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| Global Financial Crisis - Captalism Going Bust? |
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The Global credit crunch a year on shows no sign of slowing down, but has continued to rollercoaster through Wall street claiming yet more victims. The buyout of HBOS by Lloyds TSB, the spectacular collapse of Lehman brothers, the last minute rescue of AIG and other financial companies have led many to question the stability of the entire system. Confidence is rapidly declining and with a global recession imminent, many commentators, thinkers and journalists are asking the question; does Capitalism still work, and what alternatives (if any) are there to the current system?
Sunday 28th September
Friends House
1.30 pm (Room 200)
173 - 177 Euston Road, NW1
Nearest Tube Euston
More info contact info@hizb.org.uk
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| Clash of Civilisations Islam - West |
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THURSDAY, 8 FEBRUARY, 5.30 – 7.00 PM
Students' Union Council Chambers
Oxford Road
The University of Manchester
Manchester, M13 9PL
Speakers
DR RICHARD JACKSON
AUTHOR
Writing the War on Terrorism:
Language, Politics and
Counterterrorisms
Senior Lecturer, Politics
AKMAL ASGHAR
DEPUTY EDITOR
New Civilisation
DR TIM JACOBY
War and Our World
Conference
(Org. Cttee.)
Senior Lecturer, IDPM
BOOK NOW: COS-SOC@HOTMAIL.CO.UK
Organised by Challenging Orthodoxies Society
Click Here for Poster | |
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| Clash of Civilisations or Cultural Crisis? |
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“This is not a clash between civilisations. It is a clash about civilisation. It is the age-old battle between progress and reaction, between those who embrace and see opportunity in the modern world and those who reject its existence; between optimism and hope on the one hand; and pessimism and fear on the other” - Tony Blair
“The truth is that Mozart, Pascal, Boolean algebra, Shakespeare, parliamentary government, baroque churches, Newton, the emancipation of women, Kant, Marx, Balanchine ballet et al., don’t redeem what this particular civilization has wrought upon the world. The white race is the cancer of human history. It is the white race and it alone–its ideologies and inventions— which eradicates autonomous civilizations wherever it spreads, which has upset the ecological balance of the planet, which now threatens the very existence of life itself” - Susan Sontag
”... there is a dangerous gulf of understanding between Europe’s elite, which is predominantly white and Christian, and its largely non-white Muslim communities” - Observer editorial
Protests over the cartoons of Mohammed earlier this year were dubbed a ‘global crisis’. This was but one example of a growing sense of ‘them and us’, popularly presented as a clash between Western values and Islam. Everything from suicide bombers in Iraq to what young British Asian women choose to wear to school is recast as a major challenge to Western values. But is this an over-simplistic assessment? Has Islamism really become the major ideological challenge to the West in the early 21st century? Is the problem rooted in the Middle East, or are its roots closer to home?
While many Islamists reject the Enlightenment ideal of free speech, so too do many Western liberals. Censorship - both formal and more insidious – is increasingly justified, from new laws against incitement to sensitivity speech codes designed to avoid offence. It is not only Islamists who denounce the West for its decadence and materialism - these accusations are made by everyone from Christian conservatives to the ethical consumer lobby. Anti-Western sentiment is hardly the preserve of ‘foreign’ critics; it is also a prominent feature of ‘Western’ intellectual discourse. Denunciations of Eurocentricism, rationality, science, the Western canon of arts and the rule of law are as likely to be found in the curricula of European and American universities as in the Middle Eastern madrassas. The prevalence of multiculturalism and ethical relativism seems to express a loss of faith in universal values. Is the ‘Clash of Civilisations’ really a new form of the Culture Wars, a crisis within Western civilisation itself? Is Tony Blair’s approach to ‘the battle between progress and reaction’ the right one, or have Western governments and elites lost the plot?
Sponsored by Sovereignty And Its Discontents working group and produced by Philip Cunliffe
Venue: Gulbenkian Gallery, 14.00 - 15.30 on Sunday 29 October 2006
David Aaronovitch, columnist, The Times
Frank Furedi, professor of sociology, University of Kent; author, Politics of Fear: Beyond Left and Right (2005)
Sajjad Khan, editor, New Civilisation Magazine
Richard Koch, co-author with Chris Smith, Suicide of the West (2006)
Chair: Dolan Cummings, research and editorial director, Institute of Ideas; co-convenor, Battle of Ideas
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| The War on Terror: Does it Make Sense? |
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Toynbee Hall, London
18th August 2006
It is almost five years since George W Bush launched his war on terror, in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. From the outset its advocates saw it as a war for freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights - a struggle between the forces of good and modernity against those who fundamentally oppose these values.
Since then Afghanistan and Iraq are still far from being delivered any real democracy or rule of law. Some argue that that human rights and freedom have become casualties of this war and that Guantanomo Bay, Abu Ghraib, control orders and the practice of extraordinary rendition are the proof for this. Governments in the Muslim world, Russia, China and Israel have all used the war on terror as their excuse to repress opposition by force.
But the questions remain: Can you ever win a war of ideas by military force? Can the battle for hearts and minds be won if you compromise the values you espouse? Has the war on terror made people feel more secure? When and where will this war end?
The topic was debated by a distinguished panel of speakers:
Panelists:
Philip C Bobbitt: Former US Director for Intelligence
James Astill: Terrorism Correspondent for The Economist Magazine
Akmal Asghar: Contributing Editor at New Civilisation Magazine
The event chaired by author and broadcaster Dan Plesch,
The video for the event will be available shortly. Please check newcivilisation.com for regular updates.
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| Israel-Lebanon: Time for a Rethink |
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International Institute for Strategic Studies, London*
10th August 2006
According to US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, in Lebanon we are witnessing the 'birth pangs of a new Middle East'. While the current war is devastating, the status quo ante has achieved little stability and peace in the region. The region needs a sustainable solution that will achieve long term stability and security for all its inhabitants.
New Civilisation organised a panel of distinguished speakers to debate the regional and global implications of the ongoing Israel-Lebanon crisis.
Panelists:
Alan Hart: Former ITN and BBC Panorama Reporter
Sajjad Khan: New Civilisation Magazine
The event was chaired by Dr Salman Ahmed, Staff Writer at New Civilisation Magazine.
*The event was not organised in conjunction with the IISS. | |
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| Muslim Grievances: Real or Perceived? |
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Toynbee Hall, London
1st August 2006
Panelists:
Akmal Asghar, Contributing Editor at New Civilisation Magazine,
Dr Rosemary Hollis, Director of Research Chatham House
Dominic Lawson, former Editor of the Sunday Telegraph
Professor Dawud Noibi, Muslim Council of Britain
The video for the event will be available shortly. Please check newcivilisation.com for regular updates.
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| Winning Muslim Hearts and Minds – Do Muslims have a false sense of grievance against the West? |
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Islam Channel, Satellite TV Broadcast
Debate Tony Blair’s remarks that there was a need to defeat the "completely false sense of grievance against the West".
Panelists:
Jamal Okae, Contributing Editor at New Civilisation Magazine
John Lloyd, Contributing Editor at the Financial Times,
A recorded video of the broadcast will be available on newcivilisation.com shortly
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| The Case For Action Against Iran |
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Speakers:
Dr Frank Barnaby, Nuclear Issues Consultant to the Oxford Research Group
Professor Abbas Edalat, founding member of the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran and Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics, Imperial College London.
Sajjad Khan, Editor of New Civilisation Magazine.
Ms Carol Naughton, coordinator of the WMD Awareness Programme. The WMD Awareness Programme is dedicated to providing trustworthy and up to date information on Weapons of Mass Destruction world wide.
In this public forum, the invited speakers will address some of the key issues that are related to the current U.S.-Iran dispute, as well as the possible implications for the international non-proliferation regime and stability in the region.
Watch video of this debate: [All content is in Real Player format]
Part I: [Watch Online] [Download (right click and choose "Save Traget As")]
Part II: [Watch Online] [Download (right click and choose "Save Traget As")]
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| The War on Terror: Winning Hearts and Minds |
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Conway Hall, London
The state of War on Terror and the campaign to win hearts and minds.
Panelists:
Akmal Asghar: Contributing Editor at New Civilisation Magazine
Sir Malcolm Rifkind: former British Foreign Secretary
Dr Jeff McAllister: London Bureau Chief of Time Magazine
Yvonne Ridley: Political Editor at Islam Channel
The video of event will be available on newcivilisation.com shortly.
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| Crisis in the World - Is Capitalism the way forward? |
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Speakers:
Sajjad Khan (Editor of New Civilisation Magazine)
Clive Crook (Deputy Editor - The Economist)
This lively and well informed discussion took place at the end of April 04 in front of an audience of over 400 in East London.
Listen to the Debate: [All content is in Real Player format]
Introduction [Listen Online] [Download (right click and choose "Save Traget As")]
Part I: Clive Crook [Listen Online] [Download (right click and choose "Save Traget As")]
Part II: Sajjad Khan [Listen Online] [Download (right click and choose "Save Traget As")]
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