Public Scholars at
Hanover College
Religion
and Conflict in a Global Society
November 3, 4, 5, 2002
The three great monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - all preach peace and brotherly love. Yet September 11 reminded the world that religion can also be used to justify war. Crusade and jihad are concepts rooted deep in history. In this symposium, we will explore the ways that religion informs conflict in a world growing ever smaller because of the remorseless forces of globalization. Our focus will be on Islam, a civilization wrestling with the pressures of a modernization closely associated with the west. But our discussions should illumine the larger question of what happens when faith is harnessed to a struggle to remake the world.
Participants:
Evelyne Accad: Professor of French, Comparative Literature, African Studies at the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana. Her book: Sexuality and War: Literary Masks of the Middle East was published in 1990.
Reuel Marc Gerecht: Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. He is a former CIA Middle Eastern specialist. His book: Know Thine Enemy: A Spy's Journey into Revolutionary Iran was written under the pseudonym Edward Shirley and was published in 1998. He is the "Class of '65 Speaker."*
James T. Johnson: Professor of Religion at Rutgers University in New Jersey. His book: The Holy War Idea in Western and Islamic Traditions was published in 1997.
Ibrahim A. Karawan: Director of the Middle East Center and Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah. He has published frequently and The Islamist Impasse was published in 1997.
Schedule of Events:
Sunday November 3
3:30 p.m. Opening Reception - Horner Center
4:00 p.m. Ibrahim Karawan - Horner 102
Islamism and Power in the Arab World: A Reassessment
7:30 p.m. Reuel Marc Gerecht - Class of '65 Speaker - Horner 102
The Future of
Bin Ladinism
9:00 p.m. Refreshments - Horner Lobby
Monday November 4
10:00 a.m. Roundtable Discussion - Faculty Dining Room
1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Afternoon Tea - Alumni Lounge
4:00 p.m. Evelyne Accad - Horner 102
Sexuality and War in the Aftermath of September Eleven
7:30 p.m. James Turner Johnson - Horner 102
Jihad and Just War
9:00 p.m. Refreshments - Horner Lobby
Tuesday November 5
10:00 a.m. Roundtable
Discussion - Faculty Dining Room
Symposium ends.
There is no charge for this event. Meals can be purchased through the campus dining services and paid for at the time. All lectures and round table discussions are open to the public.
*Established by the Class of 1965 as a senior class gift, the Class of 1965 Lectureship Fund is an endowed fund used in support of bringing nationally known speakers to campus.
