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Conference on Secularization of Islam this week
Somewhat surprizingly, several arab media orgs are covering this objectively. I would be surprized if the WaPo or the NYT had anything other than a sneering article but who knows.example of agenda MONDAY, MARCH 5 10am-12pm SECULARISM AND ISLAMIC THOUGHT panelists: Amir Taheri Nonie Darwish Wafa Sultan Ibn Warraq Media coverage The prominent Arabic 24-hour news channel Al Arabiya has reported on the Secular Islam Summit. The station, based in Dubai Media City, was launched in 2003 and now broadcasts in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, South East Asia, North Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australia -------------- The Kuwait News Agency released a favorable story on the Secular Islam Summit in English and Arabic. The agency provides stories for Arab Times and Gulf Times in Kuwait, as well as other English- and Arab-language papers in the region. In the article, Summit co-organizer Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi described the gathering as "a sanctuary for a lot of people who have been intimidated by the Jihad and radical Islamist forces, " that would create an atmosphere of embracing the ideas of enlightenment, of greater understanding of science, reason, secular ideas, such as separation of religion and state, and of embracing their own cultural and national heritage, their historical identities and the formation of a solidarity movement that will help the Middle East and South Asian countries to have a leap forward in societal growth. ----------- An article in the Friday, February 23 edition of the weekly newspaper Muslim World Today discusses the Secular Islam Summit in the context of the "dialogue of civilizations.": Posted by: mhw 2007-03-05 |
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