The Korean Association of the Islamic Studies(KAIS) was established by a group of eminent scholars who recognized the necessity to examine Islam and the Islamic world through a distinct lens, one that transcends the Western perspective. Their objective was to develop a new methodology for the study of Islamic studies and the understanding of Islamic cultures, employing an in-depth approach.

The 20th century saw a significant improvement in the quality of life through the advancement of science and technology. The 21st century will be the century of culture, in which various cultural exchanges and contacts will become more vigorous and enrich our lives. In 1993, following the conclusion of the Cold War, American political scientist Samuel Huntington posited the inevitability of a ‘clash of civilizations’ between Islamic and Western civilizations in the 21st century, while concurrently predicting the trajectory of world history. In response, German international relations scholar Harald Müller highlighted the fallacy and inaccuracy of the religion-centric ‘clash of civilizations’ and proposed the ‘coexistence of civilizations’ as an alternative, advocating for the peaceful coexistence of civilizations. Furthermore, Iranian President Ahmadinejad made an unanticipated visit to the Vatican in Rome, during which he asserted that Islam is a religion of reconciliation, forgiveness, compromise, harmony, and peace. He also called for a “theory of civilizational reconciliation” that proposes dialogue between religions and civilizations rather than confrontation between religions and civilizations. It is imperative that we rethink the Islamic world.

The number of Muslims worldwide has reached over two billion, with 55 countries currently classified as Islamic states. These countries are distributed across the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, representing a zone of comparative advantage for us in politics, diplomacy, trade, culture, and more than any other region of the world. Many people in our society still consider the Islamic world to be limited to the Middle East and Arab countries. However, there are over 500 million Muslims living in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, which are geographically close to us. The KAIS aims to provide a perspective that allows us to understand the Islamic world and countries that form the center of the Third World from our perspective, and to provide in-depth and practical research to our society. The world is currently moving towards coexistence by recognizing the pluralism of religions. In the era of new millennium, the researchers of the KAIS will strive to provide Korean academia and society with a proper understanding of the culture of the Islamic world by approaching Islam as a cultural system rather than a religious system.