Archive for April, 2016
UT professor to discuss “Is ISIS Islamic?”
Wednesday, April 6th, 2016Less than a month after the Brussels attacks, there are many questions surrounding the terrorist group ISIS. “Is ISIS Islamic?” will be the topic of the annual Imam Khattab Lecture on Islamic Thought by Dr. Ovamir Anjum, UT Imam Khattab Endowed Chair of Islamic Studies.
The free, public lecture will be 7 p.m. Thursday, April 7 in the Driscoll Alumni Auditorium.
“In the face of these terrible terrorist attacks in Brussels, France, Turkey and Pakistan, there is a lot of emotion and fear,” he said. “To understand the situation better, I think it’s good for us all, especially with the ongoing elections, to have these discussions.”
Anjum spoke on the topic last fall for the series, “Windows on Contemporary Islamic Issues,” following the Paris attacks, stating that ISIS is not Islamic, but rather Saddam Hussein’s radical legacy. Modern scholars consider ISIS a modern-day Kharijites — a heretical group known for violence, he said.
Expanding on his previous talk, Anjum said he plans to reflect on three points: what conditions created ISIS; how everyone in the Islamic tradition condemns the acts of ISIS; and the disturbing phenomenon of young people, especially Westerners, joining ISIS.
With a larger audience, Anjum said he hopes to spark conversations in the community.
This lecture is part of the UT Center for Religious Understanding’s annual lecture series, which has been active for more than a decade. The center promotes a deeper understanding of religion on campus and in greater Toledo.
Media Coverage
13 ABC (April 8, 2016)
First be-WISE-er event to promote smart decisions
Friday, April 1st, 2016|
The Alpha Kappa Psi Chapter at The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation is presenting an event to combat substance abuse. Called be-WISE-er, it will take place Tuesday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium. “All it takes is one sip, one time and one night to end your world,” said Natalie Alexandra Zerucha, the Awareness and Safety Chair of UT College of Business and Innovation’s Alpha Kappa Psi Chapter. “We want all students to simply ‘be wiser’ about their choices.” Keynote speakers will be Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, who will share his experience of losing his 18-year-old son in a drunk-driving accident, and Matt Bell, one of the founders of Team Recovery, a local organization of recovering heroin addicts who are working to help other addicts get sober. “We’re not here to judge,” Zerucha said. “We’re here to tell our fellow classmates that we want them to get the dream job that they came to college to get an education for. However, we hope the people that we asked to join us will be a reminder that anything can happen.” The free event is open to all UT students and the general public. Doors will open at 7 p.m. with free food and prizes. Alpha Kappa Psi is the oldest and largest professional business fraternity. Media Coverage |