Tom Fudge: It's hard to look at the world today and not believe that a wide gulf separates the Judeo-Christian West and the Muslim East. The gulf looks political, intellectual, and moral. That's surprising, since our societies share the same religious roots. We're all people of the book, as Muslim people put it.
Yet when Westerners see the Muslim East, they see oppressive regimes that subjugate women. They see an intense hatred of America and other countries that practice liberal politics. Above all, we see a philosophy that seems to condone acts of terrorism.
Do we misunderstand the Muslim world? Of course we do, and that's not to say that world doesn't have its problems. In fact, Khaled Abou El Fadl would argue that our profound misunderstandings of Islam, and its followers, have a lot to do with the flawed leadership of some powerful Muslim nations.
UCLA law school professor Khaled Abou El Fadl will discuss "Islamic Law and the Challenge of Islamophobia" as part of the Burke Lectures in Religion and Society series sponsored by the UCSD Center for the Humanities . The event will be held at tonight, May 5 at 8 p.m. in Price Center Ballroom B on the UCSD campus. It is free and open to the public.
Guest
- Professor Khaled Abou El Fadl , professor of law at UCLA School of Law , and an Islamic law expert.
