Scholars at Risk Professor to Speak at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, March 14
SAR-PR-06-02-08

Dr. Shemeem Abbas, a scholar assisted by Scholars at Risk will give a public lecture on her work in Sufism and how clerics in Pakistan found this dimension of Islam threatening. The event will be held on March 14 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.

Dr. Abbas will discuss challenges facing scholars investigating politically and culturally sensitive issues in the context of her own work on Sufism and its role in Islamic society. Her lecture will be held on March 14, 2006 from 6:00 pm -7:00 pm at the Davis Learning Center auditorium.

Dr. Abbas' visit is part of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Honors Program Distinguished Speaker Series which features writers, scholars and scientists to provide diverse outlooks on the changing world. The Honors theme for Spring semester of 2006 is "Science, War & Society." "We are quite thrilled at the prospect of Dr. Abbas's visit," says Honors Program director, Dr. Monica Halka. "Her perspective will be an eye-opener about the middle east and its culture for many of our students and faculty."

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University came to learn of Dr. Abbas' work through its participation in Scholars at Risk, a network of universities and colleges working to assist persecuted scholars. Dr. Abbas currently participates in the Scholars at Risk Speaker Series which is designed to raise public awareness about threats to academic freedom and attacks on scholars.

"We are very fortunate to include Dr. Abbas in the series," says Carla Stuart, Senior Program Officer of Scholars at Risk, "Dr. Abbas is a truly courageous individual and is an excellent example of the kind of scholars we help," adds Stuart.

Dr. Abbas is a visiting professor at Purchase College, SUNY, a member of Scholars at Risk (SAR). Purchase welcomed Abbas as its first SAR scholar in 2005 for a one-year visit jointly sponsored with the Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund which awards grants for threatened scholars from any country seeking sanctuary.

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, for which she has received widespread acclaim.

"We are so grateful for the support we receive from Embry Riddle, particularly from the College of Arts and Sciences and Honors Program Director Monica Halka for their efforts in organizing the visit," says Stuart. "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 Stuart.

For more information about this event, please contact Dr. Monica Halka (928) 777-3876.

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