Islamic Studies Scholar Speaks on Social Justice for Islamic Reform

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Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321

WACO, Texas (Oct. 28, 2016) – Amina Wadud, Ph.D., will give a lecture entitled “Combining Spirit, Intellect and Social Justice for Islamic Reform and a Better World” at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, in Miller Chapel of Tidwell Bible Building, 600 Speight Ave.

“Dr. Wadud was invited to speak to the Baylor community because of her lifelong commitment to integrating her faith with her scholarship on behalf of confronting the marginalization of women,” said Christian van Gorder, Ph.D., associate professor of religion in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Wadud is professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of “Inside the Gender Jihad: Women’s Reform in Islam.”

“As an African-American and as a woman, she brings to her faith and scholarship a deep appreciation for the ways that education can serve social justice,” van Gorder said. “The passion of her life has been investing in youth so that they can garner a more holistic and nuanced understanding of the fascinating and important intersections of faith and learning.”

Wadud’s lecture is part of the McGee Endowed Lecture Series for the department of religion in the College of Arts & Sciences. The event’s purpose is to invigorate conversation and reflection on various topics in the area of faith and learning. This year’s focus is on world religion.

“Dr. Daniel McGee was a noted Christian ethicist and Baylor faculty member who strove to integrate serious, careful scholarship with a Christian and devout response to the pressing issues of our time,” van Gorder said.

The McGee Endowed Lecture is free and open to the public.

“Our hope is that students will benefit from a fresh perspective and an encouraging invitation from a scholar who has consistently sought to practice what she preaches,” van Gorder said. “Her life in the academy has not been remotely removed from the daily challenges in her world, and this example is consistent with our hopes in the Baylor University religion department that students integrate their faith with learning.”

by Kalli Damschen, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

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