UT professor to discuss ‘Muslims in America: Where Do We Go From Here?’

March 13, 2017 | Events, UToday, Arts and Letters
By Christine Billau



“Muslims in America: Where Do We Go From Here?” is the topic of the annual Imam Khattab Lecture on Islamic Thought by Dr. Ovamir Anjum, UT Imam Khattab Endowed Chair of Islamic Studies.

The free, public lecture will take place Wednesday, March 15, at 7 p.m. in the Driscoll Alumni Center Auditorium.

“The talk will address the multiple challenges and threats Muslims in America face in the new political climate,” Anjum said. “Most American Muslims have no ‘back home’ to which they can go. The majority of Muslims in America are American citizens. Many are born here and have no substantial ties to another country. Nearly half are African-American, and a growing minority are Caucasian and Latin-American.”

The lecture is part of the UT Center for Religious Understanding’s annual lecture series, which has been active for more than a decade. The center promotes a deeper understanding of religion on campus and throughout greater Toledo.

Anjum

“The new political climate has increased threats to Muslims in America significantly, but keep in mind that Islamophobia has been at an all-time high for several years now,” Anjum said. “What it also has done is brought these threats into the limelight — at least temporarily — and that is an opportunity to educate. These threats are significant, but the greatest threats come from within. The American Muslim community is a microcosm of the American society, and the rifts that threaten its thriving are those of racial tensions, economic inequality, inter-generational rupture, and breakdown of family and community. The lecture will invoke historical and contemporary examples to inspire hope for intellectual and social action.”

Tickets are required for the event. RSVP at cfru.eventbrite.com.

Last year’s Imam Khattab Lecture on Islamtic Thought given by Anjum was titled “Is ISIS Islamic?”

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