Nov. 29, 2007
Contact Msgr. McGarty at 608-796-3788
RADICAL ISLAM IN THE MODERN WORLD SUBJECT OF VITERBO UNIVERSITY LECTURE DEC. 10
LA CROSSE, Wis.—Msgr. Bernard McGarty will discuss the topic of radical Islam in the modern world in a lecture scheduled for Monday, Dec. 10.
The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre. McGarty, Viterbo's visiting scholar in ecumenical studies, previously discussed the world of Islam in a 2001 lecture which was held less than three months after the infamous World Trade Center tragedy. More than 1,000 people attended the presentation.
McGarty has also given lectures on a number of other religious traditions and he selected the topic radical Islam for the Dec. 10 lecture based on the prominence and timeliness of the subject matter. “In today's society, it is important to understand the political and religious implications of radical Islamic thought and how this thinking has created seismic changes in our modern world and the nature of its current conflicts,” said McGarty.
A better understanding of radical Islam is important, McGarty says, because of the confusion that exists in the minds of many Westerners who do not differentiate the extreme elements from mainstream Islam. “It's important to know that a very miniscule minority is carrying out much of the turmoil which we read about in the newspapers including the suicide bombings and other forms of violence.”
The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is not intended to provoke or be confrontational. “We will be looking at radical Islam from a scholarly perspective asking the questions: When did this faction come about, and, how and why did it happen?”