Programme and List of Speakers

Colloquium ALIPHID–IAFT, Beirut, April 2012

Under the patronage of the Rector of Lebanese University

Firday, April 13^th

• 15:45: Opening Session
  • Opening Address by E. Dandach (ALIPHID)
  • Welcoming Comments from the Rector of Lebanese University, Doctor Adnan Said Husein.
  • Welcoming Comments from the Lebanese Association of Philosophy of Law (Georges Saad)
  • Welcoming Comments from the International Association of Free Thought, IAFT (David Rand)
  • Greetings (DVD) from Marc Blondel, President, French National Association of Free Thought (FNLP)
• 16:15: Advance presentation of the Saturday morning session: Karim Mroué: “Secularism in the Arab World: Is It Feasible?”
• 16:30: Introduction to the Theme of the Colloquium (Christian Eyschen)
• Discussion
• Announcement of the programme for Saturday, April 14^th (Charbel Estephan)

Saturday, April 14^th

• 9:30: Opening Session for the day
  • Opening Address by E. Dandach
  • Opening Comments from ALIPHID (Elie Aoun)
  • Announcement of the programme (Yara Dandach)
• 10:00: First Session: “Secularism: history, principles, struggles and relationship to religion”
  • Opening speech by the session chairperson Mohammed el Majzoud (Former Rector of Lebanese University)
  • Father Kamil Moubarak (Rector, Catholic University La Sagesse): “Civil Society in the Diverse Reality of Lebanon”
  • David Rand (Spokesperson for IAFT): “The Relationship Between Atheism and Secularism”
  • Christian Eyschen (General Secretary of FNLP, Spokesperson for IAFT): “Is the Struggle for Secularism Universal”
  • Khayrieh Odouh (Professor at Lebanese University): “Educational System Legislation: An Obstacle to Secular and National Orientation in Lebanon”
  • Ulema (Judge) Yahya: “Problems of Secularism in Lebanon”
  • Nourredne Saadi (Professor, Faculty of Law at Douai): “Secularism and the French Constitution”
• Discussion
• Pause
• 12:30: Second Session: “Secularism, Law, Justice and Religion”
  • Presentation of Awards by Georges Aramouni (ALIPHID)
  • Opening speech by the session chairperson Youssef Saadalah El Khoury
  • Jean-Luc Dupriez (labour union activist in France): “Libertarian Thought and Secularism”
  • Rafic Brax: “What is the Lebanese State?”
  • Kamil Dagher (lawyer and author): “Complete secularism, or merely an end to political sectarianism?”
  • Roger Lepeix (FNLP): “Secularist organizations around the world”
  • Ziad Njeim (researcher and journalist)
• Lunch
• 15:30: Continuation of the Second Session:
  • Arnaud de Raulin (Professor, Faculty of Law at Douai): “Secularism and the European Union”
  • Isam Moubarak (Professor at Lebanese University)
  • Georges Saad (Professor, Faculty of Law, Lebanese University): “The Administrative Judge and Secularism”
• Discussion
• Round Table presided by Bchara Saliba
• Conclusion by Christian Eyschen
• Closing remarks by Georges Aramouni