In Person

Dr. Mahmoud Ayoub, Faculty Associate in Shi‘ite Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Hartford Seminary

Maria Ebrahimji, Executive Editorial Producer, CNN

Daisy Khan, Executive Director, American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA)

Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, Assistant Professor of Religion, Department of Religion, University of Florida

Moderator: Ibrahim Abdil-Mu’id Ramey, Director of Human Rights Division, Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation

Is violence in the name of religion a central tenet of, or unique to, Islam? The religion of Islam, and Muslims throughout the world, is often portrayed by the media as intolerant and incapable of peaceful coexistence with Christians, Jews, and other faith communities. Many Muslims believe, despite the clear evidence of sectarian violence done in the name of their religion, that this is an unbalanced, even biased mischaracterization of a global community of over a billion people.

On the thirtieth anniversary of the taking of American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, a panel of Muslim and non-Muslim media professionals and scholars will examine the complex issues of both religious extremism and the Islamic quest for social justice.