Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys Lecture & Film Series

Join us for our first lecture in our Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys Lecture Series on Sunday, March 3 at 2pm. We our honored to host Faculty Fellow and Associate University Chaplain at Northwestern University, Ms. Tahera Ahmad. Ms. Ahmad will present a discussion focused on Dr. Ingrid Mattson's book, The Story of the Qur'an: Its History and Place in Muslim Life. Dr. Mattson's book is one of the featured titles in the Muslim Journey's Bookshelf, a collection of books and films awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, along with the American Library Association. Seating is limited, please RSVP online or call us at 815-534-6173 to reserve a seat.

We continue our lecture series on Tuesday, May 14 at 7pm with Professor Marcia Hermansen, Director of Islamic World Studies Program and Professor in the Theology Department at Loyola University Chicago. Professor Hermansen's lecture, From Secular to Islamic Feminisms: Three Muslim Women's Journeys, focuses on three Muslim Journeys Bookshelf titles, Fatima Mernissi's Dreams of Trespass, Leila Aboulela's Minaret, and Leila Ahmed's A Quiet Revolution, as background against which to consider the changing experiences and concerns of Muslim women from the mid-20th century to the present. Seating is limited, please RSVP online or call us at 815-534-6173 to reserve a seat.

Our lecture series concludes on Wednesday, May 29 at 7pm with Dr. Persis Berlekamp, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Chicago. Dr. Berlekamp will present a lecture and slide presentation, Persian Manuscript Painting, introducing some of the most famous manuscripts of classical Persian manuscript painting.  Seating is limited, please RSVP online or call us at 815-534-6173 to reserve a seat.

In addition to hosting these scholars, we are screening the documentaries Koran by Heart and Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World. On Friday, April 10 at 10am we will watch Koran by Heart, a 2011 documentary about three 10-year-old children from Senegal, Tajikistan, and the Maldives who leave their native countries to participate in the International Holy Koran Competition. Mr. Khalid Mozaffar, Director of Outreach and Communications at Frankfort's American Islamic Association, will lead a discussion of the documentary after the viewing.  Seating is limited, please RSVP online or call us at 815-534-6173 to reserve a seat.

On Friday, May 10 at 10am we will watch Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World, a documentary that transports viewers over nine countries and 1,400 years of cultural history to reveal the astonishing riches of Muslim arts, crafts, and architecture. Exploring many rare pieces of art, the film illuminates the history of a global culture, reflecting the Islamic world as it developed over centuries and as it is today. Seating is limited, please RSVP online or call us at 815-534-6173 to reserve a seat.

We hope to see you at the Library this Spring!