Islam in China and Beyond: Connecting Asia with the U.S. and the Middle East

Dru Gladney, President of the Pacific Basin Institute at Pomona College discusses the rising inportance of Islam in Asia and China.

Muslims in China pray facing Mecca, but they bow toward the West, not East.  This lecture will illustrate the important role China's Muslims play as mediators between East and West, Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures, global and local Islam.  The rising importance of Islam in Asia and China's growing influence in the region suggest greater attention must be paid to this important population of China.

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** This is the kick-off lecture for PBI's theme series for the Fall: "Muslim Asia: Cultures, Contexts, and Connections."

One in every five persons in the world is Muslim.  Most of them live, not, as is generally thought, in the Middle East, but in Asia, especially South, Southeast, and East Asia.  Since September 11, the urgency for understanding contemporary Muslim thinking, especially in Asia, has now reached critical mass.  Current world events demonstrate the wide global appeal of Islam, even as misperceptions and misrepresentations about Muslims continue to dominate Western discourse.  Understanding the appeal of Muslim groups such as the Taliban in South Asia might reveal much about the broader Muslim world today.

FMI, call 909/607-8065 or visit www.pomona.edu/pbi