Animals vs. Humans: A Discussion of Ikhwan Al-Safa’s Animal Fable

 Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026

Time: 4 pm

Registration Fee:

50 aed for non-members | free for members

Join us for a discussion in English of Ikhwan Al-Safa’s famous animal fable in which the animals sue the humans for maltreatment. Written around the year 930 CE in Basra and Baghdad, this philosophical work of fiction raises important questions about ethics and justice. Participants who register will receive a PDF of relevant reading materials.

This discussion is led by Dr. Shatha Almutawa, who wrote her doctoral dissertation about the narratives in Rasa’il Ikhwan Al-Safa. She received her PhD from the University of Chicago in 2013 and went on to teach at universities in the US. In 2023 she returned to her hometown and founded Kutubna Cultural Center in Dubai.