WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY TO HOLD FORUM ON ISLAM

A forum designed to offer insight into the religion of Islam from two different perspectives is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30 at William Paterson University in Wayne.
"Perspectives on Islam Forum: Islam and Radical Islamists--A World of Differences and Beyond the Veil--Women and Islam" will be held in the Machuga Student Center rooms 203-5 from noon to 2 p.m. Admission is free.

Maboud Ansari, a professor of sociology at William Paterson, will begin the program with a discussion of Islam and its radical branches. Ansari, the author or translator of four books, teaches a variety of courses including the history of social theory, Muslims and Islamic U. S. institutions, and the sociology of organizations. He is currently researching a book which focuses on Muslims in New Jersey.

"Beyond the Veil" is the topic of the second lecture by Gisela Webb, an associate professor in the Religious Studies Department at Seton Hall University (SHU) in West Orange. At Seton Hall, she is the director of the honors program and is the faculty advisor to the Salaam Organization (Islamic Cultural Awareness Association) of SHU. Her recent work has focused on Muslim-Christian relations, developments in Islamic religion and Muslim women’s studies.
The forum offers participants a question and answer period after the lectures. The event, which is sponsored by the New Jersey Project and the University’s Office of Employment Equity and Diversity, is open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

For additional information, please call Patricia Williams in the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity at 973-720-2954.

# # #

1/24/02
For Further Information, contact:

Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966