Indialogue Foundation hosted a distinguished round table discussion on the theme ‘A Dialogue on Religion, Sports, Politics, War, and Art’ at the Centre for Social Research, New Delhi. The event held on 18th July 2024 featured Prof. Ori Soltes, who currently teaches theology, art history, philosophy, and political history at Georgetown University, Washington DC, as the Guest of Honour. Sixteen prominent academicians, activists, and journalists from Delhi and neighboring cities participated in the discussion.
Prof. Soltes, with a rich academic background from institutions like The Johns Hopkins University, Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, and Siegel College, shared his extensive expertise. He has lectured at notable museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His work has also been featured on CNN, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel.
Opening Remarks
Mr. Qamar Aga, President of Indialogue Foundation and a respected voice on foreign policy and security in India, initiated the session by introducing Prof. Soltes and the subject of his discourse, derived from his book “God and the Goalposts: A Brief History of Religion, Sports, Politics, War, and Art.”
Keynote Address by Prof. Ori Soltes
Prof. Soltes began his hour-long talk by exploring the intersections of sports, war, and religion across major world religions. He illustrated this with examples such as the involvement of Greek gods in the war depicted in the Iliad, and Krishna’s role in the Mahabharata as described in the Geeta. He also referenced the Biblical story of David and Goliath to highlight the active participation of divine entities in wars.
Discussing the connection between sports and religion, Prof. Soltes shared the story of Prophet Jacob’s wrestling match with God, as well as Krishna’s preference for resolving conflicts through sports rather than warfare in the Mahabharata. He also recounted a Hadith about Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) camel, which conveyed a lesson on impermanence and the fallibility of all but Allah.
In a contemporary context, Prof. Soltes discussed the dilemma faced by Abdul Jabbar, a former NBA player, who chose to observe Ramadan fasting while playing professional basketball, highlighting the intersection of religious practice and modern sports.
Question and Answer Session
Following Prof. Soltes’s address, a robust question and answer session ensued, covering topics such as the representation of God in art, the role of masculinity in war, and contemporary issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict. The event concluded with Prof. Soltes signing copies of his book “Between Thought and Action – An Intellectual Biography of Fethullah Gülen” for the attendees.
Attendees
The round table discussion saw the participation of esteemed individuals including Dr. Ranjana Kumari (Director, Centre for Social Research), Prof. Savyasachi (Retired Professor, Jamia Milia Islamia), Dr. Manisha Choudhary (Associate Professor, University of Delhi), Dr. Krishnaswamy Dara (Assistant Professor, Jamia Milia Islamia), Basit Jamal (Founder, Brotherhood of Humanity), John Dayal (Human rights and Christian political activist), Dr. Amir Ali (Assistant Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University), Dr. Reetu Jaiswal (Assistant Professor, University of Delhi), Dr. Tarushikha Sarvesh (Assistant Professor, Aligarh Muslim University), Journalist Zeyad Masroor Khan, and Fulbright scholar Leslie Shampaine.
This event highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue in understanding the complex relationships between religion, sports, politics, war, and art, and fostered a rich exchange of ideas among the participants.
