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The Ethics and Culture Hour at the Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture (CBEC), SIUT is a public outreach program that connects ethical discussion with literature, music, art, history, religion, and social life. Rather than limiting ethics to classrooms or academic debate, the program brings these conversations into a wider cultural setting.
Over the years, CBEC has presented talks, poetry readings, musical performances, documentary screenings, workshops, and other cultural events. As a result, audiences have been able to explore questions about society and human values through both academic and artistic perspectives.
The program is open to the general public and has brought together scholars, writers, poets, musicians, artists, activists, educators, and members of the wider community.
Ethics and Culture Hour Events
CBEC’s archive records Ethics and Culture Hour events from 2005 onward. The subjects have varied considerably, but many of the programs share an interest in how people understand society, culture, identity, human relationships, and ethical questions.
2023 — Remembering Ada Jafarey
On December 23, 2023, the Ethics and Culture Hour focused on the life and work of renowned Urdu poet Ada Jafarey, widely known as the first lady of Urdu poetry.
The event was connected with the English translation of her autobiography, Jo rahee so bekabhri rahi, published in English as A World of Her Own. Dr. Farhat Moazam introduced the program, after which Dr. Aamir Jafarey and his daughter, Asra Jafarey, discussed the process of translating Ada Jafarey’s autobiography for future generations.
Dr. Aamir Jafarey also recited some of his mother’s poetry, giving the audience a personal perspective on her literary work.
In addition, renowned poet Zehra Nigah and Professor Pirzada Qasim shared their memories and experiences of Ada Jafarey and discussed their connections with her work. The evening concluded with a musical performance by Salman Alvi, who presented ghazals associated with Ada Jafarey, Zehra Nigah, and Pirzada Qasim.
2019 — An Evening with Pirzada Qasim
On December 14, 2019, Pakistani poet, scientist, and educationist Dr. Pirzada Qasim joined the Ethics and Culture Hour.
His two-hour session covered subjects including time, education, and the politics of resistance. He also read some of his well-known poetry, including his ghazal Zakhm dabe to phir naya tir chala diya karo.
The event attracted a large audience of admirers of Dr. Qasim and Urdu poetry. At the time of the event, Dr. Pirzada Qasim was serving as Vice Chancellor of Ziauddin University, Karachi.
2018 — Tina Sani and Urdu Poetry
On December 21, 2018, renowned Pakistani ghazal singer Tina Sani performed at the Ethics and Culture Hour.
She presented poetry by writers including Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Allama Iqbal, and Munir Niazi. Her program also included Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa, which the audience enjoyed.
The evening ended with Tina Sani leading the audience in singing Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Hum Dekhenge.
2016 — Karachi, Film and Social Questions
The Ethics and Culture Hour featured two different programs in 2016, both using cultural expression to explore aspects of Pakistani society.
Rumana Husain on Karachi
On September 3, 2016, author and Karachi writer Rumana Husain presented a talk titled “Are You a Karachiwala?”
She discussed the many communities and cultures that exist alongside one another in Karachi. Her presentation drew on her book Karachiwala: A Subcontinent within a City, which explores the city’s social and cultural diversity.
Husain also described the process of researching the book, including the two years she spent gathering material and developing relationships with different communities.
Photographs from the book accompanied the presentation. They illustrated both Karachi’s cultural diversity and its social differences. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session.
Husain is also the author of Street Smart: Professionals on the Street.
Screening of A Girl in the River
Earlier that year, on April 27, 2016, CBEC screened SOC Films’ Oscar-winning documentary ** A Girl in the River **.
The documentary tells the story of Saba, a young Pakistani woman whose father attempted to kill her after she married the man she loved against her family’s wishes. Through interviews and conversations with people connected with the case, the film explores the circumstances surrounding the attempted honour killing.
After the screening, members of the production team discussed the documentary and its making with the audience during a question-and-answer session.
2014 — Exploring Pakistan Through Film and Music
The Ethics and Culture Hour presented both documentary film and music in 2014.
Moin Khan’s Rediscovering Pakistan
On December 5, 2014, CBEC premiered motorcyclist and adventurer Moin Khan’s documentary Rediscovering Pakistan: The Untold Tale.
The film followed a motorcycle journey through northern Pakistan undertaken by Khan and eight other motorcyclists from abroad. Their route extended from Islamabad toward the Khunjerab Pass on the Pakistan-China border.
The documentary presented the northern areas through the filmmaker’s perspective, highlighting their natural landscape as well as the hospitality encountered during the journey. More than 75 people attended the premiere.
Tina Sani: Poetry in Song
On September 13, 2014, Tina Sani returned to CBEC for another Ethics and Culture Hour.
She performed selected poetry by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Allama Iqbal, and Jalaluddin Rumi. Her presentation also included 17 verses by Rumi translated from Persian into Urdu.
Flutist Abid Ali, whom Sani had invited from Lahore, accompanied her performance. In addition, Sani introduced the poems before singing them, giving listeners background that helped connect the music with the original poetry.
The audience included CBEC students and alumni, SIUT staff, and members of the general public.
2013 — Understanding the History of Karachi
In December 2013, CBEC invited architect and social activist Dr. Arif Hasan to speak about Karachi.
He traced the city’s origins and historical development and described its transformation over the previous century. His presentation considered Karachi’s evolution from a relatively small and orderly port city into a large, densely populated urban center facing multiple challenges.
The event provided a historical and social perspective on the city in which CBEC and SIUT are based.
2012 — Poetry and Ghazal
Two cultural programs were held in 2012.
Iftikhar Arif
In December 2012, celebrated Urdu poet Iftikhar Arif appeared at the Ethics and Culture Hour following the final teaching module of CBEC’s academic year.
Speaking to an audience of about 150 people, Arif discussed the state of the Urdu language and recalled experiences from his life. He then recited several of his poems, including Barwan Khilari (The Twelfth Man).
His published poetry collections include Mehr-i-Doneem and Kitab-e-Dil-o-Duniya. His poetry has been translated into English and other languages, and he has received major literary recognition in Pakistan, including the Pride of Performance award.
Salman Alvi
In April 2012, CBEC organized a Mehfil-e-Ghazal featuring singer Salman Alvi.
Supported by a team of musicians, Alvi performed ghazals and other forms of Urdu poetry for an audience of around 100 people. CBEC students, foreign faculty, and other attendees joined the session.
The event formed part of the second teaching module of CBEC’s academic year and offered students and the wider audience an opportunity to experience Urdu poetry in a musical setting.
2010 — Culture and Human Behaviour
In April 2010, human rights activist I. A. Rehman was the guest speaker at the Ethics and Culture Hour.
He spoke on “Culture as the Basis of Human Behavior,” presenting his views on the relationship between culture and human behaviour.
The audience included CBEC students and alumni, SIUT faculty and staff, and members of the general public.
2009 — Poetry, Women’s Rights and Islamic Thought
The 2009 program included several events covering literature, women’s rights, Islamic thought, and poetry.
Tina Sani and Iqbal’s Poetry
In November 2009, Tina Sani returned to the Ethics and Culture Hour to perform Allama Iqbal’s Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa.
The performance took place at the end of CBEC’s first teaching module for the academic year. The event also connected literary expression with themes explored in the Humanities and Bioethics module, showing how poetry and art can engage with questions arising from everyday life.
Farida Shaheed on Women’s Rights
In April 2009, Farida Shaheed, then Deputy Director of Shirkat Gah Women’s Resource Centre, presented a narrative titled “Women Asserting Rights in Muslim Context: A Foreign or Indigenous Agenda?”
The presentation involved three narrators and used slides alongside the spoken narrative. It drew on Shaheed’s research Great Ancestors: Women Asserting Rights in Muslim Context.
The program attracted members of the general public and professionals and was followed by an extended question-and-answer session. Copies of Great Ancestors were also available at the event.
Muzaffar Iqbal and al-Hallaj
In March 2009, Muzaffar Iqbal, founder-president of the Centre for Islam and Science in Canada, spoke on “The Legacy of al-Hallaj: Love, Martyrdom, and Poetry in the Land of Prophecy.”
The program was attended by members of the general public and professionals. A question-and-answer session followed the talk, and Iqbal also signed copies of his book Divan al-Hallaj.
Nomanul Haq on Iqbal
In February 2009, Nomanul Haq of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Lahore University of Management Sciences was invited to speak about Iqbal.
His presentation, “Revisiting the Chronic Question of Iqbal’s Philosophy and his Message,” examined how Iqbal’s work should be understood.
Haq emphasized Iqbal’s poetic achievement and questioned the tendency to treat him primarily as a philosopher. His discussion distinguished between Iqbal’s poetic contribution and the philosophical interpretations often associated with his work.
2008 — Ghazal and Poetry in Motion
The Ethics and Culture Hour continued to combine music and performance in 2008.
Salman Alvi
In December 2008, CBEC held a Mehfil-e-Ghazal with singer Salman Alvi.
The program marked the completion of the academic year for the 2008 PGD class. Alvi performed a selection of Urdu ghazals and geet, introducing the audience to different forms of Urdu poetic expression.
Sheema Kermani — Poetry in Motion
In August 2008, CBEC presented “Poetry in Motion” with renowned dancer Sheema Kermani.
Assisted by two of her students, Kermani performed works connected with Amir Khusro, Bulleh Shah, and Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
Before each performance, she briefly explained the poets and their work. Consequently, the audience could connect the physical movement with the poetry that inspired it.
2007 — Religion, Literature and Freedom
The 2007 Ethics and Culture Hour program brought together music, literature, Islamic scholarship, and discussions of contemporary religious identity.
Tina Sani
In September 2007, singer Tina Sani performed a selection of works centered on human freedom and emancipation.
Farid Esack
In July 2007, Farid Esack of Harvard Divinity School spoke on “On Being a Muslim: Finding a Religious Path in the World Today.”
His presentation explored Muslim identity and religious life in the contemporary world.
Ebrahim Moosa
In June 2007, Islamic scholar Ebrahim Moosa of Duke University presented “The Life and Times of Imam Al-Ghazali.”
He discussed the work of Al-Ghazali and considered how classical and modern scholars have interpreted his ideas.
Mushtaq Yusufi
In April 2007, celebrated Urdu prose writer Mushtaq Yusufi appeared at the Ethics and Culture Hour.
Although the event had been publicized mainly through word of mouth, the auditorium reached capacity. Yusufi read selections from his writing from different periods of his career and engaged the audience throughout the evening.
2006 — An Evening with Zehra Nigah
In June 2006, renowned Urdu poet Zehra Nigah spent an evening with the CBEC audience.
She recited selected poems and verses dealing with subjects such as war, human rights, discrimination against women, and human relationships.
The event demonstrated the role of poetry in exploring social and ethical concerns through personal and artistic expression.
2005 — The Beginning of the Program
The Ethics and Culture Hour archive begins with programs held in 2005.
Iftikhar Salahuddin
In June 2005, Iftikhar Salahuddin, Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, gave a presentation on “Medicins Sans Frontiers.”
The title used the idea of physicians working beyond the conventional boundaries of medicine. Salahuddin discussed doctors whose interests and achievements extended into areas such as photography, history, travel, literature, and the arts.
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
The first recorded Ethics and Culture Hour session took place in January 2005, when renowned Muslim scholar Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, head of the Al-Mawrid Islamic Institute in Lahore, spoke on “Islamic Perspectives of Organ Transplantation.”
The subject also reflected the broader purpose of CBEC: bringing ethical questions surrounding medicine and human life into discussion beyond a strictly technical medical setting.
What the Ethics and Culture Hour Shows
The history of the Ethics and Culture Hour reflects a broad understanding of the relationship between ethics, culture, and everyday life.
Across the years, CBEC has used different forms of cultural expression to explore these connections. Poetry and music have provided ways to discuss identity, freedom, relationships, and social concerns. Meanwhile, talks and documentary films have opened discussions about Karachi, women’s rights, religion, human behaviour, and difficult social issues.
The program has also brought together people from different fields. Writers, poets, musicians, scholars, activists, artists, educators, and healthcare professionals have all contributed to the series.
In this way, the Ethics and Culture Hour complements CBEC’s academic work while remaining accessible to a wider audience. Its recorded events show how ethical questions can be explored not only through formal academic study, but also through literature, performance, history, film, and cultural conversation.
Key Takeaway
The Ethics and Culture Hour is CBEC’s public-facing cultural program that uses literature, music, art, film, scholarship, and social discussion to explore ideas connected with ethics and human life. Its archive, beginning in 2005, documents a diverse range of speakers and performances that connect cultural expression with questions about society, values, identity, and human relationships.
Disclaimer
This article provides a historical overview of Ethics and Culture Hour events organized by the Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture (CBEC), SIUT, based on the information available in the referenced event archive. Event details, descriptions, titles, affiliations, and historical information are presented for educational and informational purposes and may reflect the records available at the time of publication. Readers should consult official CBEC or SIUT sources for the latest information about current programs, events, speakers, or institutional activities.