Acclaimed scholar Dr. Radwan Al-Sayyed to deliver public lecture on Political Islam at Georgetown

Georgetown University in Qatar will be hosting acclaimed scholar Dr. Radwan Al-Sayyed for a public lecture titled “Political Islam: Today and Tomorrow” to be held on the school’s Education City campus on March 14, at 6:00 PM.

The lecture, which will be delivered in Arabic with English translation provided, is part of the university’s Annual Cultural Season. This is a series of public events featuring thinkers, writers, artists, and academics from the Arab World that provide native Arabic speaking students enrolled in GU-Q’s Heritage Learners program a chance to immerse themselves in the language.

Commenting on the upcoming event, Professor Al Sayyed said, “Political Islam has been a hot topic for decades. The recent events of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ has once more brought it to the top of the ‘hot topics’ list, especially in Egypt, the source of the mainstream Islamic political movement, the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt is where several crucial events have occurred that affect the shape of Islamic thought today and into the future. These events are historical and they should be well studied. So it is my hope to deliver my thoughts on them at Georgetown, which is just the right audience to discuss this issue.”

The topic, he notes, is a challenging one. “This topic is a combination of religion and politics, and each one of these is complicated on its own. These days, the situation in the region makes this topic even more challenging as we are witnessing the rise and fall of several Islamic political movements or parties with different ideologies or views of the world. Many questions are being raised regarding the events that are unfolding.”

“Prof. Al Sayed is one of the most prominent Arab and Islamic thinkers of our time. Since our students at GU-Q are majoring in Foreign Affairs, it would be a great opportunity to host such a guest who would offer our students a lot of credible knowledge in such a vital topic that is strongly related to their major,” said Professor Abbass al Tonsi, Senior Lecturer and Arabic Program Director . 

Dr. Al Sayyed is a professor of Islamic Studies at the Lebanese University. He was Director of the Arab Development Institute, Editor of the "Arab Thought" journal, Director of the Islamic Studies Institute and Co-editor of "Al-Ijtihad" Quarterly. He has authored many articles, books and studies, mostly focusing on Islamic cultural history, ancient and modern Islamic fiqh, as well as ancient and modern political Islamic thought. He studied at the Religious Institute in Beirut and followed his academic courses at the Religious Academy of Al Azhar, Cairo in 1970. In 1973, he obtained a scholarship from the Konrad Adenauer German Institution where he obtained a Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1977. 

More information on how to attend the free public event is available on the university’s website.