Interfaith Lecture

As a part of the annual Sid Albert Speaker Series, Saint Rose will welcome Professor Mehnaz Afridi of Manhattan College on Tuesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. in the Interfaith Sanctuary. Afridi specializes in Holocaust studies and was appointed to the position of director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center (HGI).

At the time, she received quite a bit of opposition for this for one prevailing reason: because she is a Pakistani Muslim. Critics argued that having a Muslim person in charge of Holocaust studies would dis- till the crucial factor of Judaism out of this historic tragedy. As Afridi’s career developed, however, their perspectives changed. She is believed to be the only Muslim person to teach on the subject in the entire world, but as a Muslim, she brings a contemporary significance to the field. There is conflict between Muslim and Jewish communities, but in her book, Shoah through Muslim Eyes, Afridi writes that her Islamic faith transcends the conflict because it is based on “tolerance, egalitarianism and acceptance of other faiths and cultures.”

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