John Esposito is coming to town!

If you're an interfaith junkie like us, get ready to swoon. And even if you aren't, get ready to be blown away by Dr. John Esposito, one of the most respected and widely-known experts on Islam.

We were lucky enough to talk him into joining us on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at 7 pm at the Scott Conference Center (6450 Pine Street, Omaha, NE) for a community conversation on Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations in the 21st century.

Dr. Esposito will draw on highlights from his newly published book The Future of Islam to explore the major questions and issues that face Islam in the 21st century and that will deeply affect Christian-Muslim relations: Is Islam compatible with modern notions of democracy, rule of law, gender equality, and human rights? How representative and widespread is Islamic fundamentalism and the threat of global terrorism? Can Muslim minority communities be loyal citizens in America and Europe? He also will examine how the US and Europe appear to Muslims.

This will be a fascinating conversation for the whole community on one of the most timely topics today. Trust us, if you are in or anywhere near Omaha, you are going to want to be a part of this program. Click here to register.

And as if the talk alone isn't reason enough to join us, you can have Dr. Esposito sign your book as we'll have a book signing following his talk. Don't have any of his books? Fear not. The Bookworm Bookstore will be on-hand selling his books.

This program is open to the public but space is limited so register today at http://johnesposito.eventbrite.com/. Tickets are a suggested donation of $10 but students with valid student IDs are free.

Want a little more background on Dr. Esposito?

Check out his full bio at http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/jle2/bio.html

Watch a video of a recent interview that he and Dalia Mogahed gave to Charlie Rose about their 2008 book Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9246

This program is jointly presented by Project Interfaith, the Islamic Center of Omaha, the UNO College of Public Affairs and Community Service, the Fr. Henry W. Casper Professorship in History at Creighton University, and the UNO Islamic Studies Program.

This talk is part of Project Interfaith's 2009-2010 Community Conversations Annual Lecture Series. If you are interested in supporting this series or any other aspect of our work, click here to make a secure donation, give us a shout at (402) 933-4647, or email us at info@projectinterfaithusa.org. Thanks for your interest and support!