George Town
4 July 2012
The Penang Institute, the public policy think tank of the state government of Penang, will be holding the 3rd annual Penang in Asia lecture at the Pinang Ballroom in Traders Hotel, Penang on 17 July 2012 (Tuesday) from 11:30am to 3:45pm.
This year’s lecture will be delivered by the world’s leading contemporary Islamic philosopher and thinker, Professor Tariq Ramadan, who will be speaking on the topic, “Islam, Democracy and Human Rights: The Awakening of the Muslim World”.
Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University. He is a grandson of Hassan Al-Banna the revered founder of Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest modern day Islamic movements in the world. Through his writings and public lectures, he has greatly contributed to the debate on the challenges of Muslims in the West and the current political revival in the Muslim world.
Professor Tariq Ramadan’s lecture will be followed by a discussion moderated by Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, chairperson of the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF). The discussants will be Professor Tariq Ramadan himself along with YB Nurul Izzah Anwar, Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, Dr Maszlee Malik, Assistant Professor at the Department of Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh in the International Islamic University of Malaysia, and Professor Datuk Dr. Woo Wing Thye, Executive Director of Penang Institute.
The Penang in Asia lecture series is an annual lectureship awarded under the patronage of His Excellency the Governor of Penang. It is organised by the Penang Institute to bring together renowned scholars, public intellectuals and thinkers from diverse fields to Penang to speak about issues relevant to the cultural, intellectual and economic development of Penang as an historical and future growth centre in Asia. The previous “Penang in Asia” lecture was delivered by Nobel Laureate Professor Sir James Alexander Mirrlees.
This lecture is open to the public but limited to registered guests only. For registration and enquiries, kindly contact Wendy Yeong or Desmond Wee at secretariat@penanginstitute.org, tel (604) 228 3306. The deadline for registration is 13 July 2012 (Friday).
Zairil Khir Johari
Chief Executive Officer
Tentative Programme
11:30 am – 12:30 pm Registration
12:30 pm – 1:15 pm Lunch
1:15 pm – 1:45 pm Welcoming address
Professor Datuk Dr. Woo Wing Thye
Executive Director, Penang Institute
Opening address
H.E. Tun Datuk Seri Utama (Dr.) Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas
Governor of Penang (To be confirmed)
1:45 pm – 2:15 pm Lecture
Speaker: Professor Tariq Ramadan
Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University
2:15 pm – 3:15 pm Panel discussion
Moderator: Dr. Ahmad Farouk Musa
Chairperson, Islamic Renaissance Front
Discussants: 1) Professor Tariq Ramadan
2) Nurul Izzah binti Anwar
Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai
3) Dr. Maszlee Malik
Assistant Professor at the Department of Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh,
International Islamic University of Malaysia
4) Professor Datuk Dr. Woo Wing Thye
Executive Director, Penang Institute
3:15 pm – 3:45 pm Question and answer session