2008 Woodie Awards
Acclaimed author speaks at Southeast
Sarabeth Jones
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: News
Anouar Majid, English professor at the University of New England and author of "A Call for Heresy: Why Dissent is Vital to Islam," discussed his book with a group of students and faculty Mar. 27 in Glenn Auditorium at 7 p.m.
Majid often compared Muslim and American cultures. He said that non-American Muslims and Americans sometimes misunderstand one another. "Arabs and Muslims know equally little about American culture," he said. "They don't know what matters about American culture."
Majid said that Arab and Muslim cultures could learn from American history, particularly the revolution and the conflict between secularism and religion.
Majid said officials have tried to "combine democracy and Islam in some way" in Iraq and that the Iraqi constitution says that Islam is the official religion of the country and the president must be a Muslim.
He said the problem is that religious minorities are now "besieged," with extremists even attacking liquor stores because the religion condemns drinking alcohol. Majid said that Christians and homosexuals are also persecuted in Iraq now.
"What is lacking is a culture of freedom," he said. "That's what's lacking in the Arab-Muslim world."
"That's the fiasco of the intervention," he said of the war in Iraq.
"The U.S is not equipped to intervene," Majid said, because it is "in a state of decline which would make an intervention a rather strange thing to do." He said that the U.S. needs to take care of its own affairs first.
However, Majid later said that a few minority groups in Iraq have more freedom now. He noted that "the liberation of the Shia and the Kurds who had been decimated by Saddam Hussein" has been one positive outcome from the war. "They have been historically totally subjugated," he said.
Majid also said that the main oppressive force in Islam is actually a certain way of looking at Islam that makes believers "incapable of thinking for themselves."
Majid also discussed the economy and quality of life. "Are we just living to make ends meet?" he asked. "Or do you want to think a little bit about the meaning of life?"
"We are all trying to figure out our destinies in life," he said. "What is the economy doing to the kind of life I want to live?"
Majid said that sometimes extremists point out the negative qualities of American culture to show their followers why they shouldn't follow the U.S. example at all.
"The stories we need to share with them are those of the American Revolution," he said.
Majid also clarified his definition of heresy. "There is pressure from everywhere to conform, to conform with what exists," he said. "Heresy is not necessarily to be an atheist," he said, explaining that a heretic is someone who is willing to "think outside the box."
Majid mentioned several times that he is from Morocco. English professor Susan Swartwout, publisher for the Southeast University Press, said that Majid has taught at the University of New England for 17 years. According to his profile on the University of New England's Web site at http://www.une.edu/cas/profile5.asp, Majid has also written a novel, "Si Yussef." In 2003, he co-founded and began editing the first Moroccan-American magazine of "ideas and culture," Tingis.
Swartwout said that about 40 students attended the lecture and that Majid also visited three classes on campus. "Those students with whom I've spoken said that they learned much and were very stimulated by his ideas," she said.
Swartwout also explained what brought Majid to Southeast. She said she received a copy of his book from the University of Minnesota Press to be reviewed for Southeast University Press's magazine, Big Muddy.
"I was very impressed with the book and contacted the publisher to see if Dr. Majid might consider traveling all the way from Maine to visit our campus as part of the FFR (Funding for Results) grant," Swartwout said.
According to the Web site for the Office of the Provost at Southeast at http://www2.semo.edu/provost/ffr/, "Missouri… supports a campus-level Funding for Results program. Southeast's approach merges Funding for Results with Strategic Planning. Our Funding for Results program provides a mechanism to fund those strategic initiatives having to do with the enhancement of teaching and learning."
Swartwout said the next scheduled speaker using the grant is Dr. Roberta Harding, law professor from University of Kentucky, who will be speaking April 10 on "Race, Class and Diversity."
Majid often compared Muslim and American cultures. He said that non-American Muslims and Americans sometimes misunderstand one another. "Arabs and Muslims know equally little about American culture," he said. "They don't know what matters about American culture."
Majid said that Arab and Muslim cultures could learn from American history, particularly the revolution and the conflict between secularism and religion.
Majid said officials have tried to "combine democracy and Islam in some way" in Iraq and that the Iraqi constitution says that Islam is the official religion of the country and the president must be a Muslim.
He said the problem is that religious minorities are now "besieged," with extremists even attacking liquor stores because the religion condemns drinking alcohol. Majid said that Christians and homosexuals are also persecuted in Iraq now.
"What is lacking is a culture of freedom," he said. "That's what's lacking in the Arab-Muslim world."
"That's the fiasco of the intervention," he said of the war in Iraq.
"The U.S is not equipped to intervene," Majid said, because it is "in a state of decline which would make an intervention a rather strange thing to do." He said that the U.S. needs to take care of its own affairs first.
However, Majid later said that a few minority groups in Iraq have more freedom now. He noted that "the liberation of the Shia and the Kurds who had been decimated by Saddam Hussein" has been one positive outcome from the war. "They have been historically totally subjugated," he said.
Majid also said that the main oppressive force in Islam is actually a certain way of looking at Islam that makes believers "incapable of thinking for themselves."
Majid also discussed the economy and quality of life. "Are we just living to make ends meet?" he asked. "Or do you want to think a little bit about the meaning of life?"
"We are all trying to figure out our destinies in life," he said. "What is the economy doing to the kind of life I want to live?"
Majid said that sometimes extremists point out the negative qualities of American culture to show their followers why they shouldn't follow the U.S. example at all.
"The stories we need to share with them are those of the American Revolution," he said.
Majid also clarified his definition of heresy. "There is pressure from everywhere to conform, to conform with what exists," he said. "Heresy is not necessarily to be an atheist," he said, explaining that a heretic is someone who is willing to "think outside the box."
Majid mentioned several times that he is from Morocco. English professor Susan Swartwout, publisher for the Southeast University Press, said that Majid has taught at the University of New England for 17 years. According to his profile on the University of New England's Web site at http://www.une.edu/cas/profile5.asp, Majid has also written a novel, "Si Yussef." In 2003, he co-founded and began editing the first Moroccan-American magazine of "ideas and culture," Tingis.
Swartwout said that about 40 students attended the lecture and that Majid also visited three classes on campus. "Those students with whom I've spoken said that they learned much and were very stimulated by his ideas," she said.
Swartwout also explained what brought Majid to Southeast. She said she received a copy of his book from the University of Minnesota Press to be reviewed for Southeast University Press's magazine, Big Muddy.
"I was very impressed with the book and contacted the publisher to see if Dr. Majid might consider traveling all the way from Maine to visit our campus as part of the FFR (Funding for Results) grant," Swartwout said.
According to the Web site for the Office of the Provost at Southeast at http://www2.semo.edu/provost/ffr/, "Missouri… supports a campus-level Funding for Results program. Southeast's approach merges Funding for Results with Strategic Planning. Our Funding for Results program provides a mechanism to fund those strategic initiatives having to do with the enhancement of teaching and learning."
Swartwout said the next scheduled speaker using the grant is Dr. Roberta Harding, law professor from University of Kentucky, who will be speaking April 10 on "Race, Class and Diversity."
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