The New York University Center for Dialogues: Islamic World-U.S.-The West will host a roundtable discussion, “Muslim European Women: Challenges and Opportunities,” on Tuesday, February 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at NYU’s Casa Italiana, 24 West 12th S. This event, co-sponsored with the Consulate General of Sweden, is free and open to the public. To RSVP, or for any questions, call 212.998.8693
The New York University Center for Dialogues: Islamic World-U.S.-The West will host a roundtable discussion, “Muslim European Women: Challenges and Opportunities,” on Tuesday, February 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at NYU’s Casa Italiana, 24 West 12th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues). Subways: 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W (Union Square).
This event, co-sponsored with the Consulate General of Sweden, is free and open to the public. To RSVP, or for any questions, call 212.998.8693 or email info@centerfordialogues.org. For a complete schedule of sessions, go to www.centerfordialogues.org. Reporters interested in attending must contact James Devitt, NYU’s deputy director for media relations, at 212.998.6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu.
Observers see Europe as an ambivalently welcoming space for Muslims generally and especially so for Muslim women. Yet several recent studies have confirmed that Muslim European women are actively engaged in multiple spheres of European life and are becoming leading agents of change within their local and national communities. Although many still operate under some form of constraint-whether due to ethnic or religious expectations or simple prejudice-they are instrumental in infusing a new vitality into “old” Europe. What challenges and opportunities do Muslim European women currently face: at work, at school, at home, and in the political sphere? The session will examine the prevailing pessimism-particularly in the media and political spheres-that surrounds Muslim European women. It will consider the policy implications of an alternative approach, which considers Muslim European women as engaged actors within the framework of a European identity.
The event’s speakers include: Jocelyne Cesari, director of Harvard University’s “Islam in the West” Program; author Assia Djebar, NYU Silver Professor and professor of French; and Ann Dismorr, former Swedish Ambassador and author of Turkey Decoded. Mustapha Tlili, founder and director of the NYU Center for Dialogues, will offer opening remarks, and Andrea L. Stanton, the center’s assistant director, will moderate the discussion.
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 among 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. For more, go to www.centerfordialogues.org.