Former President Bill Clinton to Lead Panelists at NYU Conference On America and the Islamic World A one-day conference on “Islam and America in a Global World” will be held at New York University School of Law. The conference, prompted by the tragedy of September 11, will provide a forum to improve American understanding of Islam by highlighting its politics, views of America and diversity of values.
The conference will be held Thursday, January 24, 2002 at the NYU School of Law, 40 Washington Square South, beginning at 9:30 AM. Participants will include leading voices from politics, business, journalism, and academia.
Former President Bill Clinton will lead and participate in a series of panels throughout the daylong conference. The conference is co-sponsored by the NYU School of Law, the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and the Georgetown University Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.
The NYU School of Law brings the world’s leading law professors and law students to NYU, where they teach, research and study side by side with their American counterparts through its renowned Hauser Global Law School Program, conceived in 1993. In 1998 and 1999, the Law School’s Global Program initiated a series of landmark Dialogues in collaboration with the White House, in which President Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other world leaders participated at NYU sites in New York and Florence.
“An essential role for Universities in public life is to convey the ideas that matter,” said John Sexton, Dean of the NYU School of Law and President-designate of NYU. “The Law School’s 1998 and 1999 Global Dialogues demonstrated the Law School’s commitment to creating a critical forum for new ideas at the highest levels of government, and this conference follows in that vein.
“New York is the world’s city, even more vividly since the tragic events of September 11, and NYU shares this city’s name and its history. The University has held many gatherings of scholars, students and citizens since 9/11, and Islam and America in a Global World’ is another example of how the University is working to make itself a center for new ideas for rebuilding trust, understanding, and community. These are critical issues for critical times, and we are pleased and honored that former President Bill Clinton will be at the conference throughout the day to participate.”
Professor Noah Feldman, who is the NYU organizer of the jointly sponsored conference, said, “This conference should give us a unique opportunity to discuss Islam, democracy, and the future with a remarkable range of Muslim and other voices.”
New York University has held, hosted, or participated in many academic and scholarly activities connected to the September 11 tragedy. These include:
- “The Next New York,” sponsored on December 7 by NYU’s Metropolitan Studies Department and the Taub Urban Research Center, on New York City in the light of a new Mayoralty, a downturn in the economy and the aftermath of 9/11.
- The hosting, by the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service’s Institute for Civil Infrastructure Systems, of a December 12th and 13th National Science Foundation conference on the engineering, science, and infrastructure issues presented by the 9/11 tragedy.
- The hosting, at the NYU Law School, of a public forum organized by an NYU School of Medicine researcher, which enabled environmental medicine researchers from throughout the metropolitan area to share early findings on the impact of the World Trade Center fire and collapse
- The hosting, by NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education’s Department of Applied Psychology, of numerous seminars on post 9/11 parenting issues, open to both the NYU community and the public
- The substantial involvement of the NYU Journalism Department in the publication of the first book about the terrorist attacks, 09/11 8:48 a.m.: Documenting America’s Greatest Tragedy
- The hosting, at the NYU Law School, of a panel on law and religion after 9/11, with speakers from the Law School, the Dept. of Middle Eastern Studies, and the New York Legal community.
- A November satellite teleconference of students from NYU’s Gallatin School and from American University in Cairo to discuss 9/11 and issues affecting the Middle East
- The co-hosting by the Wagner School and the Law School of the Civic Alliance To Rebuild Downtown New York’s February 7th forum, using “electronic town meeting” technology to to begin a process for citizen involvement in the downtown redevelopment process.
- The hosting, by the Stern School of Business, of a “CEO Summit” featuring WTC landlord Larry Silverstein to discuss economic prospects in a post-9/11 world.
- A September teach-in held by the Department of Middle Eastern Studies on Islam
- The presentation by the Institute of French Studies of three speakers who discussed the September 11 attacks from a French perspective
- An expert panel discussion hosted by the Wagner School and the Gallatin School on November 14th about the country’s health system’s preparedness for terrorist attacks.
The one-day conference will consist of four panels. These are:
- “What Does the Islamic World Think of America: Who We Are and What We Do?”
- “Islam in a Modern World”
- “The Changing Role of Women in Muslim Society”
- “The U.S. and the Islamic World: Where Do We Go From Here?”
“Islam and America in a Global World” will be held on Jan. 24, with panel sessions beginning at 9:30AM at the NYU School of Law, Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South.
[Due to space constraints, media coverage will be pooled. There will be an overflow room, which will provide video of the conference, as well as video and audio feeds].
Press should contact John Beckman, Joan Dim, or Ken Brown at 212.998.6840.