The Institute of Post Colonial Studies, Arena Publications and the Congregation of Mark the Evangelist

present a Public Discussion

Thursday May 19^th

North Melbourne Uniting Church Hall

4 Elm Street North Melbourne

7.30pm – 9.30pm

 

Whose Problem is the ‘Problem with Islam’?

It is a widely held view in Australia that there is ‘a problem with Islam’. Even people of good will who are against the scapegoating and demonisation of Muslims often call for a reformation within Islam. Whether we are talking about war in the Middle East, terrorism or boat arrivals, the lament, ‘If only Islam had had its own enlightenment’, is suggested as a point of entry into dialogue across cultures and religions.

Does Islam need to be reformed? Is ‘our’ Western ‘enlightenment’ part of the problem and are ‘we’ implicated in the ‘problem with Islam’? What are the hidden commitments and political-cultural moves in this lament, and how might we better understand the possibility of talking across and between cultures and religions?

Our speakers:

Fethi Mansouri (Director, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation)

Micaela Sahhar (University of Melbourne)

Joshua Roose (Australian Catholic University)

Maher Mughrabi (Foreign Editor at The Age and Sydney Morning Herald)

 

All welcome at this free event
Further information: Alison Caddick (Arena Publications): 0418 304 500