Symposium Speakers
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Muslim Voices Religion, Culture and Conflict Symposium, 2007 Trinity Western University 20-21 February, 2007 Trinity Western University in partnership with Omni Television invites the public to attend a free two-day symposium entitled Faith Forward: Exploring Religion Culture and Conflict in which prolific speakers from the Muslim faith will discuss Islam, Christianity and the part they each play in the world in which we live. Symposium speakers include Canadian Muslim apologist, lecturer and television host Shabir Ally and Afghan-Canadian journalist and actress, Nelofer Pazira, who appeared in the critically acclaimed film “Kandahar.” As well as the lectures, audiences can also take part in public roundtables and even attend a mosque tour at the Al-Hidayah Mosque in Port Coquitlam. A student forum will also take place. Symposium Speakers Nelofer Pazira Nelofer Pazira is an Afghan-Canadian journalist and actress. The daughter of an Afghan doctor, Ms. Pazira grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan. In 1989 she fled Afghanistan with her family, later coming to Canada as a refugee. In 1996, Ms Pazira returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in order to find a childhood friend but was unable to achieve her goal. Her story was later to become the inspiration for the critically-acclaimed motion picture Kandahar. Ms. Pazira is the author of A Bed of Red Flowers: in Search of My Afghanistan, a memoir of her experiences, and the founder of the Dyana Afghan Women's Fund. She is a frequent commentator and lecturer on issues surrounding the plight of Afghanistan, women, and the public role of Islam. Shabir Ally Shabir Ally is a Canadian Muslim apologist, lecturer, and host of the television programme, Let the Qur'an Speak. He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Laurentian University, with a specialization in Biblical Literature, and an M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Toronto with a specialization in Qur'anic Exegesis. He is currently a PhD Student in Qur'anic Exegesis at the University of Toronto. He is the president of the Islamic Information & Dawah Centre International in Toronto where he functions as Imam. He travels internationally to represent Islam in public lectures and interfaith dialogues. He explains Islam on a weekly television program called 'Let the Quran Speak,' and operates a website: www.shabirally.com. .