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A Symposium on Peace, Islam, and Counter-narratives
Drs. Eric Bain-Selbo (department head) and Nahed Artoul Zehr (organizer)
Department of Philosophy and Religion
Western Kentucky University
“A Symposium on Islam, Peace, and Counter-narratives” was held in Bowling Green, Kentucky on September 29 through October 1, 2014. This project brought together academics, policy influencers, Muslim thought leaders, and practitioners to the same table to discuss the role of counter-narratives in American security policy and initiatives. The first meeting of its kind in the United States, the overarching aims were two-fold: first, to bring together this interdisciplinary group of experts (along with an interested public) to not only share their work, but to build partnerships and collaborative conversations; second, to examine the strengths and shortcomings of this initiative and the ethical questions that are involved.
The symposium was exceptionally successful. We had representatives from two universities in addition to WKU, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Safe-National Collaborative, the State Department, the National Counterterrorism Center, the United States Institute of Peace, and The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The presentations and conversations were interesting and fruitful; I could not have been more pleased with the level of conversation, insight, and expertise at the table from this wide segment of interested parties. The papers will be published as a collection in a special issue of an academic journal (Soundings). I am confident they will be of serious interest in a wide variety of sectors. The symposium website link will provide more details. Please see the left hand menu for more information. http://www.wku.edu/eps/counter-narrative/index.php
ACTUAL MONEY SPENT:
Airfare: $2,633.51
Hotel room: $1,348.98
Conference facilities: $3,669.31
Airport transportation: $350.00
Total Expenses: $8001.80