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The 2006 Ion Ratiu Democracy Lecture: Are There Democracy Lessons Arabs Can Learn From Eastern Europe?

Dr. Saad Ibrahim, professor at the American University in Cairo and the recipient of the 2006 Ion Ratiu Democracy Award delivered the 2nd annual Ion Ratiu Democracy Lecture key-note address: Are There Democracy Lessons Arabs Can Learn From Eastern Europe? Introductory remarks were provided by Ambassador Akbar Ahmed.

Date & Time

Thursday
Nov. 30, 2006
3:30pm – 5:00pm ET

Overview

Lecture by Dr. Saad Ibrahim, American University in Cairo, Recipient of the 2006 Ion Ratiu Democracy Award; Introduction by Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, American University

To view the video, click on the link above.

 


Read the Introduction and the Lecture

Introduction by Ambassador Akbar Ahmed

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University in Washington, D.C., is "the world's leading authority on contemporary Islam" according to the BBC. Former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain he has advised Prince Charles and met with President George W. Bush on Islam. His numerous books, films and documentaries have won awards. His books have been translated into many languages including Chinese and Indonesian. Dr. Ahmed is regularly interviewed on CNN, CBC, the BBC, ARY TV and has appeared several times on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Night Line. He has presented and narrated "The Glories of Islamic Art", the three-part television series for Channel 5, UK.
 

2006 Ion Ratiu Democracy Lecture: Are There Democracy Lessons Arabs Can Learn From Eastern Europe?

- 2006 IRDL recipient, Dr. Saad Ibrahim, Egypt

Saad El-Din Ibrahim is professor of political sociology at the American University in Cairo and director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies.

Dr. Ibrahim is one of the most prominent Arab sociologists, and has published widely on Islam, politics, democracy, citizenship, and civil society. He became the center of international attention when he was arrested in 2000 on charges that many viewed as politically motivated and was accused of accepting foreign funds without permission from the Egyptian government and for publishing information that "tarnished Egypt's image." He was convicted by an Egyptian military court and was sentenced to 7 years of hard labor. In 2003, and after 18 months in prison, Egypt's highest criminal court acquitted him of all charges. He has received numerous awards, including the Pagels Award, New York Academy of Sciences; American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholar Award; Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament; International PEN Writers in Distress Award; International Human Rights Award of the Lawyers Committee on Human Rights; the Bette Bao Lord Prize for Writing in the Cause of Freedom. Dr. Ibrahim was a Public Policy Scholar in residence at the Woodrow Wilson Center in 2005.
 


Post Scriptum

Dr. Eliot Sorel, Senior Advisor to the Ratiu Foundation for the IRDL, discusses the 2006 Ratiu Lecture

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