On Monday (Sept. 27), a West Virginia University College of Law professor will discuss the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and how they took away “Western immunity from a battle which until then had been confined to the Muslim world.”

Nomaan Hanif, the Archibald McDougall visiting professor on international law, argues that “As the U.S. and European strategic and commercial interests remain dependant on authoritarian regimes throughout a politically fragile Muslim hemisphere, and with a sizeable Muslim presence in Western Europe, winning the battle for the Muslim mind has become critical.”

His lecture, “The Battle for the Muslim Mind,” will evaluate this conflict and “reassess the contemporary discourse.” The talk, which will take place at 12 p.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom at the WVU Law Center, is the first of two lectures in the Global Perspectives: McDougall Lecture Series on International Law.

Hanif is a former fellow in Middle East politics at Exeter University and co-founder of the Centre for Global Energy Security in London. Hanif has also taught at Royal Holloway, University of London. He holds a master’s degree in international relations and European studies from the London Centre of International Relations, University of Kent; and a post-graduate diploma in international studies and a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Westminster. His current research is on the politics of “Hizb al-Tahrir.”

The Archibald McDougall Visiting Professorship in International Law sponsors Global Perspectives: The McDougall Lecture Series. The series represents the continuing commitment by the WVU College of Law to its programs in international law, which explore diverse points of view on issues critical to the global legal community.

The second lecture in the series, “The Interplay of Culture and International Trade in South Korea,” will be presented on Oct.11 by Gregory W. Bowman, a visiting professor at the WVU College of Law. He is the founding director of the International Law Center, Korean Summer Legal Studies Program and the International Speakers Series at his home institution, the Mississippi College School of Law.

These events are free and open to the public. To learn more about the WVU College of Law’s international law programs, the lecture series or to view the live webcasts go to http://law.wvu.edu/mcdougall2010.

-WVU-

bc/09/22/10

CONTACT: Brian Caudill, WVU College of Law
304-293-5301, Brian.Caudill@mail.wvu.edu