Conference examines the jihadist mind
What is a jihadist? Why do Islamic extremists think the way they do? How are people living with all the benefits of the western world in the 21st century, radicalized by a violent theology?
Above all, what can we, as a society, do about it?
With the recent attack on a church in Normandy, France possibly being motivated by Jihadist ideology and the Bastille Day massacre, these are questions we are again asking ourselves.
And as it was after incidents from Orlando to Ottawa, we collectively aren’t coming up with clear answers.
However, those attending a conference in Niagara Falls next month might start to develop a clearer picture of one of the world’s most pressing problems.
The third annual Non-Conference — Ontario largest conference geared toward atheists, agnostics and humanists — held at the Americana on Aug. 12 and 13, features ex-Muslims, moderate believers and a former radical to explain what is happening within the world of Islam and how radicalization works.
“Unlike a lot of these types of events, I build the conference from the subject down, instead of the speaker down,” said Spencer Lucas, organizer of the Non-Conference, during an interview for this week’s Lake to Lake podcast. “Bringing in atheist celebrity to talk about atheism isn’t interesting to me. I thought it would be much more interesting to talk about something that is happening in the world right now.”
Maajid Nawaz, the conference’s keynote speaker, knows more about the internal working of the jihadist mind than most. As a young man living in the UK, he was radicalized by the Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Eventually, his involvement with the group landed him in an Egyptian jail for five years.
“He has since renounced extremism and founded Quilliam (and antiIslamic think tank),” Lucas said.
Nawaz, the author of Radical, provides a unique point of view, Lucas said, as someone who passed through the life of a radical to come out on the other side.
“The thing about this conversation that is very frustrating is that you have those on the right saying that it has everything to do with Islam, and then those on the left saying it has nothing to do with Islam,” Lucas said. “What Maajid has been saying is that it has something to do with Islam, and that is where the conversation needs to be.”
The event will also feature Ali A. Rizvi, author of The Atheist Muslim, Raheel Raza presidents of the Council of Muslims Facing Tomorrow and Armin Navabi, a Muslim apostate and founder of the Atheist Republic website.
Lucas said beyond jihadist terrorist attacks, there are other real world issues about the intersection between Islam and human rights that Canadians need to be aware of.
He pointed to the cause of Saudi Arabian writer Raif Badawi whose blog Free Saudi Liberals resulted in his arrest and 10-year prison sentence for apostasy. He faces regular lashings.
“These are things that are happening now and have to be dealt with,” Lucas said. “Raif Badawi’s wife took refuge in Canada. So these are issues that touch on the lives of Canadians.”
Although the Non-Conference is billed as a conference for nonbelievers, Lucas said it is not closed to the religious.
“It’s about having a conversation with each other,” he said. “We have believers attending the event, we have believers on stage speaking.”
For information and tickets on the Non-Conference go online to www.thenonconference.com.