coordinator of the European Studies Program. It also contains seven research papers: “The Islamic Jurisprudential Heritage and the Value of Peace” by Dr. Abdelhak El Kouani. “Muslims in the West and the Jurisprudence of Citizenship” by Dr. Mohamed Ghoulbane. “The People of the Book and the Tolerance of Islam” by Dr. Abdallah Laassiri. “The Constitution of Medina and the Project of Coexistence in a Pluralistic Society” by Dr. Ahmed M. F. Abd-Elsalam. “The Non-Religious Other in the Quranic and Jurisprudential Perspectives” by Dr. Tijani Boulaouali. “The Dichotomy of Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Kufr and the Possibilities of Coexistence in the West” by Mr. Mounir Bouhout. “From Theological Debate to Interfaith Dialogue” by Dr. Ezzedine Inaya.
The second volume, titled “Drawing Inspiration from Shared Contexts in Crafting International Peace,” includes eight research papers: “Jerusalem, the City of Coexistence: Between Jewish Ownership and Islamic Distinctiveness” by Dr. Karima Nour Aissaoui. “The Shared Ethical Philosophy Between Greek and Islamic Civilizations” by Dr. Mohammed El Maazouz.”The Story of the Saint and the Sultan: Drawing Inspiration from Shared History” by Dr. Youssef Nouiouar. “Morocco and its Embrace of Jews: The Dynamics of Peaceful Coexistence Between Jews and Muslims” by Dr. Brahim Hamdaoui. “Egypt and Islamic-Coptic Coexistence” by Dr. Anwaar AbdelFadil. “Religious Pluralism and the Future of Islam in the West: The European Context as a Model” by Dr. Mimoune Daoudi. “Spiritual Peace and the Universal Dimensions of Sufism: Pathways to Building the Perfect Human” by Dr. Khalid Touzani. “The Journey and the Landmarks of Shared Symbolic Construction” by Dr. Hassan Elghachtoul.

The third volume, in English, is titled “Shared Universal Values and the Making of International Peace.” It includes six research papers: “The Concepts of ‘Ummah’ and ‘Ecclesia’: Foundations for Peaceful Coexistence Between Muslims and Christians in the 21st Century” by Mr. Melvin Aruwa Ogohi. “Al-Andalus: A Unique Model of Tolerance, Coexistence, and Cultural Pluralism” by Dr. Abdelaziz El Amrani. “Islam in Europe and the Idea of Interconnected Civilizations” by Dr. Mohammed Hashas. “Societal Moral Influences and Their Role in Creating Realistic Dialogue for Peace and Understanding” by Dr. Bart Libbrecht. Additionally, the papers by researchers Dr. Mimoune Daoudi and Dr. Tijani Boulaouali are included in both Arabic and English. It is worth noting in conclusion that the twentieth paper, “Islamic Philosophy and the Preservation of Greek Heritage” by Dr. Chabbir Akhtar from the University of Oxford, was not completed and could not be part of this project, as he passed away before finishing his research paper.

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