9:30: Coffee

10: Panel One: Muslim Minorities in Non-Muslim Societies

Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Harvard University, Sugata Bose, Harvard University, Jocelyn Cesari, Harvard Divinity School, Yee Htun, Harvard Law School.William A. Graham, moderator

12:00: Break.

1:00: Panel Two: Minorities in Muslim-majority societies.

Orit Bashkin, The University of Chicago, Kristin Fabbe, Harvard Business School, Ousmane Kane, Harvard Divinity School, Jeremy Menchik, Boston University, Shady Nasser, moderator

3:00: Panel Three: Intra-Islamic Toleration

Akeel Bilgrami, Columbia University, Nebil Husayn, Harvard & Univ. of Miami, Mohsen Kadivar, Duke University, 
Roy P. Mottahedeh, Harvard University, Tarek Masoud, moderator

4:45 Closing Remarks:

William A. Graham, Director, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program

  Pluralism Project Summary: The annual Islam and Toleration conference was held on Harvard’s campus during a record-breaking rain storm in March 2018. The conference was sponsored by the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University and featured speakers from Harvard and other universities around the country. On the opening night of the conference, Harvard Professor Emeritus Thomas Scalon delivered the keynote address. (Khizr Khan, the keynote speaker originally slated for the conference, had dropped out last-minute.) Scalon’s remarks only briefly touched on the topic of Islam or Muslims. When questioned about his generalizations of Muslims and Muslim-majority countries, Scalon quickly admitted that he was not very familiar with the subject matter. The following day, three panels were held, each followed by extensive question and answer sessions. Despite the bad weather, approximately thirty people showed up to each panel. In keeping with the tone set by the keynote’s question and answer session, many audience participants pressed panelists on their broad generalizations and lack of contextual specificity.   This summary was written by a Pluralism Project staff member who attended the event.