"ISLAM AND EDUCATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY"

with

Abdou Filali-Ansary

In the third event of Hudson Institute’s seminar series on Islam and Democracy, leading Muslim scholar Abdou Filali-Ansary will discuss the present state of education in Muslim societies and the prospects for reform. Dr. Filali-Ansary will examine the modern history of education in Muslim countries, how the educational systems that emerged in the Middle East during decolonization have impacted the social and political development of these societies, and the role and importance of education for building free and prosperous societies in the future.

Abdou Filali-Ansary is director of the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations at the Aga Khan University in London. He served from 1984 to 2001 as the founding director of the King Abdul-Aziz Foundation for Islamic Studies and Human Sciences in Casablanca, Morocco, having previously taught modern philosophy in the Faculty of Letters in Rabat. Dr. Filali-Ansary has contributed widely to discourses on democratization and civil society in the Middle East and, in 1993, he co-founded the bilingual Arabic and French journal Prologues: revue maghrébine du livre. His works include a translation into French of Ali Abderraziq’s ground-breaking book, Islam and the Foundations of Political Power (La Découverte and Le Fennec, 1994), and many essays such as "Is Islam Hostile to Secularism?" (Le Fennec, 1996, 1999) and "Reforming Islam: An Introduction to Contemporary Debates" (Paris: La Découverte, 2003).

The purpose of Hudson Institute's Center on Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World is to research and analyze the ideological dimension of Islamism and radical Islam, and to encourage and support moderate and democratic alternatives within the Muslim world. As part of this effort, the center has established the Islam and Democracy Project, a series of seminars and conferences with Muslim scholars and leaders on the present and future relationship between Islam and democracy.

Hudson Institute is a non-partisan policy research organization dedicated to innovative research and analysis that promotes global security, prosperity and freedom. We challenge conventional thinking and help manage strategic transitions to the future through interdisciplinary and collaborative studies in defense, international relations, economics, culture, science, technology and law. Through publications, conferences and policy recommendations, we seek to guide global leaders in government and business.