To mark World Refugee Day on June 20, Maker Majlis, a platform under the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), is partnering with local, regional, and international organizations and scholars to host a three-day event under the theme “We Cannot Walk Alone”. Taking place virtually from June 20-22, the event is open to the public. 

Speakers are highlighting the daily suffering and challenges refugees face in light of deteriorating living and economic conditions. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates the number of forcibly displaced persons at over 80 million in 2020, which is nearly 1 percent of the world’s population, and almost double the number from a decade earlier. 

The innovative and creative space “Maker Majlis” at CIS is connecting these vulnerable communities with leading humanitarian minds, activists, and refugee-right advocates to delve into the interconnected challenges they face. The program will include academic research papers, presentations, field work reports, live online discussions with refugees, and true refugee success stories. 

Providing theoretical and empirical perspectives as part of the Maker Majlis platform, the program features speakers from large-scale humanitarian organizations and partners including the UNHCR and UN Migration (International Organization for Migration). Among the Maker Majlis’ other partners are several prominent local NGOs, including Qatar Charity, Qatar Red Crescent, Education Above All (EAA), Qatar Fund for Development, Qatra, and Silatech. 

Dr. Emad El-Din Shahin, dean of CIS, UNHCR’s Ayat El-Dewary, and human rights activist, Mandy Sanghera, have presented opening addresses. Upcoming sessions will focus on refugees’ lived experiences in host countries such as Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Syria. Speakers will tackle refugee education, repatriation, humanitarian action and financing, Islamic philanthropy, the role of social work, initiatives to elevate their living conditions, and many other topics.

Dr. Evren Tok, Assistant Dean of Innovation and Community Engagement and Associate Professor of Islam and Global Affairs at CIS, said: “The World Refugee Day Event is a space created by the College of Islamic Studies to shed light on the daily challenges facing refugees and their social well-being, but also to hear about their resilience. Maker Majlis has joined hands with many organizations with a long-standing commitment to refugees and their evident plight, as well as leading humanitarian minds to focus on transformative dialogue and synergy that create a collective vision for the future and solutions that will restore their dignity and humanity.”

In doing so, the Maker Majlis has also collaborated with a number of academic institutions including Samford University, Michigan State University, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Lebanese University, and Assiut University, each offering their respective expertise towards the platform’s intended goals.

For more information on Maker Majlis: World Refugee Day 2021 and to register to join, please visit: https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/academic-events/maker-majlis-world