York-Noor Spring Symposium on Religion and Modernity

With Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer

Program

Monday April 21, 2008

Afternoon Tea with Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer: Islam and Modernity

Informal talk with discussion

Time: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Location: Lower level, Noor Cultural Centre

Admission: $5

Public Lecture by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer
Time: 7:30 – 10:00 p.m.
Location: Auditorium, Noor Cultural Centre
Admission: $5

Admission to Tea and Lecture: $12

Tuesday April 22, 2008

Muslim, Jewish, and Christian Women Wrestling with their Sacred Texts
An evening of scriptural reasoning and discussion

Panelists:

Shari Goldberg, University of Toronto

Susan Harrison, Emmanuel College

Dr. Laury Silvers, University of Toronto

With commentary by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer

Time: 7:30 – 10:00 p.m.
Location: Auditorium, Noor Cultural Centre
Admission: $10

Wednesday April 23, 2008

Open House with Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer

Time: 10:00 a.m. – noon

Location: Auditorium, Noor Cultural Centre

Admission: $5

Asghar Ali Engineer is an Indian Muslim Islamic scholar, reformist-writer and activist. Internationally he is known for his work on liberation theology in Islam, and his work on (and action against) communalism and communal and ethnic violence in India and South East Asia. He is an advocate of a culture of peace, non-violence and communal harmony, and has lectured all over the world. He is presently head of the Institute of Islamic Studies and the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, which he founded in 1980 and 1993 respectively. He has been awarded several awards, including the Dalmia Award for communal harmony in 1990, honorary D.Litt. by the University of Calcutta in 1993, the Communal Harmony Award in 1997, and the Right Livelihood Award in 2004 (with Swami Agnivesh) for his ‘strong commitment to promote values of co-existence and tolerance’.