New York University s Center for Dialogues: Islamic World - US - the West, in cooperation with the British Council, will host a panel discussion, Our Shared Europe, to highlight the policy implications of rethinking European identity as a shared and partly Muslim identity on Thurs., Sept. 25, 6:30-9:00 p.m. at NYU s Casa Italiana, 24 West 12th Street (betw. 5th and 6th Avenues).

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New York University’s Center for Dialogues: Islamic World - US - the West, in cooperation with the British Council, will host a panel discussion, “Our Shared Europe,” to highlight the policy implications of rethinking “European identity” as a shared and partly Muslim identity on Thurs., Sept. 25, 6:30-9:00 p.m. at NYU’s Casa Italiana, 24 West 12th Street (betw. 5th and 6th Avenues). Subways: 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W (Union Square)

This event is free and open to the public. To RSVP, or for any questions, please call 212.998.8693 or email Vanessa.Kirkpatrick@nyu.edu.

The panel will include: David Levering-Lewis, professor of history at NYU and author of the recent God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe; Mohamed Arkoun, emeritus professor of the history of Islamic thought at the Sorbonne; Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference; selected European foreign ministers; and Mustapha Tlili, the Center’s director, who will moderate the session.

“Our Shared Europe” is a concept grounded in the recognition that “Islam” and “the West” are not opposite terms. “Islam” and “the West” are in fact closely connected - a connection that starts and continues with Europe. For the past 1300 years, cultural and commercial interactions between Muslims and Europeans have helped define “European identity,” making today’s Europe a shared space. The concept of “sharing” recognizes the importance of these interactions and offers a more accurate way of describing European identity - an identity that Americans also share.


Editor’s Note:
New York University’s Center for Dialogues: Islamic World-U.S.-The West emerged from the tragedy of September 11th, which highlighted the need for greater communication among and about the United States, Europe, and the Muslim world. The Center was founded as a forum for constructive debate between the various religious, intellectual, economic, and political sectors of American, European, and Islamic societies. It brings contentious issues between the Islamic world and the West into a more rational plane and promotes this approach to a wide audience, including the important constituencies of policy and decision-makers, policy analysts, the media, and educational institutions. The Center is located at 194 Mercer Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY, 10012.

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