ANN ARBOR — The University of Michigan’s newly formed Islamic Studies Initiative will host a two-day conference entitled, “Islamophobia/Islamophilia: Beyond the Politics of Enemy and Friend,” Oct. 19-20.

This event, held in the Michigan League, will bring together a diverse group of scholars whose research has equipped them to think critically and creatively about Islamophobia, its ideological opposites, and its alternative forms. Ranging from the Middle Ages to the post-9/11 present, from North America to Indonesia, the work featured at this conference will address varied conditions in which Islam inspires both apprehension and affection, how these sentiments are expressed in multiple languages of identity, and how they relate to prevailing ideas — of race, gender, citizenship, secularism, human rights, tolerance, and pluralism – important to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

For more information, contact Bryce Adams at bagheera@umich.edu.