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Lectures
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| After Berkley, Harvard and other American universities host Nadia Yassine | |
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| Editorial staff, May 9, 2006 |
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| Always in a spirit of opening particular to the “Justice and Spirituality Association”, in order to propagate a message of peace in a violent world and with a view to dispelling so many misunderstandings about Islam, Nadia Yassine travelled to the United States from April 03-20, 2006. Her trip had also as objective to reiterate certain convictions of her movement that are not subject to negotiation: the three "No’s. |
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| ** No to violence! ** No to underground activism!** No to foreign financing! |
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| The visit to the United States was unfortunately misused by some pens on the look-out for sensational stories. Perhaps they should have added that after Nadia Yassine’s visit to the US, Porter Gross, the head of the CIA, had to resign! To sell their magazines, they had to add some fiction. Anyway, resorting to frenzied imagination is not something new for a particular Moroccan press!The visit was organized by “Justice and Spirituality Publishing” in collaboration with Harvard, Dartmouth, Fordham and Georgetown universities. |
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| Dartmouth College, Hanover (State of New Hampshire) |
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| On April 6, Nadia Yassine was the guest of the John Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College. Before a whole host of research workers, experts in Islam and the Middle East, she answered a series of questions asked by Professor Dale Eickelman, eminent anthropologist and a connoisseur of the Arab World and the Maghreb, in particular. The following were some of the questions that Nadia Yassine answered: • Your movement is not recognized officially as a political movement in Morocco; however, you have a vision of how the Moroccan society ought to be. What is your vision and what are the potential changes to be made?• Why in your opinion has the Moroccan government taken the risk of prosecuting you if that has contributed to increasing the value of your public image?• People find it easy to call you Islamist. What do you like to be called? |  |
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| After the conference, Mr. and Mrs. Eickelman offered a dinner ceremony in honor of their Moroccan guest. They were also kind enough to show her through some sites of the region of Hanover. |
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| Harvard University, Cambridge (State of Massachusetts) |
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| On April 14, the subject of reforms in the Arab countries and in Morocco, very fashionable nowadays, was discussed in the prestigious Harvard University at the Center for Middle-Eastern Studies. The presence of Professor Emad Shahin from the American University of Cairo and Professor Ann Mayer from the University of Pennsylvania, famous for her works on Islam and human rights, and for her well-known interest in the “feminist” experience in the Middle East, would speak a great deal of the content of the discussions on: “Legal Reforms in Morocco: Views of a Feminist Dissident”The audience included students from the Islamic Legal Studies Program and the Moroccan Studies Program at the Center, as well as faculty members, research workers and journalists. The discussions turned mainly on the reforms of the Mudawwana (Family Code) in Morocco and the rights of women in Islam. |  |
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| The conference was followed by a book signing ceremony of Nadia Yassine’s “Full Sails Ahead.”At the close of the ceremony, Nadia Yassine gave an interview about the “Justice and Spirituality Association” to Kyle McEneaney, an expert in Middle Eastern studies. |  |
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| Fordham University, New York City (State of New York). |
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| On April 18, “Full Sails Ahead” was presented at Fordham University Law School. Nadia Yassine was received by the Department of Middle Eastern Studies and answered a stream of questions on jihad, ijtihad, Islam/West relationship, etc...Renowned for his works on Islam and democracy, Professor John Entelis offered in his turn, accompanied by Father Patrick Ryan, Vice-President of “Mission and Ministry” at Fordham University, a dinner ceremony in honor of Nadia Yassine. |  |
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| Georgetown University, Washington D.C. |
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| On April 20 at Georgetown University, Washington D.C., it was Al Walid bin Talal Center that hosted the event: presentation and book signing ceremony of “Full Sails Ahead.” Again Nadia had to answer a stream of varied questions without meeting any opposition and, as always, with her customary sense of humor. At the end of the ceremony, Nadia Yassine gave an interview to Margot Badran, research worker specialized in democracy, human rights, and having a particular interest in the question: “What to do?” beyond empty talk.” |  |
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| It was a tour round prestigious universities, all renowned for promoting independent, free and critical thinking. Above all, and as ever, it was a visit where all Nadia’s talks were a passionate invitation for a journey towards meaning, the Meaning of man’s existence. |
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