4/04/02-Boston College Law School is pleased to present Professor Qamar-ul Huda of the Boston College theology department, in a discussion titled "The Myths and Realities of the Authorities in Islamic Law." The discussion, one in a series of occasional 9/11 reflections sponsored by the Law School, will take place on April 10 at 3:30 p.m. in East Wing Room 400. It will cover, among other topics, how such differing interpretations of the use of violence under Islamic law can be possible, with reference to the terrorist attacks of September 11.

"Many members of the BC Law community have expressed concern over the risk of misunderstanding and therefore misjudging Islam in the wake of the tragic events of September 11th," said BC Law faculty member Frank Garcia. "We are fortunate that BC has on its faculty a scholar of Professor Huda's expertise, willing to help our community sort through some of these issues."

Professor Huda has been an active proponent of inter-faith dialogue here and nationally, and that dialogue is needed now more than ever, Garcia says. "My comparative law students this semester have also been interested in Islamic law as an example of a rich tradition of religious legal systems, which includes Jewish law and Roman Catholic canon law as well, and we look forward to his insights into questions of legal and religious authority. For these reasons Professor Huda's visit to the law school comes at a particularly good time."

Professor Qamar-ul Huda is a noted expert in Islamic theology, and teaches on the theology faculty of Boston College. He received his PhD in Islamic History from UCLA, and has also studied in Egypt and Pakistan. He speaks and publishes on many topics in Islamic and comparative theology, including the Islamic mystical tradition. In addition to his scholarly activities, Prof. Huda is active at BC, regionally and nationally on issues of inter-faith dialogue.

The Law School is located on the University’s Newton campus, at 885 Centre Street. A reception will follow the discussion on April 10.