MDI Contributor, Daniel Haqiqatjou will be presenting a series of lectures at the prestigious MIT in Boston, USA, between the 12th-14th October 2017.

Full details can be found in the event description below by the MIT Muslim Student Association:

Salam All! Glad to see you are interested in this event. We really encourage everyone to come to these talks with an open mind and and heart. Inshallah, this can be a significant moment of intellectual growth for all of us. I hope it goes without saying that we speak from an Islamic Worldview and with rational intellectualism. We hope this bare minimum can be maintained – discussion and engagement is heavily encouraged! But if it retrogrades to deranged shouting, we become no better than those that spread fitnah; certainly, at least, we do not get anywhere. The chosen topics are not meant to be approached with any sort of derision, callow immaturity, or sentimental fanaticism. I am certain we all want our opinions to be heard and our feelings felt – so let us do this in the most effective manner. By being civil.

That being said, we have a couple of interesting talks this week. On Thursday Oct. 12, Br. Daniel will be speaking about evolutionary thought and how to reflect upon the current science, findings, and philosophy of said thought in an Islamic worldview.

On Friday, Daniel will be discussing the cotentious topic “Feminism and Islam,” with Nour Goda. They will delve into some of the problems contemporary feminism poses to a Muslim, and the true “feminism” that can be found in Islam.
PLEASE RSVP TO THE EVENT! Admittance cannot be guaranteed without RSVPing!
Link: https://goo.gl/ZH4E3h

On Saturday, Daniel will speak about how a Muslim should understand the framework and worldview that western society today operates under (specifically, philosophical liberalism), how to critique it, and how a Muslim can find intellectual fulfillment while holding steadfast to Islamic views on hotly debated topics.

Update:
Location for Lecture 1 on evolution (Thursday):
MIT building 1, Room 1-190

Location for Lecture 2 on Feminism (Friday):
Armenise Amphitheater, Harvard University
210 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA

Location for Lecture 3 on Liberalism (Saturday):
Tufts Chase Center, 89 Curtis St, Medford MA

Bios:

Daniel Haqiqatjou (pronounced: Ha-qee-qat-joo) was born in Houston, Texas. He attended Harvard University where he studied Physics and Philosophy. He completed a Masters degree in Philosophy at Tufts University. Haqiqatjou writes and lectures on contemporary issues surrounding Muslims and modernity. He has spoken at universities and mosques around the US and his work has been featured in outlets such as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, CNN, Aljazeera, Public Discourse, Mashable, and First Things. He teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Respect Graduate School. You can read his writing at muslimskeptic.com

Nour Goda is an Arab American Muslim revert who spent a decade identifying as an atheist. Her return to Islam several years ago catalyzed a deep dive in self-reflection and a commitment to understanding how competing ideologies play out within the western Muslim community. In 2015, Nour launched a blog and podcast called “Between Arabs.” The project addressed social taboos and stigmas within the Arab and Muslim communities, wherein Nour interviewed and spoke with leading Muslim figures such as Daniel Haqiqatjou, Khaled Beydoun, Umm Zakiyyah and others about racism, sexuality, feminism, and other sensitive matters. She recently chose to discontinue the project in order to re-establish and clarify her position on such issues.

Nour is a graduate of Connecticut College where she studied English and Religious Studies. She also holds an M.S. Ed. in English Education and is a Montessori school administrator. Her passion for the art of language, coupled with her knowledge and experience as an educator, inform her understanding of secular sociopolitical narratives and tactics which distort the thinking of many Muslim millennials today.

Nour has spoken on several podcasts including The Mad Mamluks, Becoming the Alpha Muslim, and 70% Halal. Her piece, “Did Western Feminism Trigger my Failed Muslim Marriage?” can be found on Mvslim.com.