In the modern world, there is no shortage of topics that are close to all of us – inhabitants of Poland, Europe and the world. A new series "Explaining the World" was created out of curiosity and the need to learn about various historical and cultural aspects. Together with the Department of Middle East and North Africa at the University of Lodz we would like to encourage you to attend a series of lectures entitled "Islam in the Modern World".
The inaugural lecture "Islam in the World" will be delivered by Prof. Marek M. Dziekan on 24 January at 6:00 p.m.
Islam is one of three monotheistic religions practiced by over 1.5 billion people in the world. Although in popular discourse it is treated as one, it is internally very diverse. Its followers are representatives of various ethnos, mainly in Asia and Africa, but also in Europe and South America. Peoples defined as "Muslim" differ dramatically in terms of their origins and native languages, and are often united only by religion. The goal of the lecture is to characterise the diversity of the Islamic world, which is often not noticed by external observers, but is an important distinguishing feature for Muslims from Egypt, Turkey and Iran, who often feel offended if this diversity and otherness is not noticed.
When: 24 January 2024 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Marek Edelman Dialogue Center in Łódź
Title of the lecture: Islam in the World
The lectures will be held in Polish.
Professor, Dr hab. Marek M. Dziekan is the Head of the Department of Middle East and North Africa at the University of Lodz. He also cooperates with the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Warsaw. Prof. Marek M. Dziekan is the author of over 500 scientific and popular science works as well as translations from Arabic, Russian, German and English. He has published several books, including: Arabia magica. Wiedza tajemna u Arabów przed islamem (1993), Irak. Religia i polityka (2005), Cywilizacja islamu w Azji i Afryce (2007), Dzieje kultury arabskiej (2008), Złote stolice Arabów. Szkice o współczesnej myśli arabskiej (2011), Arabska wiosna i świat arabski u progu XXI wieku (2020; with K. Zdulski and R. Bania). His research focuses mainly on the history of Arab-Muslim civilisation, issues of classical and contemporary Islam, political thought in Islam and Islam in Europe.