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Karen Armstrong visits Casa Árabe
October 24, 20187:00 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62).
7:00 p.m.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
In English, with simultaneous translation into Spanish.
The author, awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences (2017), will be giving a conference on "The Challenges Facing Islam in the Modern World".
The current world is turbulent and complex, and many regions of the planet are immersed in crises and conflicts that Western public opinion associates with the religious fact, particularly Islam. Karen Armstrong will reflect on the origins of violence as historically associated with political power rather than religious beliefs. The academic will talk about Islam, its historical evolution in comparison with the other two great monotheistic religions, Christianity and Judaism. She will also tackle the relationship of Islam with the processes of modernization and secularization of societies, reflecting on the widespread assumption about the supposed incompatibility between Islam and democracy. We will know which are, from her point of view, the challenges that the 21st century faces from a global perspective and in the interest of a greater understanding among the different communities that inhabit the planet. We will try, ultimately, to shed some light on where should, both individuals and institutions, direct our actions.
Karen Armstrong is the author of numerous books on religion, including A History of God, which became an international bestseller; The Battle for God, A History of Fundamentalism; Islam; Buddha; and The Great Transformation, as well as a memoir, The Spiral Staircase. Her work has been translated into 43 languages.
She has addressed members of the US Congress on three occasions; lectured to policy makers at the US State Department. In 2006, she was invited by Kofi Anan to join the High-Level Group of the new UN Alliance of Civilisations; in 2008; She was awarded the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Medal; in 2009, she was awarded the TED Prize and with TED founded the Charter for Compassion, which is now a global movement. From 2008- 2016, she was a Trustee of the British Museum; in 2013, she was awarded the inaugural British Academy Al-Rodhan Prize for Improving Intercultural Relations; and in 2017, she was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences.