Professor Safvet Halilović held a lecture at Istanbul University

At the invitation of the vice dean for international cooperation and scientific research, prof. Ph.D. Ahmet Temel, on Thursday, October 4, 2018, prof. Ph.D. Safvet Halilović, full professor at the Faculty of Islamic Pedagogy at the University of Zenica, was a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Theology (İlahiyat Fakültesi) in Istanbul. The Faculty of Theology is a member of the University of Istanbul (İstanbul Üniversitesi), with which the Faculty of Islamic Pedagogy in Zenica signed a Protocol on Cooperation in February 2018. By the way, the University of Istanbul is a well-known and world-renowned educational institution, where over 250,000 students study.

Lecture on the topic Significance and perspectives of Qur'anic anthropology it was held in Arabic in the amphitheater of the Faculty of Theology for participants of the study group in Arabic and English. In addition to undergraduate students, professor Halilović's presentation was also attended by master's students, doctoral students, and part of the assistants and professors of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Istanbul.

Although a conference-type lecture was planned, the interest of those present in the topic in question meant that the meeting with Professor Halilović lasted two full hours. This interest in the topic is largely explained by the fact that Qur'anic anthropology is a scientific field that, according to our knowledge, has not been dealt with in detail by anyone in the domain of Islamic theological disciplines.

The fact that the present students of Turkish speaking background chose to study theology in Arabic rather than in their mother tongue, then the close monitoring of Professor Halilović's dynamic presentation in fluent Arabic and the accompanying questions and discussion show, among other things, their respect for the Arabic language in which the holy texts were published of Islam and on which the most important works from various Islamic disciplines were written.

During the lecture, Professor Halilović quoted several thematically reference statements of Alija Izetbegović, which, bearing in mind the appreciation of the image and deeds of the late president by the Turkish people, particularly impressed the audience.

After the lecture, there was a joint photo shoot of some of the attendees with Professor Halilović, and socializing in the office of Prof. Ph.D. Mahmut Alptekina, vice dean for teaching at the aforementioned faculty. In a pleasant gathering, the visitors showed great attention and interest in visiting our country, with which, by the way, they have a centuries-old historical, cultural and religious connection. Professor Halilović was accompanied by M.Sc. Muamer Neimarlija, senior assistant at the Faculty of Islamic Pedagogy.

With this act, the formal start of the inter-institutional cooperation between the Faculty of Islamic Pedagogy of the University of Zenica and the Faculty of Theology of the University of Istanbul was made official.

How important this visit is is shown by the detailed text published on the official website of the Faculty of Theology, University of Istanbul, which can be viewed at the following link: http://ilahiyat.istanbul.edu.tr/tr/haber/prof-dr-safvet -halilovic-kuran-antropolojisi-hakkinda-konferans-verdi-6700380066007000300061004D0046004D00390077003100.