Keynote Speakers

Ali, Tariq — World-renowned writer, journalist, and filmmaker. — Keynote Address: Recolonizing the Arab World — Tariq Ali has written over twenty books on world history and politics, seven novels, and scripts for the stage and screen. His books include The Obama Syndrome: Surrender at Home, War Abroad; Night of the Golden Butterfly; Islam Quintet; The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of the American Power; Conversations with Edward Said; Pirates of the Caribbean; Speaking of Empire and Resistance; Bush in Babylon: The Recolonization of Iraq; and The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihad and Modernity. Tariq Ali is an editor of New Left Review and the recipient of the Granadillo Award (2010) for The Islam Quintet.

Bennoune, Karima — Professor of international law at the University of California, Davis. — Keynote Address: The Struggle against Fundamentalism after the Revolutions of 2011: Your Fatwa Still Does Not Apply Here — Professor Bennoune has received a number of awards and academic distinctions including, Dayton Literary Peace Prize for her recent book titled Your Fatwa Does not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight Against Muslim Fundamentalism (2014), Arthur L. Dickson Scholar at Rutgers School of Law-Newark, Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award at Rutgers University (2011), and Derrick Bell Award (2007) from the Association of American Law Schools Section on Minority Groups. Her research interests lie in areas of International Law, International Human Rights, Terrorism and Counterterrorism, Religious Extremism, and Women’s Rights. Professor Bennoune has been consulted on human rights issues for the International Council on Human Rights Policy, the Soros Foundation, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, and for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). —

Wadud, Amina — Professor Emerita of Islamic Studies; International Consultant on Islam, Gender and Justice; and the author of Inside the Gender Jihad: Reform in Islam. — Keynote Address: Reformist Islam, Gender and the Questions of Authority — Aminda Wadud received her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies and Arabic from the University of Michigan in 1988. She is the author of Inside the Gender Jihad: Reform in Islam; Introduction to Islam: A Reader; Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective, among others. Dr. Wadud has published dozens of journal articles such as “The Spirited Voices of Muslim Women in Islamic Reform Movements”; “Freedom and Responsibility: An Islamic Perspective”; and “Islam beyond Patriarchy.” She has received several awards and grants in recognition of her work on the question of gender and Islamic tradition. She has given numerous public talks to many academic institutions and communities. Amina Wadud is currently a Visiting Scholar at University of Berkeley, CA, USA. —

Cover photo by Mohamed Abd El-Ghany/REUTERS