Middle East Studies Undergraduates to Present Conference Papers on Islam and Expression

The King Fahd Center will sponsor an undergraduate symposium titled “Islamic Studies: Belief, Expression, Journey, Debate” at noon Wednesday, April 30, in Arkansas Union room 503.  Presenters are students in MEST2003 Intro to Islam and MEST410V Sufism: Islamic Mystical Traditions who have had paper abstracts accepted for presentation in May at the 12th Annual Research in Religious Studies Conference at the University of Calgary, and the 2014 Eastern International Regional Meeting of American Academy of Religion at Syracuse University.

The following papers will be presented:

• “The Hijab and Women's Sexuality in Islamic Culture” by Meghan G. Perry (Sophomore, International Relations/European Studies)
• "The Pashtunwali and the Last Jew of Kabul” by Matthew T. Clothier (Freshman, International Relations/Middle East Studies)
• "Me, My Nafs, and I: The Journey of Spirituality in Islam" by Deborah A. Lee (Senior, Nursing)
• “Apostasy in Contemporary Islam: Use of Hadith Narratives in Contradiction with Qur’anic Revelation within Islamic Jurisprudence” by Brian P. Hughes (Senior, International Relations/Middle East Studies/Political Science)
• “From The Qur’an to the Can: An Exploration of the Roots of Modern Islamic Graffiti” by Jacob B. Rowlett (Sophomore, International Relations/Middle East Studies)
• "Inter-faith Cannibalism? The Volatile Relations Between the Salafis and the Sufis" by Steven L. Escalante (Senior, International Relations)
• “On the Edge of the Binary and Society: Sufism’s Role in Social Tolerance of Hijra and transgender Communities in Pakistan” by Brendan R. Sparks (Senior, International Relations/Middle East Studies)

This program is free and open to the public.  Please join us to support our talented undergraduates in their academic endeavors. 

This program is sponsored by the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies, an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental area studies center that offers diverse cultural, intellectual, and educational opportunities for the University of Arkansas community.  It promotes research and teaching in interdisciplinary Middle East studies as part of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

For more information visit http://mest.uark.edu or call 479-575-2175, or follow the King Fahd Center on Facebook and Twitter.