The 10th Islamic Economics Workshop by ILKE Foundation’s Research Center for Islamic Economics (IKAM) concluded at Istanbul University this Sunday, October 16, 2022. The 3-day long workshop received rich participation from academicians and professionals from the field of Islamic Economics who had come from different parts of the world. On the opening day of the workshop, the Islamic Economic Award Ceremony was held, followed by a panel discussion framed around the topic of “Promises of Islamic Economics in The Era of Crisis.” Besides the opening day, the workshop comprised six sessions that were held on Saturday and Sunday, October 15 and 16, respectively.

Prof. Dr. Lutfi Sunar, Chairman of ILKE Foundation’s Board of Executives, emphasized the fact that the workshop has been organized for 10 consecutive years and has always attracted international physical participation except for the year when the pandemic forced it to be organized in a hybrid manner. Sunar also pointed out that solutions must be sought from within the current system for the crises that humanity is passing through; however, it is not easy to find a solution within the system. Emphasizing the significance of the workshop, he said, “It seems that it is not easy to find a solution within the current system. In this sense, we are actually in a very important place for discussing alternative proposals.”

General Manager of Ziraat Bank Metin Özdemir expressed that the atmosphere we are passing through is suitable for the discussion of the subject of the workshop, and also declared that he will follow the sessions as much as possible and will read the works presented.

Speaking after Özdemir, Istanbul University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Haluk Alkan stated that “If you have a claim, if you have a claim or a suggestion for bringing justice to the world, these crises are also creating new opportunities for you.”

Ayhan Karahan, Chairman of the Board of Executives at İGİAD, said that the field of Islamic economics is inspiring new progress in Türkiye and stated that bachelor, graduate, and doctoral programs have been opened in many universities.

Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 10th Islamic Economics Workshop, Prof. Dr. Necmettin Kızılkaya, said that they decided on the title of the workshop right after the previous workshop. He mentioned that crises are increasing in the world with every passing day. Kızılkaya also said that Islamic Economics can play a pivotal role in moving from these crises.

Workshop Sessions

After the opening ceremony, participants who had come from different countries got the opportunity to make their presentations during the sessions, which were held on 15 and 16 October.

The sessions were chaired by leading names, including Mehmet Saraç, Mehmet Babacan, Necmettin Kızılkaya, Zeynep Hafsa Orhan, Hasan Vergil, and Taha Eğri. In the workshop sessions, which continued for two days, 10 academicians discussed new opportunities for creating alternatives in the context of the crises and Islamic Economics in their presentations.

At the end of the workshop sessions, the final declaration entitled “Islamic Economics proposed the Ways Out of The Economic Crises” was published.