Date: Sunday, 17th December 2017
Time: 7PM – 10PM
Venue: Graha Pemuda, Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reading-session-on-towards-a-neo-modernist-islam-fazlur-rahman-and-the-rethinking-of-islamic-tickets-41202052448

The 20^th century has produced many important Muslim scholars. Any objective ranking of these scholars deserves to list Fazlur Rahman (1919-1988) near the top of the list. Judged in terms of his knowledge of the Islamic tradition and his analysis of the modern Muslim condition, Rahman’s intellectual work was both groundbreaking and of enduring value. The tragedy of his story, however, is that he is generally unknown among Muslims today. His books are not on sale in Muslim bookstores or available in most mosques. Sadly, the ideas of his fiercest critics are more popular than his own. This lecture seeks to provide an introduction to the life and ideas of Fazlur Rahman. Special emphasis will be devoted to explaining Rahman’s unique Quranic methodology and reading of Islamic history as way of responding to the challenges of modern world. It will be argued that Fazlur Rahman was one of greatest Muslim scholars of the contemporary period and that his contribution to an ethical interpretation of Islam is invaluable.

Program

700-800PM:  Dinner and Solat

800-810PM:  Opening speech by Moderator, Ehsan Shahwahid

810-900PM:  Presentation by Dr Nader Hashemi

900-1000PM:  Discussion

1000PM:        End

Organized by: Islamic Renaissance Front

Speaker’s Biography

Dr. Nader Hashemi is a Professor and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Born and raised in the Toronto area to Iranian parents, Dr. Hashemi completed his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Canada. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and was a research affiliate at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, a postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University, and a Global Fellow at the UCLA International Institute. He has contributed to The New York Times , TIME, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and has appeared on The PBS Newshour. He is the author of Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy, and co-editor of The Syria Dilemma and The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran’s Future. As an undergraduate student in Ottawa, Canada, Hashemi hosted a radio program. He is an avid swimmer and enjoys playing the guitar.