Religion and policy

Themes include: Creativity and values Sustainable development and values Values & ethics in sustainable development Teaching values for sustainability Creativity and values in Islamic studies Creativity and values in humanities & arts Creativity as a culture Creativity and religious studies Creativity and reform Design thinking & Sustainability New trends in creativity Creativity, management & leadership Creativity and education Institutionalizing creativity Creativity, values and the digital world Creative arts, literature & values Youth empowerment Local creativity and sustainability Islamic worldview and sustainability Islamic ethics and sustainability New trends in sustainability Creativity & SDGs Creativity, Innovation & the Environment

The NAAAS will host its national conference at the Marriott Quorum Hotel in Dallas, Texas February 17-22, 2020. The conference is expected to draw over 1,300 scholars from the U.S. and 20-plus foreign countries. There will also be vendors, exhibitors, universities and special interest groups attending.

It is increasingly apparent that governments, transnational institutions and practitioners have in principle accepted that religious and culturally contextual forms of peacebuilding can in some cases be a powerful and positive force in peace and reconciliation processes. As a result, initiatives that claim to take seriously the religious and cultural dimensions of peacebuilding have increased exponentially. Is the current optimism about these approaches justified by project results and outcomes? To what extent is project design based on existing and verifiable evidence?

Religions differ profoundly in terms of their impact on public life, the political breadth of their scriptures, and their foundational models. Islam, for example, is not a minimalist religion of just beliefs and rituals, rather, Islam encompasses all aspects of life in its philosophical, moral, and legal outlook. However, the issue of utilizing aspects of religion in constitutions is not exclusive to the Islamic world. Many, if not most, countries around the world have included religious texts, teachings, and obligations within their constitutions.