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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110406T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110406T180000
DTSTAMP:20260409T065354
CREATED:20141023T114613Z
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SUMMARY:Brendan Hill on Sin and Civil Society
DESCRIPTION:Brendan Hill\, Associate Dean of Student Affairs at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar\, delivered a CIRS Monthly Dialogue lecture on “Sin and Civil Society: Modernity and Moral Regulation in 18th Century England” on April 6\, 2011. Attending the lecture were students\, faculty and staff\, locally-based ambassadors\, and other members of the Qatar community. \n \n \nTrained as a legal historian\, Hill said that he did not set out to study morality and sin during his research\, but soon became engrossed in the subject of eighteenth century criminalization of behavior and began to study the subject more seriously. Hill’s research focuses on the jurisdictional shifts and the movement away from ecclesiastical courts into secular courts and how this new form of legal\, rather than religious\, control and fashioning of behavior had different effects on society. He pointed to the paradox at the crux of his research which is that the eighteenth century is widely believed to be a time of enlightenment and growing secularization and\, yet\, Hill said during this time there was a growing number of prosecutions for moral offences largely documented by puritans in a movement called the Society for the Reformation of Manners. \n \n \nAlthough there is no common definition of puritanism\, Hill argued\, there is a general consensus among historians that puritans believed that society should be ordered according to an ethical code that is derived from scripture. According to Calvin’s doctrine “the church instructs and the state enforces.” The reason why the fashioning of civil society was so important to puritans\, Hill said\, was because they believed that one person’s guilt was something that was burdened by all individuals in society. “If guilt and judgment are collective\, then the crimes of even a few of us are going to visit God’s wrath upon the whole society. So\, if the notion of sin becomes collectivized\, then the notion of punishment also becomes collectivized\,” Hill explained. \n \n \nHill highlighted the three main contributions that his research makes to the study of legal and church history. The first contribution is to further the understanding of the process of secularization that occurred in England in the eighteenth century and\, by so doing\, problematize the idea that enlightenment Europe was a complete move away from religion into the realm of reason. “Historians and political scientists tend to nowadays take it for granted that English society – and essentially European society – is a secular society” that worked toward the presumed replacement of religious imagination with reason and the separation of church and state. Hill argued that “my research is pointing toward less of a ‘secularization’ of the European imagination and more toward a ‘sacralization’ of civil society. Rather than becoming secular in the eighteenth century\, England was in the process of conflating the secular and the sacred.” \n \n \nThe second contribution his research makes\, Hill said\, was highlighting the fact that puritans and puritanism didn’t really die out in the manner that the restoration literature suggests. Historians usually portray puritans as comical figures that no longer had a voice in the body politic during the eighteenth century. Hill\, however\, suggested that puritan movements actually found a more effective way of channeling their efforts to reform society through “the colonization of civil society” and infiltrating the emerging secular state as officially elected members of parliament. \n \n \nA third contribution to the literature\, Hill said\, is to question the notion of positive progress. He argued that “there is an idea that civil society brings progress and that civil society eradicates old forms\, and that civil society pushes the way through tradition and moves toward modernity.” But\, he said\, the complexities of civil society mean that a new formation of that society can never be fully divorced from the former ideology. Any supposedly liberal society will certainly have strong elements of conservatism in the mix. Hill said that he examines how “civil society in the eighteenth century was not only responsible for the creation of tolerance and the separation of church and state\, but was also responsible for the sacralization of secular society.” \n \n \nHill concluded by outlining the reasons for the decline of official puritanim in England. He argued that the puritans became so prevalent a force in the ordering of civil society that the truly secular elements of the state\, including the monarchs\, became increasingly worried. Regardless of the decline of puritanism per se\, puritans were in fact responsible for the creation of the police state and its monitoring of society as one of the hallmarks of modernity. “In a very strange way\,” Hill said\, “the Society for the Reformation of Manners created the modern state\,” but their influence on current behavioral codes has been forgotten. Over the years\, people have become increasingly ignorant of the puritanical basis of current laws\, including those pertaining to prostitution and blasphemy. \n \n \nBrendan Hill earned his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and his Ph.D. in European History from Georgetown University. He specializes in church and legal history\, and his research focuses specifically on the criminalization of sin and the creation of a godly society at the dawn of the modern era in England. In addition to teaching survey courses on the history of Europe\, England and Ireland\, he teaches smaller seminars on the cultural roots of ethnic conflict and on the evolving relationship between the secular and the sacred in modern Europe.  \n \n \nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, Publications Coordinator
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/brendan-hill-sin-and-civil-society/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Distingushed Lectures,Race & Society
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110410T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110410T180000
DTSTAMP:20260409T065354
CREATED:20141026T124338Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T114356Z
UID:10000979-1302422400-1302458400@cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu
SUMMARY:Aly Verjee on Current Events in Côte d'Ivoire\, Djibouti\, and Sudan
DESCRIPTION:On April 10\, 2011\, CIRS and the African Student Club at Georgetown University in Qatar hosted a Focused Discussion with Aly Verjee\, Senior Researcher at the Rift Valley Institute and a specialist on the contemporary politics of Africa. The lecture was on “Current Events in Côte d’Ivoire\, Djibouti\, and Sudan.” These were countries in which Verjee spent significant amounts of time conducting research and working as an elections observer. \n\nVerjee began by describing current events in the Sudan and the possible outcomes of the recent referendum which was voted in favor of splitting the country into two. He argued that “One of the most interesting and important things about the referendum in Sudan was\, of course\, that it was accepted by both sides.” Despite the positives\, Verjee said\, the peace agreement privileges the ruling parties of both sides at the expense of the people. The referendum had very serious authoritarian undertones where the extremely high percentage of voter turnout was not necessarily due to an organically-formed civic mobilization movement\, but\, rather\, because the ruling party went house to house to ensure all registered voters cast ballots. However\, Verjee said\, despite the exhilaration produced by radical social and political change to the country\, it is important to not to lose sight of the unimplemented social and political rights of the people. Currently in Sudan\, “We have this very unusual circumstance that the vote\, which was largely democratic and which will herald the newest country in Africa\, actually also means that we will have\, from July when Southern Sudan becomes an independent country\, two one-party states. That is a very unorthodox outcome of a democratic process\,” Verjee argued. \n\nEver since the referendum took place\, the international media has focused on describing what the “new” Sudan might look like. Since the north-south issue has become so prominent a topic\, it is important not to forget the other areas of struggle such as Darfur and Kordofan\, which have multi-ethnic and multi-religious populations that do not necessarily identify with the ruling Arab Muslim elite. The communities in these areas would like their rights respected and to enter into self-governance just as the south did. \n\nThe second country Verjee examined was “Djibouti\, which is a stable country in a very unstable neighborhood.” The country is located in a geographically strategic area on the Bab el-Mandeb; the coastal gateway between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea\, which is one of the busiest shipping channels in the world. Verjee said that “Djibouti itself is not important in terms of international trade\, but is very important in the international trade of East Africa.” This is because “85 million Ethiopians depend on all their imports coming through the port of Djibouti” since Ethiopians can no longer rely on Eritrea as a seaport because of deteriorating relations after Eritrea’s secession from Ethiopia. Further\, he noted\, although Djibouti is at the heart of international anti-piracy and anti-terror operations and “the host of the only U.S. military base in the whole of Africa\,” its strategic location is simultaneously important as a channel for illegal migration from Africa into Arabia and Europe. \n\nMoving on to Côte d’Ivoire\, Verjee said that most people in the world should have an interest in what happens there\, not least because it “is the most important country in the world in determining the price of chocolate\,” as it is a main producer and exporter of cocoa beans. However\, despite the country’s relative wealth\, civil war has plagued the country for most of the last decade\, leading to large numbers of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Currently\, the country is again divided by the controversy surrounding the last round of presidential elections\, where both Laurent Gbabgo and Alassane Ouattara claim that they are the true winners. “The elections that were held last year were supposed to end the crisis\, but in fact\, they have only deepened it\,” he explained. \n\nAs a final thought\, Verjee linked the three countries by drawing parallels between them\, including the ways in which the media has shaped public perception and response to events in these places. Secondly\, all three countries are linked by a history of disappointing interpretations of democratic elections. Thirdly\, “in all three of these countries\, there are strategic considerations” and each becomes prioritized internationally based on the richness of its resources or geographic location. Lastly\, Verjee said\, “In all three of these examples\, we can see the prominence and centrality of individuals over systems.” \n\nAly Verjee is author of the recently published Race Against Time: the Countdown to the Referenda in Southern Sudan and Abyei. From 2006-2008\, Verjee helped manage the logistics of the repatriation of Sudanese refugees from Kenya\, Uganda\, DR Congo and the Central African Republic. From 2008–2010\, he helped lead the first ever international election observation mission in Sudan for The Carter Center. In addition\, Verjee also has worked on various assignments in Afghanistan\, Botswana\, China\, Cote d’Ivoire\, DR Congo\, Ghana\, Kenya\, Mozambique\, Senegal\, and South Africa. 
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/aly-verjee-current-events-c%c3%b4te-divoire-djibouti-and-sudan/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Regional Studies
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110418T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110418T180000
DTSTAMP:20260409T065354
CREATED:20141026T123057Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T105303Z
UID:10000977-1303113600-1303149600@cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu
SUMMARY:Part 1: Imam Yahya Hendi's Journey with Islam
DESCRIPTION:Imam Yahya Hendi delivered a two-part CIRS Focused Discussionseries taking the audience on “A Journey with Islam in the 21st Century.” The lectures were co-sponsored and hosted by the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. The first lecture took place on April 18\, 2011\, and focused on “The Paradigms of Islamic Ethics\, Human Rights\, and Social Justice\,” where Hendi examined the religious roots of social justice in the Qur’an. \n \n \nHe argued that since Islam’s main goal is to bring about peace and social justice to the world\, there is a prominent theme that calls for the welfare of all within society with a particular focus on the poor and vulnerable. Hendi said that themes of benevolence and social democracy are often forgotten or even belittled by Muslims who have interpreted the text to suit their own political agendas. “I challenge Muslims\, asking them to produce\, what I call\, a new agenda of how they speak about Islam and how they understand Islam in a way that preserves the authenticity of the text and the authenticity of the essence of faith and yet allow themselves to question and ask tough questions\,” he said. \n \n \nAlthough the past should be respected\, contemporary socio-political challenges and the needs of the moment should be respected as well in order to deal with these new realities. Muslims\, Hendi said\, need to be honest in the critique of the negative aspects of their communities\, rather than fear backlash. Historically\, communal knowledge\, public practice\, and debating known as “’urf” was considered to be a valuable source of Islamic ethics that was consensual and agreed upon by members of the public or Umma. However\, more recently\, Islamic ethicists and scholars have tried to exclude social contributions to Islamic knowledge by claiming sole authority in such matters. “We need to have ethical teachings that are realistic\, that deal with reality\, and that actually can be practiced\,” in order for ethics to be an attainable and manageable concept that is performed by all. Indeed\, the Imam said\, “Islamic ethics honors the concept of ‘wajib’ and tells us about our responsibilities – both personal and public.” \n \n \nImam Hendi is the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University\, the first American University to hire a full-time Muslim chaplain. Imam Hendi is also the Muslim Chaplain at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda\, MD. He has written numerous publications on many topics\, including women in Islam\, women and gender relations in Islam\, the second coming of the Messiah\, Islam and biomedical ethics and religion and Islam in the United States. \n \n \nRead about Part 2 of the Imam’s lecture series.  \n \n \nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, CIRS Publications Coordinator
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/part-1-imam-yahya-hendis-journey-islam/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Distingushed Lectures,Race & Society,Regional Studies
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110419T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110419T200000
DTSTAMP:20260409T065354
CREATED:20141026T122505Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T105258Z
UID:10000861-1303236000-1303243200@cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu
SUMMARY:Part 2: Imam Yahya Hendi's Journey with Islam
DESCRIPTION:Imam Yahya Hendi delivered a two-part CIRS Focused Discussion series taking the audience on “A Journey with Islam in the 21st Century.” The lectures were co-sponsored and hosted by the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Hendi’s second lecture took place on April 19\, 2011\, and highlighted “Women and Gender in the Islamic Religious Texts and Culture.” He argued that the Qur’an clearly states the respected place that women occupy within Islam and argued that many current instances of sexism are as a result of misinterpreting religious text for particular instances of social and political control. Hendi explained that gender relations in the Arab world and beyond are often the result of particular cultural settings rather than scriptural interpretations. Finally\, he said that one gender can only be understood in relation to the other and so it is important for each to always speak of women in Islam in relation to men. \n \n \nThe first lecture took place on April 18\, 2011\, and focused on “The Paradigms of Islamic Ethics\, Human Rights and Social Justice.” \n \n \nImam Hendi is the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University\, the first American University to hire a full-time Muslim chaplain. Imam Hendi is also the Muslim Chaplain at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda\, MD. He has written numerous publications on many topics\, including women in Islam\, women and gender relations in Islam\, the second coming of the Messiah\, Islam and biomedical ethics and religion and Islam in the United States.  \n \n \nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, CIRS Publications Coordinator
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/part-2-imam-yahya-hendis-journey-islam/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Distingushed Lectures,Race & Society,Regional Studies
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110428T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110428T180000
DTSTAMP:20260409T065354
CREATED:20141026T122107Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210902T085530Z
UID:10000859-1303977600-1304013600@cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu
SUMMARY:Arab Spring: European Insights
DESCRIPTION:On April 28\, 2011\, CIRS hosted Teodor Baconschi\, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania\, who gave European insights into the recent and ongoing Arab uprisings taking place in the Middle East. Attending the lecture were Qatar-based ambassadors and embassy staff\, representatives from both regional and international think-tanks and research institutes\, as well as Georgetown University faculty.
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/arab-spring-european-insights/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Regional Studies
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