Lecture series focuses on current events in the Middle East

Amr Al-Azm, associate professor of history and anthropology at Shawnee State University

A program on the civil war in Syria will kick off the Middle East and Islamic Studies Lecture Series at Wright State University on Nov. 14.

Amr Al-Azm, associate professor of history and anthropology at Shawnee State University, will give his lecture at 6 p.m. in 166 Rike Hall.

He will examine the origins of the Syrian civil war, the rise of ISIS and challenges President-elect Donald Trump faces in resolving these issues. An expert on Syria, Al-Azm has appeared on CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, PBS and NPR.

The lecture series is designed to promote the discussion on campus of the Middle East and Islam and introduce students to the cultures, politics and religions in the Middle East.

“This year we have four lectures dealing with the crisis in Syria, climate change and the Arab Spring, Muslims and Jews during the Holocaust and gender issues in the Islamic law,” said Awad Halabi, associate professor of history and religion and coordinator of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies. “These topics are not only timely and related to current events in the Middle East, but they help to explain the larger historical dynamics of Middle Eastern and Islamic culture.”

The lecture series is sponsored by Wright State’s Middle East and Islamic Studies Program and the Religion Program. All lectures are free and open to the public.

Fadhel Kaboub, associate professor of economics at Denison University.

On Nov. 30, Fadhel Kaboub will discuss “The Untold Story of the Arab Uprisings: Climate Stress” from 11:10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Student Union’s Discovery Room. Kaboub, associate professor of economics at Denison University and president of Binzagr Institute of Sustainable Development, will examine how climate change helped spur the wave of Arab uprisings in 2012.

“Jewish-Muslim Relations during the Holocaust and Colonialism” will take place Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Rathskeller in the Student Union.

Mehnaz Afridi, an assistant professor of religious studies and director of the Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College, will discuss the rescue of Jews by Muslims during the Holocaust and the memory of Muslims under colonialism as a way to bridge understanding. Afridi’s lecture is presented by the Zusman Chair in Judaic Studies at Wright State.

The lecture series will conclude with “Gender Issues in Islamic Law” on Feb. 14 at 3:30 p.m. in the Student Union’s Discovery Room.

Judith Tucker, professor of history at Georgetown University, will explore the diverse ways Muslim legal scholars have interpreted gender issues in the Islamic law (Sharia) over historical periods. Tucker’s lecture is presented by the Piediscalzi Lecture Series and the Religion Program at Wright State.

Support for the series is provided by the College of Liberal Arts, Multicultural Affairs and Community Engagement and the Dayton-Arab-American-Forum.

For more information on the Middle East and Islamic Studies Lecture Series, contact Awad Halabi at awad.halabi@wright.edu.