SAR Press Release:

'Scholar at Risk' to visit Queen's University, Oct. 25-26
SAR-PR-05-10-06

Dr. Shemeem Burney Abbas, a scholar assisted by Scholars at Risk and the Institute of International Education Scholar Rescue Fund will give three talks at Queen's University on October 25-26. Dr. Abbas will discuss academic freedom issues and reflect on challenges facing intellectuals, women and others in Islamic societies, drawing in particular on her own experiences as a scholar in Pakistan.

Dr. Abbas will facilitate an informal lunchtime discussion entitled 'Is This Islam? The Power of the Word' at the Ban Righ Centre, Tuesday October 25th at 12 noon. She will hold an intensive academic seminar from 2:30pm-4:30pm on Tuesday, October 25th in Mac-Corry D405, where her recent book will be discussed. On Wednesday October 26th she will deliver a public lecture entitled "Whose Islam Is It? The Clerics', at noon - 2pm in Kingston Hall, Room 201.

Her visit is sponsored by the Queen's University Faculty Association (QUFA) as part of its annual lecture series on academic freedom, and the intensive seminar is co-sponsored by Queen's Studies in National and International Development.

The purpose of Dr. Abbas' visit is to raise awareness about academic freedom issues and threats facing scholars worldwide. Queen's University came to learn of Dr. Abbas' work through the Scholars at Risk Network (SAR), an international network of more than 100 universities and colleges working to promote academic freedom.

Dr. Abbas currently is a visiting professor at Purchase College, SUNY, a member of the Scholars at Risk Network, teaching courses in political science and women's studies. The Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund awarded a fellowship to support her work at Purchase (www.iie.org/srf ). Dr. Abbas has taught at universities in the United States, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. She is a former department chair and professor of English Language and Applied Linguistics at the Open University in Islamabad, Pakistan, and is the author of both fiction and non-fiction books and numerous articles. She is most well known for her book, "The Female Voice in Sufi Ritual: Devotional Practices of Pakistan and India" (University of Texas Press, 2002), for which she has received widespread acclaim. Prior to arriving at Purchase, she taught at the University of Texas at Austin.

"Dr. Abbas is exactly the type of important, courageous intellectual voice that SAR was created to honor and defend," says Scholars at Risk director Robert Quinn.

Scholars at Risk members provide sanctuary for persecuted scholars by hosting them as visiting professors, lecturers, researchers or students. Network members also may host events, including lectures and conferences and contribute to research and advocacy efforts to promote academic freedom. For more information about Scholars at Risk, please visit: http://scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu or contact Carla Stuart (212) 998-2179.

"We are so grateful for the support we receive from Queen's University particularly from the Queen's University Faculty Association and Dr. Richard Day, Assistant Professor of Sociology for their efforts in organizing the visit," says Quinn. "Dr. Abbas' visit is an important step in what we hope will be a fruitful, long-term relationship with the university, its faculty, administration and students," adds Quinn.

The lectures will be held on October 25 and October 26 on the Queen's University campus. They are free and open to the public. For more information about these events, please contact Richard Day at 613-533-6000 ext. 77965, or by email at dayr "AT" post.queensu.ca

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