"Countering Anti-Muslim Hatred in Quebec: The Problem and Possible Solutions"

Speakers

• Dr. Naved Bakali (Ph.D., Education, McGill University);
• Professor André Gagné (Assoc. Prof. of Theological Studies, Concordia University); 
• Convener: Dr. Frank Chalk, Director, MIGS and Professor of History, Concordia University

Dr. Naved Bakali is the author of “Islamophobia: Understanding Anti-Muslim Racism Through the Lived Experiences of Muslim Youth Post-9/11” (Ph.D. dissertation, McGill, 2016, and a book on the same subject forthcoming from Palgrave MacMillan). His chapter on “Islam: The Fundamentals Every Teacher Should Know” appeared in Teaching Against Islamophobia, J. Kincheloe, S. Steinberg and C. Stonebanks, eds. (Peter Lang Publishing, 2010). Dr. Bakali is a secondary school teacher and a sessional lecturer at McGill; he is affiliated with the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

André Gagné is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts (Department of Theological Studies) at Concordia University. He specializes in questions related to religious violence, radicalization, and the use of sacred texts and traditions by extremist groups and individuals to justify acts of violence.

According to Dr. Gagné, young people need to be religiously literate by acquiring a better understanding of religious beliefs and practices from a historical and comparative perspective. This can mainly be achieved through education and the development of critical thinking skills in relation to all religious traditions in high schools, colleges and universities.

He recently co-published The Global Impact of Religious Violence (Wipf and Stock, 2016) which examines why individuals and groups sometimes commit irremediable atrocities in the name of their faith, and offers some solutions on how to counter religiously inspired violence. Professor Gagné is also regularly consulted by the media and invited to lecture on global terrorism, countering violent extremism (religious and political), and the prevention of radicalization through education.

Please join Dr. Chalk in a discussion about this important issue.

The event is free. Register here.