Nabeel Jabbour to speak on “The Muslims’ Worldview” Oct. 3 at Whitworth

Nabeel Jabbour, Ph.D., a professor of Islamic studies, will present a lecture, “The Muslims’ Worldview,” at Whitworth University on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Robinson Teaching Theatre, Weyerhaeuser Hall. For further information, please contact Raja S. Tanas at 509.777.4516 or rtanas@whitworth.edu.

In his lecture, Jabbour will discuss the various types of Muslims, the skeleton of Islamic history, and influential leaders of Islamic fundamentalism.

“It is easy for people in the West to assume that all Muslims are in agreement with the thinking of Muslim fundamentalists and with political Islam,” Jabbour says. “Attending this lecture will help people develop an objective and compassionate understanding of Muslims.”

Jabbour was invited to speak at Whitworth by Raja S. Tanas, professor and chair of the sociology department. Tanas is also director of the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf grant, which gives Whitworth students access to resources on Muslim culture and history. The goal of the grant is to help introduce Americans to the rich history and cultures of Muslims around the world. 

Whitworth is one of 953 institutions that received a Muslim Journeys Bookshelf grant, which is part of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Bridging Cultures initiative. The grant provided Whitworth a collection of 25 books, three DVDs, and a one-year subscription to Oxford Islamic Studies Online. These resources are catalogued at Whitworth’s Cowles Memorial Library. 

“In line with the goal of the NEH’s Muslim Journeys Bookshelf grant, Dr. Jabbour is the right person to help Whitworth and the larger Spokane community better understand Islam and Muslims for the purpose of building bridges of understanding,” Tanas says. “Although Dr. Jabbour comes from a Christian background, he learned to stand in the shoes of Muslims and to see Islam through their eyes.” 

Jabbour is the author of three books in Arabic and four books in English: Unshackled and Growing; The Rumbling Volcano: Islamic Fundamentalism in Egypt; The Unseen Reality; and, most recently, The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross. More information about Jabbour is available at his website: http://www.nabeeljabbour.com/.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts: 

Raja Tanas, professor of sociology, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4516 or rtanas@whitworth.edu.

Lucas Beechinor, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or lbeechinor@whitworth.edu.