Todd Green comes to Elon to talk about Islamophobia – Feb. 24-25

Religious Studies scholar Todd Green from Luther College will present this year’s H. Shelton Smith Lecture on the subject of “Islamophobia: What are we really afraid of?”

Green is the author of the book “Fear of Islam,” and his lecture will explore why the West fears Islam and why this matters, including discussion of the increase in bias incidents and hate crimes against Muslims in recent years.

The public lecture will be on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 5:30 p.m. in the McBride Gathering Space.

The H. Shelton Smith Lecture Series honors a native of North Caroilna and a 1917 graduate of Elon College. Smith was the founding director of graduate studies in religion at Duke University and founder of the North Carolina Council of Churches in 1935 and served as its first president. His vision of the Council was that it would be “an interdenominational agency to deal with problems of social justice, racial relations … or problems that confront the churches.” The Truitt Center is proud to honor Smith’s legacy by continuing the conversations he began on the issues of social justice, racial relations and the church’s role in society.

There will be three additional opportunities to engage with Green while he is on campus. There will be two conversational lunch and learns for faculty and staff on Wednesday, Feb. 24, and Thursday, Feb. 25, at 12:30 p.m. in the McBride Gathering Space. The focus will be “Islam 101— What do we need to understand about Islam? And Why?” Bring your own lunch; dessert and beverages will be provided. RSVP to the truittcenter@elon.edu.

On Wednesday evening, Green will participate in a public dinner conversation addressing the question, “Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?” The discussion will include responses from Elon faculty members Lynn Huber (Religious Studies) and Shereen Elgamal (World Languages), and the Rev. Ron Shive (First Presbyterian Church, Burlington). The Rev. Joel Harter, associate chaplain for Protestant Life, will moderate.

Pizza and salad will be provided. This event begins at 5:30 p.m. in the McBride Gathering Space.

The public is invited to attend the two evening events—the dinner conversation on Wednesday and the public lecture on Thursday.

Green’s visit is sponsored by the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society.