RIYADH: A number of leading national and international personalities will deliver lectures at a two-day symposium entitled “Dr. Mohammad Asad – A life for Dialogue” that opens in Riyadh at King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Monday. The event has been jointly organized by King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) and Austrian Embassy in Riyadh. Prince Turki Bin Faisal, Chairman of King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, will deliver a keynote speech at the inaugural session. Austrian Ambassador Dr. Johannes Wimmer and Dr. Witold Smidowski, Ambassador of Poland will also address on the opening ceremony. Sheikh Saleh A.R. Al-Hussayen, General President for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, will speak on a topic “Why Muhammad Asad converted to Islam?”. Dr. Muhammad Asad (1900-1992), the Austrian born writer, philosopher and translator of Qur'an was known for his pioneering work of initiating dialogue between the Muslim world and the West in the 20th century. Dr. Asad, formerly Leopold Weis, a Jew converted to Islam, was preeminently known for his famous book “The Road to Makkah”. Apart from that his translation of the Holy Qur'an into English is of lasting significance. Dr. Talal Asad, son of Dr. Mohammad Asad, will deliver a lecture on “Mohammad Asad between Religion and Policy,” while Dr. Murad Hofmann from Bonn, Germany, a close friend of Dr. Asad will speak on “Mohammad Asad – a gift of Europe to Islam”. Dr. Gunther Windhager from Vienna is an author of a book ‘Leopold Weis' and anthropologist will shed light on “Mohammad Asad's travels and writings in King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud's Arabia”. Dr. M. Ikram Chaghtai, a renowned Pakistani writer will highlight “The relationship of Dr. Asad with Pakistan”.
