Contact: Muriel Banares or
Carmen Ramos Chandler,
(818) 677-2130
mbanares@exec.csun.edu

FOR RELEASE:
Nov. 5, 1999

Muslim Scholar to Speak at Cal State Northridge

His lecture, "Toward a Hermeneutic of Liberation: Contemporary Islam in South Africa," will take place at 6 p.m. in the University Club located near the corner of Nordhoff Street and Zelzah Avenue in Northridge. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Esack will talk about issues such as how Muslims are rethinking the questions of gender; how Muslims function in a minority settings as opposed to a majority, in the U.S. and Africa; and how Muslims are engaging in inter-religious dialogue to initiate social change.

"It is a rare opportunity for the university to have someone like him speak. He is one of the most exciting and charismatic scholars," said Amir Hussain, a CSUN religious studies professor. "His work is new and important in the study of Islam."

Esack is a member of the South African Commission on Gender Equality and was appointed by President Nelson Mandela. He is the author of several books, including "On Being a Muslim: Finding a Religious Path in the World Today" and "Qu'ran, Liberation & Pluralism: An Islamic Perspective of Interreligious Solidarity Against Oppression."

For more information about the lecture, call Amir Hussain at (818) 677-2741 or e-mail him at amir.hussain@csun.edu.