Lecture by Suleiman Mourad : "Islam between Tolerance and Violence"

Tuesday June 16^th, 2015 at 6pm at the Simone Weil Amphitheate

Suleiman Ali MOURAD is Professor of Religion at Smith College, USA and former Fellow of the IAS-Nantes (2013-2014)

His research focuses on Qur’anic Studies, Jihad ideology during the Crusader period, symbolism of Jerusalem in Islam, and the presentation of Mary and Jesus in the Qur’an and Islamic scholarship.

He is the author of Early Islam between Myth and History (Brill, 2006), co-editor of Jerusalem: Idea and Reality (Routledge, 2008), and co-author of The Intensification and Reorientation of Sunni Jihad Ideology in the Crusader Period (forthcoming by Brill, 2012). He has received numerous fellowships and grants, including the National Endowment for the Humanities and Mellon Foundation. He has B.S. (Mathematics) and M.A. (History) from the American University of Beirut, and M.Phil. (Religion) and Ph.D. (Arabic & Islamic Studies) from Yale University. He is also the current President of Middle East Medievalists (MEM), a scholarly organization of specialists in the study of the history of the Middle East.

Theme:

What Inspires Tolerance and Violence in Islam?

Some Religious and Historical Factors

Islamic terrorism has religious and historical roots and factors that contribute to its formation and bestow legitimacy on those who commit acts of terror in the name of Islam. There is also a rich legacy of religious and ideological diversity and tolerance in Islam that has inspired many Muslims in the past and today and shaped their way of life. These two discourses have often clashed, and in certain situations one totally eclipsed the other. The objective of this lecture is therefore to draw the attention to some of most important religious and historical roots and factors that empower and legitimize each of the two discourses, and also argue that the empowerment of the discourse of tolerance cannot be achieved without delegitimizing the roots and factors that exonerate and venerate violence.

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