Dialogue International

Dialogue Internatioanal presents a unique international movie night… Five Minarets in New York (2010)

Dialogue International — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:18:18 +0000

Wrestling with Free Speech, Religious Freedom, and Democracy in Turkey

Dialogue International — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:34:13 +0000

The speaker event “Wrestling with FreeSpeech, Religious Freedom, and Democracy in Turkey” is being held at Gale VandeBerg Auditorium, 121 Pyle Center on October 28^th, 2011, between 4:30pm-6:00pm

We are honored to have the distinguished speaker, James C. Harrington here at UW-Madison campus to present his discussion, particularly focusing on the political trial of Fethullah Gülen.

The political trial of Fethullah Gülen, a moderate Turkish religious leader, helped to greatly expand civil liberties and strengthen democracy in Turkey. The trial began in 2000 in an Ankara state security court(now disbanded) and ended in 2008 in an appeals court in Gülen’s favor. This book explores Gülen’s trial, examines the evolving process of Turkey’s eﬀorts to enter the European Union, and discusses ways that the EU’s insistence on expanding civil liberties in Turkey and reforming the judicial system aﬀected the outcome of the trial(and vice versa). As a coda, the book considers unsuccessful eﬀorts to block Gülen’s application for immigrant status in the United States as a religious scholar, which occurred during the same time as his political trial in Turkey.

About the author:

James C. Harrington, a human rights attorney with nearly four decades of experience, is founder and director of the Texas Civil Rights Project. He has taught at the University of Texas School of Law for twenty-one years. Harrington has handled landmark civil rights cases, written and published widely, and served on human rights delegations in diﬀerent areas of the world. Harrington is author of Wrestling with Free Speech, Religious Freedom, and Democracy in Turkey: The Political Trials and Times of Fethullah Gülen, The Texas Bill of Rights: A Commentary and Litigation Manual, myriad law review articles, a wide assortment of op-ed pieces, and various book reviews.

The Great Night of Rumi

Dialogue International — Mon, 23 May 2011 03:29:36 +0000

In remembrance of the great poet, jurist, theologian and Sufi mistic Mevlana Jalaleddin-i Rumi, Diagloauge International hosted a musical event accompanied by a series of selected Poets by Rumi.

You may obtain the slides presented by clicking here.

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Turkey and the Restructuring of the Middle Eastern Regime Presented by Kerim Balci [Video]

Dialogue International — Wed, 18 May 2011 23:11:52 +0000

The speaker event “Turkey and the Restructuring of the Middle Eastern Regime” was held at Gale VandeBerg Auditorium, Pyle Center on April 18^th, 2011.

We are honored to have the distinguished speaker, Kerim Balci here at UW-Madison campus to present his discussion, particularly focusing on the recent developments in the Middle East.

Part I

About the Speaker:
Kerim Balci is a Turkish writer, journalist and academician. Kerim Balci (b. 1971) is recently the editor in chief of Turkish Review, a bimonthly journal published by Zaman Media Group of Turkey. Balci is a frequent columnist in Today’s Zaman and
Zaman dailies, both the largest circulating newspapers in their boulevards, and correspondents to several local and international TV channels on issues related to the Middle East.

Kerim Balci studied Physics and Political Science and International Relations in the Bosporus University of Turkey. He has an MA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the city where he served as the representative of Zaman Turkish Daily for eight years. Balci is currently a PhD candidate at the Durham University of the UK on linguistic philosophy.

Sponsors
ASM Associated Students of Madison

Sudan Scenarios: The Countdown to the Referenda in the South and Abyei (DI Luncheon Series)

Dialogue International — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:02:49 +0000

Professor Sharon’s speech will contextualize the rapidly approaching January 2011 referenda on the political future of Sudan and offer prospective scenarios about possible outcomes.

Prof. Sharon E. Hutchinson

Ph.D.,. University of Chicago, 1988
Professor of Anthropology
UW-Madison since 1990

Time: December 7^th, 12:00pm

Place : MSC Lounge, Red Gym

Pizza will be served!

Ethics in Engineering and Science: Fethullah Gulen’s Model

Dialogue International — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:57:24 +0000

The writings of Fethullah Gülen, a renowned Turkish Muslim scholar and educator, have inspired an international education movement that extends far beyond the borders of Turkey. With schools in over 100 different countries, the Gülen movement synthesizes scientific education with moral teaching in an attempt to redress the historically myopic methodology of science. Globalization has made more scientific knowledge available to more people than at any other point in time. However, in order for this knowledge to become a catalyst for peace rather than discord, Gulen insists that scientific education must be accompanied by instruction in universal ethical values. These values, shared by the major world religions, form the foundation for Gulen’s characteristic teachings and offer an alternative to the compartmentalization of both science and religion perpetuated by modern educational practice.
According to Gulen, religions traditionally understood to be in irreconcilable conflict with each other actually share similar ethical considerations and confront many of the same global problems. Fundamentalist violence, the pollution of natural resources, hunger, climate change, and the threat of an eroding cultural morality are global problems that affect everyone, regardless of religion. Gulen argues that only by acknowledging these common goals and concerns can violent misunderstandings be avoided. Often establishing himself in opposition to the popular “clash of civilizations” thesis, Gulen perceives in globalization the potential for peaceful, even enlightening, co-existence, as members of different religious groups learn to look beyond disparate practices and acknowledge the shared ethical values that define their respective traditions. By encouraging the instruction of universal ethical values, Gulen sidesteps the tension between religion and secularism in education, positing an educational model that acknowledges and even depends upon the diversity offered by globalization. Gulen’s educational model proposes a fully modern, scientific curriculum enriched by ethical teaching in order to facilitate the material and spiritual development of students in a multi-religious society.

Time : November 9th, 5:30 pm

Place : 1170 Grainger Hall

Yetkin Yildirim, Ph.D., is a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and the vice president and founding member of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog. He received his MA and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include interfaith dialog, conflict resolution, Islam, and Sufism. He has organized several conferences including at the University of Texas at Austin and St. Edwards University including, “Preventing another September 11^th”, “Living Together through the Legacy of Abraham”, and “Clash of Civilizations.” His “Islamic Perspectives on Spirituality in Childhood and Adolescence,” appeared as a chapter in Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World’s Religious Traditions. He has presented papers at the AMSS 33rd Annual Conference at Washington DC, the 2005 Middle East and Central Asia Politics, Economics, and Society Conference, and the American Academy of Religion Conference.

Secularism and Islam in Turkey: A Historical Perspective by Mustafa Gökçek

Dialogue International — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 02:56:46 +0000

The speaker event “Secularism and Islam in Turkey: A Historical Perspective” was held at 1221 Humanities building on April 23^rd, 2010.

The current debates in Turkey on secularism and the role of Islam in government have their roots in the Ottoman Empire. The late Ottoman intellectual debates were vibrant and passionate in bringing up most controversial issues including the secularization of the Ottoman state. The spread of nationalism through the Turkic intellectuals of Russia enabled the development of secularist ideas in the Ottoman Empire. This speaker event looks into the late Ottoman debates on secularism and Islam, and discusses how ideas of modernization, nationalism, and secularization were combined in an Islamic discourse. Total length of the event is 55 minutes, which can be viewed as a video file at bottom of this page.

About the Speaker

Dr. Mustafa Gökçek received his BA and MA in International Relations at Bilkent University in Ankara. After studying Russian and conducting research in Moscow for his master’s thesis on the Caspian Sea and legal issues among its littoral states, he pursued doctoral studies in History at the UW-Madison. Dr. Gökçek wrote his dissertation on Tatar intellectual influence in the late Ottoman discussions on Islam and nationalism. He is currently an Assistant Professor of History at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, NY, teaching courses on Middle Eastern, Russian, and Central Asian history.

Sponsors

ASM Associated Students of Madison

MSC Multicultural Council – Multi Cultural Student Center

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Rumi Celebration

Dialogue International — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:13:15 +0000

Rumi Celebration

7 April 2010

In the memory of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi.

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Panel: Peace in The Religions of Abraham

Dialogue International — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:31:16 +0000

Speakers
Prof. Jim Goulding
Prof. Ali Yurtsever
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman

Topic
Peace in The Religions of Abraham
“The faith of Abraham as Exemplified in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Scriptures”
Sponsors
ASM Associated Students of Madison
MSC Multicultural Council – Multi Cultural Student Center

When
March 3, 2010
Wednesday
5:30 pm

Where
UW-Madison
4151 Grainger Hall

975 University Av.
Madison, WI 53706

DI Speaker Series: Dialogue or Death by Leonard J. Swidler

Dialogue International — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:04:52 +0000

Speaker

Professor of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Leonard J. Swidler is Professor of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA where he has taught since 1966. He is the co-founder (in 1964, with Arlene Swidler) and Editor of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies (quarterly). He is also the Founder/President of the Dialogue Institute – Interreligious, Intercultural, International (1978–), and the Founder/President of the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (1980–).

Topic
Dialogue or Death

Sponsors
ASM Associated Students of Madison
MSC Multicultural Council – Multi Cultural Student Center

When
November 23, 2009
Monday
5:30 pm

Where
UW-Madison
University of Wisconsin School of Business
2020 Grainger Hall
Room: 2080 (Nicholas Hall)

975 University Ave
Madison, WI 53706

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