The following are the weekly discussion topics. Each is enhanced by a lecture that you can down load for free from iTunes. There is also a free PDF version available on iTunes. This group of lectures were put together by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.
1. Islamic Challenge 4/5/2006
Jytte Klausen
Based on her interviews with over 300 Muslim leaders in Europe, Klausen argues that European Muslims are overwhelmingly liberal in outlook. Their essential goal, she says, is to build a European Islam independent of the Islamic countries.
2. Storm from the East: The Struggle between the Arab World and the Christian West 5/8/2006
Milton Viorst
In order to understand the Arab mistrust of the United States and of the West in general, says Milton Viorst, we must study the turbulent history of the relations between the Christian and Muslim world, particularly the clashes and betrayals since World W
3. Jere Van Dyk Interviews Milton Viorst 5/8/2006
Milton Viorst, Jere Van Dyk
This is not a new war, says Milton Viorst. "It's the latest chapter in a war that has been going on between two great cultures, Islamic Eastern and the Christian West, for 1,400 years."
4. The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future 10/18/2006
Vali Nasr
Vali Nasr argues that the Shia Crescent—stretching from Lebanon and Syria through the Gulf to Iraq and Iran, finally terminating in Pakistan and India—is gathering strength in the aftermath of Saddam's fall.
5. Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance 11/20/2006
Ian Buruma
Ian Buruma explores what happens when political Islam collides with a secular Western European nation.
6. American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion 3/1/2007
Paul M. Barrett
Over six million Muslims of different backgrounds live in the United States, and for the most part, says Paul Barrett, they are highly assimilated. But in certain areas this group has very different views of the world, and we need to understand their comp
7. Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life 4/24/2007
Sari Nusseibeh, Joanne J. Myers
Inspite of the hatred and frustration on the surface, Palestinian activist and scholar Sari Nusseibeh optimistically believes that deep down there is readiness on the part of both Israelis and Palestinians to make peace.
8. Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden 7/16/2007
Peter Bergen
Who is bin Laden? What drives him? Peter Bergen is one of the few Westerners who has interviewed bin Laden face to face. In this November 2001 talk, he gives valuable insights into what makes bin Laden tick.
9. Islam in Saudi Arabia's Politics 3/28/2008
Bernard Haykel
Bernard Haykel sheds light on the inner workings of Saudi Arabia, from the relationship between the government and various Islamic groups, to the position of women and the Kingdom's relationship with the U.S.
10. The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State 5/13/2008
Noah Feldman
In the West the idea of governance by Sharia law is radioactive, says Noah Feldman, yet for many in the Muslim world it represents their aspirations for rule of law. Can Islamic States succeed?
11. The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation 6/20/2008 Marwan Muasher To be a moderate in the Arab world today, says Jordanian diplomat Marwan Muasher, "is to be a very, very tiny minority." The reason is that all the Arab Center's energies have been focused on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
12. Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of the Middle East 12/1/2008
Gilles Kepel
The neocons and al-Qaeda have both failed to reach their objectives, says Gilles Kepel. We are now facing one big power in the Middle East: Iran.
13. Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds 2/2/2009
Joshua S. Fouts, Rita J. King
After a year of exploring digital Islamic communities, Senior Fellows Joshua S. Fouts and Rita J. King present their findings, along with video of their virtual explorations on the diplomatic frontier and a performance by Iranian hip hop artist Yas.
14. Global Ethics Corner: Who Cares What You Wear on your Head? 3/6/2009
Banning headscarves may violate an individual's right of religious expression and choice. Allowing headscarves may violate a state's commitment to secularism. This short clip on ethics asks: How do we marry public goods and religious imperatives?
15. Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia 10/23/2009
Robert Lacey
After spending years in the Kingdom talking to people in all walks of life, Robert Lacey gives us a modern history of the Saudis in their own words, revealing a people attempting to reconcile life under religious law with the demands of a rapidly changing
16. Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What it Will Mean for Our World 12/8/2009
Vali Nasr
The real key to bringing economic and political change to the Muslim world is capitalism, says Vali Nasr. Entrepreneurial middle classes the world over have a stake in the system and are more interested in economic success than religious extremism.
17. The Future of Islam 1/28/2010
John L. Esposito
Is Islam compatible with democracy and human rights? Will religious fundamentalism block the development of modern societies in the Islamic world? Georgetown's John L. Esposito demolishes some common negative stereotypes about Islam, the fastest growing r
18. Faith and Power: Religion and Politics in the Middle East 5/10/2010
Bernard Lewis
Bernard Lewis is one of the world's foremost Western scholars on Islam. In this eloquent talk he shares some of his knowledge, and explains how the different world views held by Christians and Muslims can lead to misunderstanding.
19. A Mosque in Munich: Nazis, the CIA, and the Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West 5/17/2010
Ian Johnson
What do Nazis, the CIA, and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West have in common? Journalist Ian Johnson tells the untold story of a group of ex-Soviet Muslims who defected to Germany during World War II has a lesson for today: beware of using re
