Past Programs
Islam - 2008
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999
Tower of Babel: The Language of Religion
06/07/2008
While the Christian Bible is reproduced in many languages, and is often updated to modern English usage, the Qur'an is only sacred in its original 7th century Arabic. How important is language to the spiritual meaning of sacred texts? Can we translate the word of God without distorting it? On this Encounter Emre Azizlerli explores the importance of spiritual language in religious experience.
For copyright reasons, this program is unavailable as an MP3 file, as real audio, and in transcript form. This program was first broadcast on the BBC World Service.
Shadowlands
29/06/2008
Islam and the art of wayang kulit, or shadow puppetry, have co-existed in Malaysia for centuries but in 1990 a new generation of political Islamists, influenced by the theology of Wahhabism, outlawed the tradition in its home state of Kelantan. Encounter travels to Kelantan to watch an illegal ritual performance of wayang kulit and to explore how the pluralist history of Islam in the region, embodied in this art form, has been challenged by global developments. But do the results of Malysia's recent elections suggest the influence of Wahhabism is now on the wane? And, paradoxically, could the successes of the Islamic Party, PAS, be a good sign for democracy and religious freedom in the country?
Entering into Dialogue - Christianity and Islam
20/04/2008
As preparations are afoot for a ground-breaking meeting at the Vatican between Catholic and Muslim scholars, Encounter presents voices of experience in this most historically compelling dialogue. Chris McVey is an American-born Catholic priest who has lived in Pakistan since 1960. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, convened the scholarly Building Bridges Seminar series. And Syed Farid Alatas told the most recent Building Bridges Seminar of the imbalances afflicting Muslim-Christian dialogue.
Tariq Ramadan
09/03/2008
He has been banned from entering the United States, he's advised Scotland Yard, the British government and the previous Australian government. What did Oxford based Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan have to say to an international audience in Brisbane this past week? He was keynote speaker at a conference sponsored by the Queensland government, Griffith University and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils. Its theme: The Challenges and Opportunities of Islam in the West: The Case of Australia. Download PDF of an edited transcript of the Keynote Address of Professor Tariq Ramadan ... Download PDF of questions from the audience to Professor Tariq Ramadan
