CSRS 2011 Distinguished Lecture in Islam

Amyn Sajoo
Centre for the Comparative Study of Muslim Societies and Cultures
Simon Fraser University

From conspicuous mosques and headscarves to political cartoons, burnings of the Qur’an and plots of terror, the shadow of 9/11 seems long and wide. For many in the West, all this spells a retreat from the promise of a “rational modernity” where Religion knows its place as a private matter. Weren’t human rights to serve as our secular religion, with a priesthood of judges and lawyers to settle the clashes of free conscience and expression? Yet on all sides there is discontent with the outcome. In rethinking what effective citizenship means, where is the ethical compass to be sought in a pluralist society committed to the dignity of the individual and the communities to which she/he belongs?

Amyn B. Sajoo is a distinguished scholar, author and lecturer on the role of religion in democratic life. Educated at the University of London and McGill University, he has served as an advisor to the Canadian departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs and has held numerous visiting appointments at universities in Canada, Singapore and the UK. Dr. Sajoo’s recent books include A Companion to the Muslim World (2009), Muslim Modernities (2008) and Muslim Ethics: Emerging Vistas (2004). He is a frequent contributor to news media on both sides of the Atlantic, including The Globe and Mail, The Guardian and CBC Radio.