Understanding the role of Islam in Muslim societies: Going beyond the Headlines
Understanding the role of Islam in Muslim societies: Going beyond the Headlines
Ali Asani, Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures and the Director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University
Date: Thursday, June 11th
Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Location: Baker and McKenzie, 100 New Bridge Street, London EC4V 6JA
Description:
With over 1 billion adherents worldwide, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Although a global religion, historically Islam is a religious tradition that has been profoundly influenced by the many local contexts in which it is practiced and interpreted. This presentation will provide a framework within which to understand the complex ways in which interpretations of Islam are tied to the historical, political, economic, social and cultural contexts in which Muslims live. It will examine particularly the manner in which contemporary political contexts, both local and transnational, have impacted the manner in which Muslims have understood their faith.
HCUK Members: £10
About Professor Asani
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Ali Asani is Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures and the Director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University. After completing his high school education in Kenya, he attended Harvard College, with a concentration in the Comparative Study of Religion, graduating summa cum laude in 1977. He continued his graduate work at Harvard in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC), receiving his Ph.D. in 1984. Prof. Asani holds a joint appointment between the Committee on the Study of Religion and NELC. He also serves on the faculty of the Departments of South Asian Studies and African and African-American Studies. He has taught at Harvard since 1983, offering instruction on various aspects of the Islamic tradition as well as South Asian and African languages.
Professor Asani has been active post-Sept 11 in improving the understanding of Islam and its role in Muslim societies by conducting workshops for high school and college educators as well as making presentations at various public forums. He is particularly interested in the arts, broadly defined, as the primary means by which Muslims have experienced their faith and their potential as pedagogic bridges to foster a better understandings of the Islamic tradition. He has been involved in the Islamic Cultural Studies Initiative, an international professional development program for high school teachers in Kenya, Pakistan and Texas intended to promote a culturally and historically based approach to the study of Islam and Muslim societies. He also served on the American Academy of Religion’s Task Force on the teaching of religion in schools and has been a consultant for the National Endowment for the Humanities Bridging Cultures Muslim Journeys Bookshelf Project. In 2002, Professor Asani was awarded the Harvard Foundation medal for his outstanding contributions to improving intercultural and race relations at Harvard and the nation. More recently, Professor Asani received the Petra T. Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award from Harvard's Division of Continuing Education.