After a Conference: Scholarly Companionship

In this article, we hear from two Moroccan scholars and one American scholar discuss a post-conference meeting from a 2022 program. Said Naqchi, Omar Mubarki, and Chris PreJean reflect on the meaning of companionship to enrichen life and contribute to global stability.

Said’s View

I would like to take a moment to describe this image of teachers and scholars above. A SORAC team visited us in Morocco and shared hospitable family moments with us. We hosted the team in our homes just as they hosted us in theirs, sharing parts of our daily lives and traditions together. This is how global stability works.

These reciprocal visits – a crucial element of the SORAC project – have served as a means to strengthen academic ties between Moroccan and American civilizations in the field of religious studies.

But such intimate moments of companionship are not the norm. As the world has grown ever-more interconnected as a result of advancements in communication technology and globalization, we expected to experience greater closeness and stronger relationships between cultures and peoples, such as our American friends visiting us here. But the reality has been much different.

Instead, society has become fragmented and the boundaries we thought were dissolved have returned in full force. Now we are experiencing an estrangement as we’d never known before. Our ignorance of each other has increased, and we now live with many false generalizations and narrow interpretations in what amounts to be erroneous religious messaging focused on hostilities.

There is a solution: engage in the study of different religious traditions alongside scholars from different civilizations. It is impossible to understand another's religion without accompanying them, and only then can one understand another's religion as the other understands their own.

I believe that entering into direct relationships with people of different religions—academic companionship—rather than relying solely on the study of religions or its adherents through books, will provide participants with the opportunity to grow in their own faith and grow in self-knowledge. By doing so, students and researchers and teachers become equipped them to handle criticism, counter false claims about religion, and correct mistakes in areas susceptible to misunderstanding.

Without companionship or direct engagement, we become something of a tourist who visits and leaves without any developed relationship to the place or its people.  Only through companionship do our future teachers and researchers have hopes of countering erroneous messaging on social media, which contrary to what is sometimes hoped for, further deepens our ignorance of each other.

Omar’s View

In this image, we see one of the most important outcomes of scholarly companionship: the strengthening of bonds between Moroccan and American scholars. I was honored to host our American friends at my dear brother Said Naqchi’s home, reflecting our belief that our hope for the future lies in companionship, through which we can get to know and understand one another.

My personal journey with scholarly companionship began in 2019 when I joined the SORAC program in Washington D.C. I spent about three weeks there, accompanied by scholars, researchers, and humanitarians from various universities, international research centers, and civil, scientific, and human rights institutions.

We traveled between Washington, New York, Baltimore, and Virginia, engaging in extensive discussions, debates, presentations, and lectures on crucial topics such as human rights, freedom, religion and culture, resolving contemporary crises, and the role of academic companionship in understanding those of other religions.

My time in Washington D.C. allowed me to discover American society in its diverse forms and to learn from scholarly experiences that enriched my intellectual and educational journey. It also provided an opportunity to become acquainted with other prestigious universities and research centers that play a significant role in guiding global research.

Chris’s View

I remember this gathering at Said’s house as if it were yesterday. By 2022, I had visited Said's home multiple times. I took photos during the gathering, and I can still picture everyone laughing and enjoying themselves as I quietly observed.

What struck me most was how people from such geographically distant places could share so much joy with a sense of humility, despite profound differences in belief systems, cultural practices, and religious convictions.

I’ve come to realize that the best way to promote global stability is by spending time with people who hold different religious convictions than my own. To listen to another’s voice not just to hear, but deeply understand their heart’s passions and desires, the reasons for the convictions, and their love for humanity is nothing less of humbling. It’s one thing to have an idea of Muslims and Jews as described in books, but quite another to experience life alongside them. Moving from book knowledge to lived experiences is an essential approach to building lasting relationships. When scholars of religion come together to study and discuss religious themes, as we did prior to these images presented here, we deepen our ties that bind us during global instability.

SORAC offers an opportunity for scholars, students, and future teachers to see others how they see themselves. It removes the lens of dogma and tradition to open our eyes to the sacredness of all life. Scholarly companionship is one avenue for higher-education to promote experiential learning with clear goals of protecting life and ensuring global stability. This approach contributes to global stability one meeting, conference, and meal at a time, moving from the study of books and lived traditions to the application of that knowledge as experience, both in academic settings and at home.

Said Naqchi (PhD, University of Mohammed V) is Founding Director of the CLLC language and culture program, and is the producer and host of the “With the Youth” television program featured on the Mohammed VI Quran Channel.

Omar Mubarki (Ph.D.) is a researcher of Abrahamic Religions and Professor of Islamic Studies at the Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Chris PreJean (PhD, UCLA) is a scholar of religion and the Director of SORAC.