Islam, Pluralism & Minority Rights

Experts on Islamic societies will gather at UVic on May 2-3 to examine issues related to Islam and minority rights and to contribute to ongoing efforts to develop pluralism as a basis for democracy in the Muslim world. Hosted by UVic’s Centre for Studies in Religion and Society and the Faculty of Humanities, the annual conference of the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies will feature presentations from international scholars probing the basis for pluralism in Islamic teaching and the plight of minorities in Islamic countries and of Muslim minorities in non-Islamic countries. Highlights will include a special address, “Religious Freedom and Democracy,” by Thomas Farr of the Department of International Religious Freedom of the U.S. State Department, and the keynote address, “Does Islam Need a New Reformation: Minority Rights,” by John O. Voll of Georgetown University. Following the conference, there will also be a free public lecture on “Pluralist Muslim Civil Societies: A Quixotic Quest?” by Amyn Sajoo of McGill University. The conference is open to community participants by paid registration. Further information may be found on the conference Web site http://web.uvic.ca/csrs/acsis.htm.

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