“Why do they do this to our prophet and to us?” Why is Denmark so hostile?”
These are questions that I’ve had to answer in Egypt and elsewhere since 2005, and I guess that after the recent arson of the Qur’an, even Swedes are asked the same question. But it wasn’t always like that. There was a time when we were told that Scandinavia was the best example of a true Islamic societal order, which was peaceful, consensual and cared for the poor and powerless. Conversely, there was a time when in Scandinavia Egypt was seen as venerable and civilized, and its people known to be good-humored and philosophical.
Taking its cue from some recent events, this talk outlines the development in views on Muhammad in Scandinavia since the moderne gennembrud and in Egypt since the nahda. It discusses the aims of the engagement with the prophet and, in turn, the engagement with the perceived limits to what we can or must say or depict of him.
Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen is a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Copenhagen. He has studied and worked in Cairo, Damascus and Beirut. Since 1990 he has spoken about the Middle East and Islam in Danish media, and he received DR's Rosenkjær Prize for his work in 2011.
Ragnhild J. Zorgati is Associate Professor of the Study of Religion at IKOS. She has published in several disciplines (the study or religion, cultural history, and comparative literature) with an emphasis on Muslim-Christian relations, religion and politics in Tunisia, and Jerusalem receptions in nineteenth century Scandinavia. She is the author of Pluralism in the Middle Ages: Hybrid Identities, Conversion, and Mixed Marriages in Medieval Iberia (Routledge, 2012) and the editor of The Promised Land: Christian Cultures in Modern Scandinavia (ca. 1750 – ca. 1920), Tracing the Jerusalem Code. Volume 3. (De Gruyter, 2021).
The event is free, and open to all - The event will be held in English - Coffee, tea and pastries