Understanding the Other – The case of the Muslim diaspora

In this virtual talk, Dr. John L Esposito discusses the emergence of Muslim communities and the respective differences between the American and European Muslim experience. From there, the conversation will lead into the history of Islamophobia and how Islamophobia has changed and taken “new” forms that can be seen not just in the U.S., but globally as well. While understanding Islamophobia means a need to understand how it is connected and related to different insidious forms of hate that other communities endure, this talk will facilitate a conversation that leads us to look forward to our signals of hope.

Speaker

John L. Esposito is a University Professor, Professor of Religion and International Affairs and Founding Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and The Bridge Initiative: Protecting Pluralism – Ending Islamophobia at Georgetown University. In 2019 he was S. Rajaratnam Professor of Strategic Studies, Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore. Past President of the American Academy of Religion and Middle East Studies Association, his more than 55 books

include: Islam and Democracy after the Arab Spring, What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam, Shariah, What Everyone Needs to Know, The Future of Islam, Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think, Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, Islamophobia and the Challenge of Pluralism in the 21st Century. Esposito’s writings are translated into more than 45 languages. Esposito has served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of State and other agencies, European and Asian governments, corporations, universities, and media worldwide and has been a member of the World Economic Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders and the E. C. European Network of Experts on De-Radicalisation.

Moderator

Emre Celik is the Executive Director at Peace Islands New York. He has held positions in numerous non-profits in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Washington DC and New York working on educational and interfaith projects. He is currently completing his PhD in Islamic Studies examining civil Islam in the United States and regularly speaks on civil Islam, sufism, Muslim diaspora communities and human rights issues and has spoken at Harvard, Georgetown, American, George Washington and various other universities and institutions in the United States. His op-eds, interviews and social media are available here : https://bit.ly/EC_bio