Tariq Ramadan delivers a lecture at Harvard

October 18, 2010

On Wednesday October 13th, Harvard University had the pleasure of hosting Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at St. Anthony’s College, University of Oxford. Professor Ramadan came to present one of his most recent books, Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation (Oxford University Press, 2009).

Named by Time Magazine as one of the top 100 most important innovators of the 21st century, Professor Ramadan is a prominent and internationally respected intellectual.  In addition to his professorial role, Ramadan is also active in various institutes such as the Deutsches Orient Institute, the British Council, and the Vienna Peace Summit. Professor Ramadan has written numerous books on Islamic practice and theology, and has written extensively on Muslim integration in Western countries. Ramadan obtained his doctorate from the University of Geneva, and has also studied at Al-Azhar University, Cairo.

During his talk, Ramadan presented his approach to Islamic reform based on an attempt to reconcile the work of textual scholars with that of scholars of the natural and social sciences. Ramadan’s talk was received by an eager crowd of over 150 people, including students and faculty from Harvard, Tufts, and Boston University, as well as members of the general public. The event was sponsored by the Islam in the West Program, with support from the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program, the Center for European Studies, the Outreach Center at CMES, and the Harvard Islamic Society.