Karam will focus on what Islamism is in general, and why it is important to distinguish it from 'fundamentalism,' while also placing movements such as Al-Qaeda within the larger frame of Islamism. Why is religion mixing with politics? What do these different ideologies have in common and what distinguishes them? What are the aspirations on a transnational scale? These will be some of the questions raised, and an overview of the emerging role of women in these movements will also be discussed.
Dr. Azza Karam serves as the Senior Policy Research Advisor at the United Nations Development Program, in the Regional Bureau for Arab States. Her experience spans the fields of multi-religious collaboration, international gender issues, democratization, human rights, conflict, and political Islam.