Encountering Islam
Posted By: Liz Goodrich
Date Posted: 4/17/2005
Deschutes Public Library pleased to welcome Timothy Gionaotti, Ph.D. for two presentations on Saturday, April 23, titled, “Encountering Islam,” at the Redmond Public Library at 11:00 a.m. and at the Library Admin Conference Room in Bend at 3:00 p.m. These programs, sponsored by the Friends of the Bend and Redmond Libraries, are part of the Novel Idea … Read Together, community-reading project offered by Deschutes Public Library with the support of the Deschutes Public Library Foundation, The Source Weekly, and KLRR 107.7. The programs are free and open to the public.
Gianotti, an Assistant Professor of Islamic Thought within the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Oregon, earned his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, and both his M.A. (Islamic Intellectual History, Arabic) and Ph.D from University of Toronto (Islamic Philosophy and Theology). In addition to survey courses in Islamic Religion, Islamic Intellectual History and Mysticism at the UofO, Gianotti also teaches graduate level seminars that deal specifically with Islamic spirituality, medieval Islamic and Jewish philosophy, Islamic political thought, and the language and imagery of war within the Abrahamic religious traditions. He is the author of Al-Ghazali’s Unspeakable Doctrine of the Soul and is currently working on a second book entitled, Walking the Way of the Afterlife: al-Ghazali’s Introduction to the Jurisprudence of the Heart.
During his program, Gionotti seeks to open up Americans understanding of Islam in a post 9/11 world. “Influenced by graphic images and experiences of violence, the American opinion of Islam isn’t a complete one,” says Gianotti. “Hatred and the political struggle continue to define our understanding of Islam.” Gianotti’s presentations are designed to be both informative and interactive and he welcomes all questions, experiences and personal reflections.
During the months of April and May, the Library will be hosting a variety of events in support of the Novel Idea … Read Together project. The programs are designed to give residents of Deschutes County a glimpse into the culture, history and people of Afghanistan. Much of The Kite Runner, this year’s selected novel by Khaled Hoseini, is set in the author’s native country, Afghanistan. For a complete listing of Novel Idea programs, please call 312-1032.
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