Religious Pluralism, Freedom and Diversity, Blasphemy and Respect
New Delhi
Program
Thursday, October 10th
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
Conference Hall, FTK Centre for Information Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110025
First session – 10.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.
Democracy and the tension between freedom of speech and respect for the other’s religion, culture, identity. India and Europe
Inaugural Address: S. Sajid - Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University, India Introduces and chairs: Nina zu Fürstenberg - President, Reset-Dialogues on Civilizations
Speakers:
Peter Ronald deSouza - Director IIAS, India Jytte KIausen - Brandeis University, USA Akhil Sibal - Lawyer, India
Usha Ramanathan - Lawyer, India
Second session – 2.00 p.m. – 4.30 p.m.
Minorities: democracy to the test of religious, cultural, linguistic and ethnic pluralism.
Chair: Harsh Sethi - Consulting Editor, Seminar, India
Speakers:
Rajeev Bhargava - Director CSDS, India
Roberto Toscano - Former Italian Ambassador to India Fawzia Koofi - Politician and activist, Afghanistan
Mani Shankar Aiyar - Former diplomat, Member of Parliament, India Sandeep Dikshit - Member of Parliament, India
Friday, October 11th
India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
“Silver Oak”, Habitat World, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003 (Entry from gate number 3 on Vardhman Marg) Third session – 10.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.
Blasphemy between present and past: the history of punishment and decriminalization of blasphemy in Europe, India and other countries
Opening:
Raj Liberhan - Director, India Habitat Centre, India
Chair:
Jytte KIausen - Brandeis University, USA
Speakers:
Silvio Ferrari - Professor in Law, University of Milan, Italy Ruchira Gupta - Founder of Apne Aap Women Worldwide, India Teesta Setlavad - Civil rights activist and journalist, India (Mumbai)
Fourth session – 2.00 p.m. – 4.30 p.m.
In the eyes of the other: religions seen by other religions. Proximity, conflicts, hybrids and syncretism through traditions, rituals, food and dress codes
Chair:
Najeeb Jung - Lieutenant Governor of Delhi
Speakers:
Giancarlo Bosetti - Director of Reset-Dialogues on Civilizations Francesca Cadeddu - Researcher, University of Bologna, Italy Pavan K. Varma - Author and Diplomat, India
Mihir Sharma - Journalist and writer, Business Standard newspaper, India Laila Tyabji - Activist and Chairperson of Dastkar, India
Silvia Ronchey - Professor, University of Roma Tre, Italy
Roundtable on the media – 4.45 p.m. – 6.00 p.m.
Shoma Chaudhury - Managing Editor, Tehelka, India Basharat Peer - Kashmiri journalist, author, and political commentator Jonathan Shainin - Editor, Caravan Magazine, India
Rachel Dwyer - Professor of Indian Culture and Cinema, SOAS, UK Manini Chatterjee - The Hindu, India
Saturday, October 12th
India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
Fifth session – 10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.
Traditional society, habits, hierarchies challenged by irreverence and provocation
Chair:
Peter Ronald de Souza - Director IIAS, India
Speakers :
Shiv Visvanathan - Professor at O P Jindal Global University, India Rachel Dwyer - Professor of Indian Culture and Cinema, SOAS, UK Ananya Vajpeyi - Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, India Manvendra Singh - Member of Parliament, Bharatiya Janata Party, India
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