University of Nebraska at Omaha - Islamic Studies Program

11/19/2021

Thanks to everyone who joined our virtual event, "Islam and Politics in Afghanistan before and after the Taliban," yesterday. We are thankful to Prof. Nazif Shahrani for his wonderful lecture and discussion afterward. Here is the video recording of the lecture for those who missed it or those who would like to revisit it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEhuef8SE0Y

Thanks to UNO Center for Afghanistan Studies and Humanities Nebraska for the collaboration.
Thanks to the University of Nebraska at Omaha - Political Science Department, UNO Religious Studies Page, UNO History Department, UNO Goldstein Center for Human Rights, and UNO International Studies for their co-sponsorship.

Nazif Shahrani, Professor of Anthropology at Indiana University, presented "Islam and Politics in Afghanistan Before and After the Taliban" in a virtual even...

11/11/2021

One week left for Dr. Nazif Shahrani's lecture on "Islam and Politics in Afghanistan Before and After the Taliban."

Please see the details below and register for the event to receive your personal Zoom webinar link.

Islam is used and abused instrumentally by rulers in Afghanistan, and elsewhere, both historically and at present. In this presentation, the changing patterns of the instrumentalization of the concepts of jihad and shari’at by rulers in precolonial, colonial, post-colonial monarchies, the nati...

10/27/2021

Do you want to learn what is happening in Afghanistan? Who are the Taliban and what are they trying to do? Come and listen to THE SCHOLAR on Islam and politics in Afghanistan. Prof. Nazif Shahrani of Indiana University is the scholar you would want to hear on religious politics in Afghanistan. Please save the date.

The virtual webinar will be on November 18 between 12:00-1:30 PM (CST).

The event is open to public but you need to register for the webinar to receive your personal link.

In the news story below, you can find the link to register.

Nazif Shahrani, Professor of Anthropology at Indiana University, will discuss how Islam is used and abused instrumentally by rulers in Afghanistan, and elsewhere, both historically and at present; Nov. 18.

03/12/2021

Have you missed Dr. Evelyn Alsultany's talk on Thursday, March 11? Here is the video of the talk.

For over a century, Hollywood portrayed Muslims in stereotypical ways. After 9/11, Hollywood included patriotic US Muslim characters to diffuse representations of Muslims as terrorists. Trump’s “Muslim ban” served as another turning point: Hollywood created more Muslim characters outside of the context of terrorism. This talk will focus on how to understand the last four years of changing representations in relation to the politics of race and social justice in the US.

Evelyn Alsultany is a leading expert on the history of representations of Arabs and Muslims in the US media. She is an associate professor in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. Previously, she taught at the University of Michigan for 13 years where she co-founded and directed the Arab and Muslim American Studies program and the Islamophobia Working Group to include Muslim students in diversity initiatives. Professor Alsultany is the author of Arabs and Muslim in the Media: Race and Representation after 9/11. Recently she co-authored the Obeidi-Alsultany Test to help Hollywood improve representations of Muslims. For more information, see http://evelynalsultany.com/.

This event is organized by UNO Islamic Studies Program in collaboration with Humanities Nebraska. The co-sponsors of the event include the UNO Religious Studies Page, University of Nebraska at Omaha - Political Science Department, UNO History Department, UNO Goldstein Center for Human Rights, UNO International Students, and UNO Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

12/08/2020

The next event on Dialogue with Muslim Communities in Omaha is set now. On March 11 at noon (CST), Evelyn Alsultany of the University of Southern California will be talking on "How Media Representations of Muslims Changed after Trump’s “Muslim Ban”". Please check the following story for details. Thanks to Humanities Nebraska for the generous support of this programming.

The co-sponsors of the event include the UNO Religious Studies Page, University of Nebraska at Omaha - Political Science Department, UNO History Department, UNO Goldstein Center for Human Rights, UNO International Studies, and the UNO Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Evelyn Alsultany, an associate professor in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, will present "How Media Representations of Muslims Changed after Trump’s 'Muslim Ban'" on March 11, 2021.

11/23/2020

Have you missed Mucahit Bilici's lecture on "Muslims, Violence, and Citizenship in America"? Here is your chance to watch it. We are releasing the recording of the lecture below.

Muslims are often associated in the American imagination with overseas wars and terrorism. As such they are either targets of or combatant against American violence. The domestic ramifications of these foreign encounters are well known. But what is American Muslims’ relationship to domestic American violence? What status do Muslim citizens occupy within the broader economy of American violence? This talk offers a civic perspective on this relationship and its implications for Muslim citizenship in America.

Mucahit Bilici, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Sociology at John Jay College and CUNY Graduate Center. He is the author of Finding Mecca in America: How Islam Is Becoming an American Religion (University of Chicago Press, 2012). His research interests include American Islam, Muslim diasporas including Kurds in the US, Kurdish identity and Turkish society.

11/05/2020

Only one week left for Muslims, Violence, and Citizenship in America | Mucahit Bilici, City University of New York.

The webinar will be on November 12 at Noon CST (Chicago time).

Please register for the Zoom webinar to listen to Mucahit Bilici's thoughts on American Muslims based on his research.

The event is free but advance registration is required.

Mucahit Bilici, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at CUNY, will discuss "Muslims, Violence, and Citizenship in America" on Nov. 12.

10/29/2020

We have two weeks to Mucahit Bilici's talk on November 12. Dr. Bilici will be talking on "Muslims, Violence, and Citizenship in America."
This program is open to everyone around the world. Please feel free to register for the event. It is free and open to the public.

Here is the Zoom registration link for the event: https://unomaha.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_UPba-kVrRNue6a5aCGqPdw

More about Dr. Bilici:
Dr. Mucahit Bilici is an Associate Professor of Sociology at John Jay College and CUNY Graduate Center. He is the author of Finding Mecca in America: How Islam Is Becoming an American Religion (University of Chicago Press, 2012). His research interests include American Islam, Muslim diasporas including Kurds in the US, Kurdish identity and Turkish society.

More about the talk:
Muslims are often associated in the American imagination with overseas wars and terrorism. As such they are either targets of or combatant against American violence. The domestic ramifications of these foreign encounters are well known. But what is American Muslims’ relationship to domestic American violence? What status do Muslim citizens occupy within the broader economy of American violence? This talk offers a civic perspective on this relationship and its implications for Muslim citizenship in America.

10/09/2020

We are pleased to announce that we have rescheduled Mucahit Bilici's talk that we had to cancel in March. Dr. Bilici will give a Zoom webinar on "Muslims, Violence, and Citizenship in America," on Nov. 12 at 12:00 pm (CST). Registration details can be found in the link below.

Dr. Mucahit Bilici, associate professor of sociology at CUNY, will discuss "Muslims, Violence, and Citizenship in America" on Nov. 12.