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K-State Today

March 7, 2011

American Muslims and religious freedom topic of upcoming civil rights lecture

Submitted by Melissa Linenberger

A nationally and internationally recognized expert in Islamic law and Islamic Shariya law will present the spring Dorothy L. Thompson Civil Rights Lecture.

Ali Khan is a professor of law at the Washburn University School of Law. His lecture, "American Muslims and the Right to Religious Freedom," will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, in Forum Hall at the K-State Student Union.


Khan will discuss the obstacles confronting American Muslims as they seek to freely practice their religion.  Evidence of these obstacles includes lawsuits currently pending in federal court. For example, a recent class action lawsuit alleges that FBI agents are violating Muslims' freedom of religion by secretly infiltrating U.S. mosques and randomly targeting Muslim worshippers for clandestine surveillance.  Moreover, a recent poll conducted by researchers at Cornell University concluded that nearly half of all Americans believe that the civil rights of Muslims living in the U.S., whether citizens or not, should be restricted.

Khan will discuss the perception that Muslims threaten our national security and the threat that such perception poses to the religious freedom and cultural identity of American Muslims.

More information on the Dorothy L. Thompson Civil Rights Lecture Series and upcoming events can be found at Thompson Lecture and event poster.

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