Secularism and Liberty of Conscience: ABDULLAH AHMED AN-NA'IM & PATRICK WEIL in conversation October 1, 2009

Located in the Martin E. Segal Theatre. No reservations required, free and open to the public

Scholars have recently revived and reiterated strong arguments that legitimate Islamic faith requires religious freedom. Join two prominent scholars and policymakers as they begin with this presumption before moving on to a discussion about the viability of secularism as a barrier against religious coercion. Participants include Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, Charles Howard Chandler Professor of Law at Emory, and author of Islam and the Secular State, and Patrick Weil, Visiting Professor of Law and Robina Foundation International Fellow at Yale Law School and Director of the Center for the Study of Immigration, Integration, and Citizenship Policies at the University of Paris, Pantheon-Sorbonne. Weil has worked extensively with the French government including participation in a 2003 French Presidential Commission on secularism. Moderated by John Torpey, Professor of Sociology, the Graduate Center, CUNY.