Saturday, January 23, 2010
8:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Senior Lawyers Division
0.0 MCLE Credit Hours

ISLAM AND THE WEST – IS THERE A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS?

“Islam and the West:  Dialogue of Civilizations” is a historical survey of the relationship between Muslims and western civilization from the time of the Prophet Muhammad through the 21st century.  Topics will include the connections between Islam, Judaism and Christianity, the spread of Islam from the seventh through the 17th centuries, the contributions of Islamic world to western culture, and periods of conflict between Muslims and Europeans, with emphasis on the events since the First World War that explain contemporary problems and conflicts in the Middle East.

The panel will explore the complexity of Muslim perspectives on the modern world, including the worldwide revival taking place within Islam, the Islamic view of justice and various Islamic responses to modernism, imperialism, nationalism, globalization and economic development: the origins and motivations of the various terrorist organizations in the Middle East, why they came to be, why they employ their various tactics and what they are attempting to achieve. The panel will also discuss the origins of Shi’ite Islam, its dominance in Iran and its impact on contemporary developments.

8:30–9:45 a.m. “Islam and the West: Dialogue of Civilizations”
Dr. Lester Pittman, Department of History, Humanities and Political Science, Trident Technical College, Charleston

9:45–10:00 a.m. Break

10:00–11:45 a.m. Panel Discussion: The Complexity of Muslim Perspectives on the Modern World
Dr. Lester Pittman, Department of History, Humanities and Political Science
Trident Technical College, Charleston

Dr. Christopher Wright, Assistant Professor, Middle East History and Islamic Studies, Department of History
The Citadel, Charleston
                                               
Dr. Claude N. Stulting Jr., Associate Professor of Religion and English
Furman University, Greenville
                                               
Imam Mohamed Melhem
Central Mosque of Charleston, Charleston

Course Planner/Moderator: Harold Jacobs, Charleston