Though UCLA law Professor Khaled Abou el Fadl receives what he
describes as a “downpour” of invitations to speak in
countries including Ethiopia, Jordan and the Netherlands, he
strongly believes he must first teach the UCLA community.
Abou el Fadl is scheduled to give a lecture today on Islam and
the historic and modern implications of extremism.
“It’s important for me to educate my community on
the issues so they can think in a more sophisticated and nuanced
way,” he said.
Abou el Fadl said he hopes his lecture will allow people to have
a more balanced view of Islam.
“I hope my lecture gives people a richer understanding of
the phenomena of extremism, so people don’t label all Muslims
the same way,” he said.
He said he will begin by talking about the historical roots of
extremism in general and how Muslim, Jewish, Christian and medieval
extremist groups emerged.
“The same type of fervor that brings good to humanity
transforms people into zealots,” he said. “Religion has
the power to do so much good, but it can be twisted to do so much
damage, too.”
Shehab Ahmed, a third-year biology student and member of the
Muslim Student Association, said he believes Abou el Fadl is a good
source for people to receive information about these issues.
“(Abou el Fadl) seems to know what he’s talking
about,” he said. “I’d much rather people learn
about extremism from an academic than from another
source.”
Abou el Fadl said he also plans to address modern-day extremism.
He aims to discuss the role of Islamic movement Wahhabism and the
theological differences between extremist Muslims and moderate
Muslims.
He also intends to stress how modern-day Muslim extremists have
similar world views on topics such as human rights as extremists in
other religions including Judaism and Christianity.
“The way extremists from all religions approach sacred
texts, the rights of human beings is very similar,” he
said.
Finally, Abou el Fadl plans to end the lecture with a prognosis
for the future. He intends to discuss if foreign policy can
successfully counteract extremism. Afterward, he plans to sign
copies of his latest book, “The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam
from the Extremists.”
Matt Lemen, a third-year history student, said he believes the
lecture will be beneficial to students.
“People can learn something about a subject they may not
know much about,” he said.
Abou el Fadl’s lecture is part of the Hammer Forum, a
series of lectures that address timely issues of social and
political concern.
“We hadn’t addressed the Middle East is the last
couple of years, and since we have an expert on extremism at UCLA,
this seemed like a great opportunity,” said James Bewley,
director of public programs and education at the UCLA Hammer
Museum. He stressed that the lecture series allows people to learn
more about pertinent topics.
“These lectures give us a chance to go really in-depth
into an issue,” Bewley said.
Past lecturers have talked about subjects including Darfur,
death with dignity and the environment. The next speaker in the
series will be Juan Cole, a history professor at the University of
Michigan with a popular blog on the Middle East, who will speak in
April.