The following Religion Department news item has been published on the Seton Hall University Website, under the News and Events column at http://www.shu.edu/news/article/489013#.VBhHs21tw2x

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Professor Gisela Webb of the Department of Religion has been invited by Grinnell College (Iowa) to participate in the symposium A Muslim Saint in Iowa: Interreligious Dialogue and the Legacy of the Emir Abd el-Kader.

The symposium, according to Grinnell College, “commemorates the United Nations International Day of Peace on September 21, 2014 as reflected in the life of the Emir Abd el-Kader (1808-1883). An exemplary Muslim, a celebrated military hero of Algeria in opposing French colonization, and an international peacemaker (savior of 12,000 Christians in Damascus), the Emir Abd el-Kader was hailed as ‘one of the few great men of the century’ (NY Times).”

In honor of the Emir’s ongoing legacy, the symposium will feature a scholarly panel focusing on enduring voices of “Interreligious Dialogue in Action: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives.”

As an invited member of the panel, Professor Webb will speak on Pope John XXIII’s views on interreligious studies, interfaith marriage, and social justice. The symposium will be held from September 21 to September 23, 2014. More information on the symposium can be found on http://www.grinnell.edu/academics/offices/center-humanities/events.