The College of Law and Politics at the University of Human Development ran a seminar on 'The meaning of nationhood' at the Seminar Hall on 11 February 2026. The speaker was Mr Tahsin Hamagharib, who is a lecturer in the Law Department at UHD.

The subject of the seminar holds significant weight at the present time, considering the current political situation in the region and conflicts between various ethnic and religious groups, including the ongoing conflicts in Syria. Mr Hamagharib elaborated on the meaning of nationhood and the positive role religion can play in reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. He mentioned that there need to be shared elements between nations and ethnic groups to coexist and live peacefully with each other, despite their distinctiveness, and that Islam can play that role.

He delved into the details of certain issues and mentioned that being a nation, or feeling part of a nation, comes with responsibility. We should not treat each other as inanimate objects and apply general rules, like the physical world, in which general rules derived from observation can apply. Nationhood is about exploring many aspects related to the social aspect of life and the feelings and meanings that individuals hold behind their movements and gestures. Social relationships, the relationships between individuals and nations, should not be about controlling each other. Rather, they should be about understanding each other, showing respect for differences, and highlighting similarities, he explained.

Another area Mr Hamagharib focused on was that the meaning of nationalism, or being a nationalist, changes from one period to another. However, deep nationalism or true nationalism is about loving your own country and people while seeing other nations or ethnic groups as equal, so that everyone can be proud of and enjoy what they are bestowed by God.