The Rumi Forum presented “Emir Abdelkader–Fanatic or Freedom Fighter? His Relevance for Today” with John W. Kiser, Writer
Event Summary:
In his speech, Kiser explains why he thinks this topic is important today, and what its relevance is. Then he talks about its connection to Rumi, the similarities, and also the source of Abdelkader’s fame which was actually extraordinary, and at the end he answers this question that why he engaged with this subject.
Kiser believes that perhaps the best way to describe Abdelkader’s relevance to this time is to read a Pakistani scholar’s commentary, Muhammed Khan Nasir’s on Kiser’s book. Nasir says “Abdelkader is not only a symbol of a Muslim concept of resistance and struggle against foreign domination, but also an embodiment of true theological, moral, and rational ideas taught by Islam.” Kiser continues “Abdelkader is also important not just for Muslims but for non-Muslims. He represents the kind of Muslim that our government needs to be engaged with in different parts of the world, [I mean] not a sort of westernized Muslim but a Muslim who is deeply rooted in his/her own culture; who is deeply committed to his/her faith, but at the same time intellectually open, interested in the outside world and in this case [Abdelkader] possessing more courage and more authority among his peers. For example, in Iraq, one could imagine of Sistani, and in Turkey is Fethullah Gulen.”
Biography:
John W. Kiser is the author of Communist Entrepreneurs: Unknown Innovators in the Global Economy and Stefan Zweig: Death of a Modern Man. A former international technology broker, he has an M.A. from Columbia University in European History and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. His articles have been published in Foreign Policy magazine, the Harvard Business Review, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. He lives with his family in Sperryville, Virginia.