Dr. Bassam Tibi, the Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University, will give a lecture on “The Challenge of Fundamentalism: Political Islam and the New World Disorder” Monday at Wells College.

Tibi's free talk will be followed by a panel discussion on religious pluralism in collaboration with Wells faculty and students.

Tibi, an international expert, is the director of the Center for International Affairs at the University of Göttingen, Germany. 

He publishes widely on modern Islam, Arab nationalism, democracy and religion, and the multifaceted challenges that Islam and Europe jointly face in the age of globalization.

Tibi is well known for his views on a modern form of Islam, which he calls “Euro-Islam,” a concept he considers compatible with secular democracy in Europe. His perspective challenges both those who consider Islam a foreign body in Europe and religious fundamentalists who want to shape civil society in their image.

Tibi's most recent book, “Political Islam, World Politics, and Europe,” characterizes politicized Islamic fundamentalism as a new form of totalitarianism.

Earlier books and articles have addressed the need for European countries to embrace Muslim citizens in Europe in return for those citizens respecting the civic principles of secular democracy.

Tibi's talk is made possible by the following college sponsors: Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; International Studies; Public Affairs; Anthropology/Sociology; Religion; the Dean of the College; and the Office of Institutional Diversity.

Wells College, a nationally recognized private coeducational liberal arts college, is known as an exceptional value, pairing top quality academic programs with affordable tuition.

Wells boasts small class sizes, an extensive experiential learning program, cross-enrollment with Cornell University and Ithaca College and a wide range of off-campus study options.

The academic program allows students freedom to create unique educational experiences.