----------------------------------------- Date: April 8, 2008, 18:00-20:00 Venue::#3 & 4 Meeting Rooms on 2nd Fl of The Nippon Foundation Building http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/eng/who/to_contact.html -----------------------------------------
The Nippon Foundation Fellowships for Asian Public Intellectuals (API Fellowships Program) enables public intellectuals in Asia, namely Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand, to pursue intellectual, cultural and professional projects in other Asian country/countries. The API Fellows are from various backgrounds, such as academia, journalism, NGO, government agencies, and creative arts. The aim is to promote mutual learning among Asian public intellectuals and to contribute to the growth of public spaces in which effective responses to regional needs can be generated. http://www.api-fellowships.org/body/
We are happy to invite you to the upcoming seminar by Dr. Dicky Sofjan, an API Fellow from Indonesia on the very interesting and timely topic of moderate Muslims' response to 9-11 and the war on terrorism..
It would be much appreciated if you could let us know in advance of your attendance for the convenience of the secretariat to api@ps.nippon-foundation.or.jp.
API Fellowships International Program Department The Nippon Foundation
----------------------------------------- The Sound of Silence: Moderate Muslims' Response to 9-11 and the War on Terrorism
April 2008, The Nippon Foundation Building
Did 9-11 really change the world? Or, did it merely confirm the negative stereotypes of Islam and the Muslims? If so, in what ways and to what extent are these popular images, depictions and perceptions transforming the interaction between Muslims and 'the others'? Why have moderate Muslims seemingly become the "silent majority" in this whole debate over 9-11 and the subsequent war on terrorism? With the surge of the so-called 'Islamic terrorism' and the supposed hijacking of the faith, where do moderate Muslims of Southeast Asia stand on the current pressing global issues? This talk will expectedly cover the above barrage of questions and more.
About the Speaker
Dicky Sofjan, Ph.D. is an Asian Public Intellectual Fellow 2007/8 from Indonesia. He is temporarily based at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) in Kyoto University under the auspices of The Nippon Foundation. Sofjan is the author of Why Muslims Participate in Jihad: An Empirical Survey on Islamic Religiosity in Indonesia and Iran (2007), jointly published by the Australian Theological Forum (ATF) Press and Mizan.