Sat, 30 April 2016, 5.30pm | English

Quartz Room, Village Hotel Bugis

Critical Xchange, Turkish Cultural Centre

Mr Ali Allawi, Dr Ali Unsal

isis, contemporary muslim issues

Fees: Free

Synopsis
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been criticised by the vast majority of scholars as an anti-thesis to the fundamentals of Islam while a smaller minority of scholars have argued that ISIS' ideology emanates from Islamic teachings. This seminar seeks to better understand the ideology of ISIS and factors that led to its emergence. It seeks to analyse ISIS' impact on the Muslim World and the Islamic religion. It will conclude by examining whether ISIS is a product of Islam or whether the organization has been a threat to Islam.

Speakers
Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi was Minister of Trade and Minister of Defense in the cabinet appointed by the Interim Iraq Governing Council from September 2003 until 2004, and subsequently Minister of Finance in the Iraqi Transitional Government between 2005 and 2006. He was previously with the Middle East Institute in Singapore.

Dr. Ali Unsal graduated from Ankara University Divinity School in 1994. He received his master's degree from Marmara University, Istanbul, and he graduated in 2009 with his Ph.D. in Islamic Theology from Selcuk University, Konya. He conducted his dissertation research on the factors affecting individual's attitudes towards and knowledge of Islam while living in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. For this research he collected original survey data and attended many social and academic workshops about interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Dr. Unsal was the president of American Turkish Friendship Association in Fairfax, VA, and he served as a chaplain for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington DC. Dr. Unsal volunteered as the Chairman of the Board of Rumi Forum between 2003 and 2009. In 2007, he founded the Institute of Islamic and Turkish Studies and served as its executive director. Currently, he is the director of the Fethullah Gulen Chair at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta, where he is also a lecturer. Dr. Unsal is the author of many articles on Islamic theology and social studies published in academic journals and websites. His most recent books, published in Turkish in 2009 by Rehber Publication is “Cennet ve Cehennem”, Işık Publication are (Heaven and Hell), “Melekler” (Angels), “Ümmetim Hakkında Korktuklarım” (What I am Scared About my Community), “Dünden Bugüne Hâricîlik ve Neo Hâricîler” (From Past to Present Khârijiah and Neo-Khawârij), and “Ahiru'l Fursân” (The Last Cavalier) (Translation from Arabic to Turkish).

Register and more details at http://bitly.com/crixsemisis

More information on CRIX Seminar Series at http://bitly.com/crixseminarseries

+ Check-in starts at 5pm
+ Light refreshments will be served

On-line registration ends on 30 Mar 2016 at 12pm.

Quartz Room, Village Hotel Bugis