Monday, August 17, 2015

CSSS JNU Talk "From the Rushdie Affair to Charlie Hebdo:A Fatwa for Free Speech", on 20th August

Centre for the Study of Social Systems
School of Social Sciences

CSSS Colloquium

Dr. Amir Ali
(Centre for Political Studies, JNU)

Will be giving a talk on

From the Rushdie Affair to Charlie Hebdo: A Fatwa for Free Speech

Date & Time: August 20, 2015 (Thursday), 11.30 a.m.
Venue: CSSS Committee Room, SSS-II

Abstract: The Rushdie Affair was one of the earlier confrontations of recent times when there was a supposed stand off on the issue of free speech between the liberal West and Islam. The issues raised by the Rushdie Affair have recurred in the form of the Jyllands Posten cartoon controversy and more recently the attack on journalists of Charlie Hebdo. Quite often these controversies have prompted, especially Western liberals, to enquire about the 'liberal-Muslim' and why he or she is not speaking up sufficiently to condemn the latest atrocity committed in the name of Islam. This paper looks at the futile and often self-defeating liberal response on a crucial issue such as free speech. The paper makes a case for free speech but not on the familiar grounds of the mainstream liberal-Enlightenment.

Bio-Data: Amir Ali teaches at the Centre for Political Studies, JNU. His areas of interest are political theory, multiculturalism and group rights.

All are welcome

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