March 11, 2004 Muslim Women and Equality to Be Discussed at the Library of Congress

Asma Barlas, chair of the Department of Politics at Ithaca College, will present a lecture titled "Globalizing Equality: Muslim Women, Theology and Feminism" at noon on Friday, March 26, in Room 139 of the Library's Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington D.C. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

Sponsored jointly by the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress and the African and Middle Eastern Division, the program is part of a lecture series on "Giving Voice to Change: Muslim Women in the Era of Global Communication," which is sponsored by American University's Center for Global Peace and the Mohamed Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace.

Born in Pakistan, Barlas was one of the first women to be inducted into the Pakistani Foreign Service. While living in Pakistan, she earned a bachelor of arts degree in English literature and philosophy, and a master's degree in journalism. She eventually came to the United States, where she earned master's and doctorate degrees in international studies from the University of Denver.

A former assistant editor of "The Muslim," Barlas has published extensively in her field. Her most recent work is "Believing Women in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an," (University of Texas Press, 2002).