Terrorist attacks, anti-Americanism, and the profound alienation of Islamic countries from the United States and other Western countries provided the backdrop for a presentation,"Western Images of Islam; Islamic Images of the West: An Interfaith Inquiry," by Franciscan University of Steubenville English Professor, Dr. Benjamin Alexander.
Western leaders hope to export Christian-rooted, Western democracy to Middle Eastern countries with a tribal order and Islamic piety that is little understood, Dr. Alexander argued. A study of literary works illuminating sometimes violent encounters between Islam and the West can be helpful in coming to grips with what has taken place worldwide since the 9/11 attacks.
Dr. Alexander received his PhD in literature and political philosophy from the University of Dallas. His areas of research and interest include American literature, rhetoric and public policy, modern world literature and Shakespeare and political theory. In the early 1990's he served as special assistant to the United States Secretary of Education, the Assistant secretary of Population Affairs; and the Office of Public Liaison, United States Information Agency, among other federal government posts.
Dr. Alexander's lecture was given on Friday, November 4, in the conference room on the 10th floor of Flanner Hall, and was sponsored by the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture.
