ISIS: Real and Imagined Islamic State

The so-called Islamic State, or ISIS, has affected the balance of power in the Middle East and terrified people around the world with its brutal tactics and declared intent to dominate the region and beyond. But is this most recent example of militant political Islam truly different, or more dangerous than previous Muslim extremist movements? In order to approach an answer to this question, we must understand: Who and what exactly is ISIS? How did it arise? What are its claims and goals? What makes it a state? Is it genuinely Islamic? And what relationship does it have to the traditional Islamic political concept of the Caliphate, another title ISIS has claimed for itself? These questions will be explored from the perspective of Religious Studies of Islam, in order to examine the history, current situation and possible future of this phenomenon on everyone's mind.

Date: February 29, 2016 (Monday)
Time: 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue: NAH 313
Speaker: James Frankel (Associate Professor, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Host: Jack Qiu (Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, the Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Language: English
Lunch: HK$10 (The organizers subsidize the remainder. Lunch is provided for REGISTERED participants only)
Registration: http://ebooking.com.cuhk.edu.hk/events/ (A quota of 100 on a first-come-first-served basis. Please register before 12:00 noon, February 26, 2016)

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