Principal speaker
Professor Riaz Hassan AM
PERSPECTIVES:ASIA SEMINAR – 'Life as a Weapon: Do suicide bombings really make sense?'
Presented by Professor Riaz Hassan AM, Director of the International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding, University of South Australia
In an age when the world is preoccupied with worries about weapons of mass destruction in terrorist hands, terrorists across many parts of the globe are using a more basic device as a weapon – life itself. Suicide bombing has become a weapon of choice among terrorist groups because of its lethality and ability to cause mayhem and fear. But who carries out these acts, what motivates them and do suicide bombings make sense? Using information from one of the most comprehensive suicide terrorism databases in the world this seminar will address the common perceptions and understandings of suicide bombings and their perpetuators, while examining a cocktail of motivations including political success, liberation of the homeland, personal redemption or honour, refusal to accept subjugation, revenge, anxiety, and defiance. Since the configuration of these driving factors is also specifically related to the circumstances of political conflict in different countries, it is only through gaining understanding and knowledge of these conditions that appropriate policies and responses can be developed that will protect the public and counter the scourge of suicide bombings. Join us for this in conversation with Associate Professor Halim Rane, Islam-West Relations and Security Studies, Griffith University.
Riaz Hassan is Director of the International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding at the University of South Australia, Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies National University of Singapore and Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Flinders University. He has also held academic appointments at the University of California Los Angeles and Yale University. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the Ohio State University, from which he received his PhD in sociology. His publications include Afghanistan: The Next Phase .co-author (Melbourne University Press 2014); Inside Muslim Minds (Melbourne University Press 2008); Life as a Weapon: The Global Rise of Suicide Bombings (Routledge 2010 ); Suicide Bombings (Routledge 2011); Faithlines: Muslim Conceptions of Islam and Society (Oxford University Press 2003; Singapore: Society in Transition (Oxford University Press ). He is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and a Member of the Order of Australia.
Halim Rane is an Associate Professor specialising in Islam-West Relations and Security Studies at Griffith University. He formerly worked for the Australian Government Department of Immigration and continues to be engaged with issues concerning migration, settlement and integration through his teaching and research. Halim’s research is interdisciplinary, encompassing Islamic studies, sociology, international relations and media studies. He is the author of numerous articles and books on Islamic and Muslim issues.
When: Thursday 5 November, 6:00-7:30pm (doors open at 5:30pm)
Where: Cinema B, Gallery of Modern Art, Stanley Place, South Bank
Places are limited for this free event, please book early to avoid disappointment. Reservations can be made via http://www.cvent.com/d/pfqnn8. For further information contact Natasha Vary at events-gai@griffith.edu.au.
The Perspectives:Asia seminar series is co-hosted by The Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University and the Australian Centre of Asia-Pacific Art (ACAPA), Queensland Art Gallery I Gallery of Modern Art.