Jonathan Brown – Canaries in a Coal Mine: How Islamophobia Threatens All Americans
About this lecture
The portrayal of Muslims and other minorities has led many to be confused about Muslims, Islam, and other minority groups, who are at the receiving-end of discrimination and prejudice in this country. However, discrimination not only affects marginalized groups, but affects all Americans whether or not we realize it, and only perpetuates fear and misunderstandings of the ‘other’. Brown’s presentation addresses not only Islamophobia, but other forms of discrimination that takes place–whether it is at your local grocery store or on campus–and how education alone will not work to change the current situation. Brown’s talk sheds light unto how Islamophobia–or any other type of marginalization — is detrimental to a pluralistic society and in addressing broader issues plaguing our society. Brown speaks on how, especially as Americans, it is essential that we have the same fervor our Founding Fathers envisioned towards respecting and ensuring our inalienable rights and freedoms — for all. Recorded Sept. 7, 2017, in Mayser Gymnasium.
Jonathan AC Brown is Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies in the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He received his BA in History from Georgetown University in 2000 and his doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago in 2006. Dr. Brown has studied and conducted research in Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia and Iran, and he is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His book publications include The Canonization of al-Bukhari and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunni Hadith Canon (Brill, 2007), Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World (Oneworld, 2009) and Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2011). He has published articles in the fields of Hadith, Islamic law, Sufism, Arabic lexical theory and Pre-Islamic poetry and is the editor in chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Islamic Law. Dr. Brown’s current research interests include the history of forgery and historical criticism in Islamic civilization, comparison with the Western tradition; and modern conflicts between Late Sunni Traditionalism and Salafism in Islamic thought.
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