Georgetown Scholar to Present Second Islamic Studies Lecture October 27

A Georgetown University scholar will address freedom of expression in Islam and the West during a lecture at UT on Tuesday, October 27.

Jonathan A. Brown will give the second Siddiqi Lecture in Islamic Studies at 7:00 p.m. in the Cox Auditorium of the Alumni Memorial Building. It is free and open to the public.

The Siddiqi Lecture in Islamic Studies, launched in 2014, brings top scholars in the field of Islamic studies to campus in order to foster a greater understanding of Islam in East Tennessee.

With controversies such as the protests calling for depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in Texas and tragedies like the attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical paper in Paris, much confusion surrounds the place of freedom of expression in Islam and Muslim societies. For Americans, seeking to understand the issues raises compelling questions about freedom of expression in American culture.

“This lecture will help us understand how religious expression shapes and is shaped by history and doctrine, as well as social, political, and economic factors in our globalizing age,” said Rosalind Hackett, head of the Department of Religious Studies, which is hosting the event.

Brown is the Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He also is director of the Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

For more information on the Siddiqi Lecture Series, visit the website.

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C O N T A C T:

Rosalind Hackett (865-974-6980, rhackett@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)