Grant to boost reform in Muslim world
May 8, 2008
Ohio University’s African Studies and Southeast Asian Studies National Resource Centers have been awarded a joint two-year Social Science Research Council grant to draw attention to reform and progress in the contemporary Muslim world, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia.
The goal of the project is to increase public understanding of the religion and the diversity of viewpoints that can be considered “Muslim” by increasing the exposure of media professionals and educators to the religion, according to a press release.
“There is an urgent need to introduce to media professionals, university educators and students the idea that there are progressive forces at work in Islamic communities around the world,” said Steve Howard, director of the National Resource Center for African Studies, in the release.
Howard authored the grant proposal in collaboration with Elizabeth Collins, associate professor of classics and world religions at OU and former director of the National Resource Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
According to the release, the project was inspired by the upcoming 100th anniversary of the birth of Sudanese teacher and Islamic reformer Mahmoud Mohamed Taha (1909-1985).
Planned projects include a lecture series featuring contemporary Islamic thinkers and scholars, workshops for journalists, press conferences, and a series of radio interviews.
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