Co-sponsored by Global Programs, Middle East Studies, Center for Global Islamic Studies, Political Science and Center for Global Policy (SPGIA) at George Mason University
All You Wanted to Know
About ISIS
& Did Not Know You Should Ask
Town Hall Event at George Mason University
16 October 2014, 6:00 PM
Merten Hall 1201
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA
Featured Speakers
- Bassam Haddad
- Maria Dakake
- Peter Mandaville
- Jack Goldstone
“Everyone has something to say about the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). But only now. When ISIS or its predecessor was taking over towns in Syria last year, and when it grew out of Iraq’s chaos and calamity after the US invasion of 2003, it was just another news item. But when more and more interests were threatened, when the identity of the victims began to change, and when ISIS rolled into cities in Iraq, it became a problem. Everyone (almost literally) started writing about the problem of ISIS. Incessantly! And the more mainstream media accounts one reads, the less one knows.
The challenge of writing or speaking about ISIS is multi-faceted, but rests mainly in the fact that we simply do not have enough corroborated information/knowledge about all aspects of the phenomenon, including how they link up together and to other countries. This state of knowledge on ISIS makes virtually any piece of writing sound somewhat interesting and credible. The outcome, in terms of writings on ISIS, where plausibility becomes synonymous with knowledge production, is important to observe and decipher.”*
Joins us so we can raise the right questions
*Excerpt from the Introduction to Jadaliyya’s “ISIS in the News: Extensive Media Roundup”
