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a lecture on "Islamic Great Power Rivalry : The Sunni-Shia Divide" by Dr. Abdul Razak ABDULLAH, Director of the Islamic Peace Foundation (Jan 21, 2014)

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation Presents:
a lecture on "Islamic Great Power Rivalry : The Sunni-Shia Divide" by Dr. Abdul Razak ABDULLAH, Director of the Islamic Peace Foundation (Jan 21, 2014)
Closed.
   At the invitation of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Dr. Abdul Razak Abdullah, Director of the Islamic Peace Foundation (UK), will speak on the subject of “Islamic Great Power Rivalry: The Sunni-Shia Divide” on Tuesday, January 21.

   Differences between Sunni and Shia in Islam are not a new thing. However, sectarian differences began to carry political implications to effect on the Middle Eastern situations when the Islamic Republic of Iran was established after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Today, with the division between the two great holy lands of Saudi Arabia, which is a Sunni stronghold, and Iran, a Shiite Islamic state, the polarization of the Muslim world has grown as ever.

   Dr. Abdullah, who is active in the UK and Malaysia, is promoting research through the Islamic Peace Foundation into Umma (the Islamic community). In the UK, he is speaking out against anti-Islamic prejudice, and promoting mutual understanding between Muslims and Christians. In addition, in Malaysia, where there is a sense of crisis as some of the youth are turning to extreme fundamentalism, he is very active in focusing on leading the youth down the path of rationality. Dr. Abdullah is a former head of Strategic Studies and International Relations at the Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College, as well as a senior associate member of St Antony's college, Oxford.
   With a broad scope of knowledge of the Islamic community in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, the invited speaker Dr. Abdullah is uniquely placed to shed light upon the Middle Eastern situation at this upcoming lecture. He will cover topics including the conflict in Syria, itself a touchstone for armed conflict between the Shiite and Sunni.

   We hope you will join us at what promises to be a highly informative and important event.

(The seminar will be filmed by NHK TV crew for the program “Professional”)
Date:
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2014 18:00 to 19:30
Venue:
Conference Room, 2nd floor, The Nippon Foundation Building,
1-2-2, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8523

Islamic Great Power Rivalry : The Sunni-Shia Divide
17:30~18:00Registration
18:00~19:00
Speaker:
Dr. Abdul Razak ABDULLAH
Director of the Islamic Peace Foundation

Moderator:
Mr. Osamu MIYATA
Director of Center for Contemporary Islamic Studies in Japan
Mr. Tsutomu ISHIAI
Foreign News Editor, the Asahi Shimbun
19:00~19:30 Questions and Answers
Language:
English/Japanese with simultaneous interpretation
How to Register:
Please register from this web page by Monday, Jan 20, 2014.
Please note that registration will close as soon as the number of participants reaches the maximum. The registration remains open until the Foundation announces that the registration is full.
Personal information provided at the time of registration will be used for the purpose of notifying registrants about future seminars and lectures hosted by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Contacts:
The Sasakawa Middle East Islam Fund: Mr. Matsunaga, Ms. Kato, Ms. Fujimoto
Phone: 03-6229-5459, Fax: 03-6229-5473
Closed.
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