IKMAS SEMINAR SERIES NO.3/2016 Islam, Sanctuary and the Forgotten People? The Role of Religion in Providing Sanctuary in Malaysia
THE INSTITUTE OF MALAYSIAN AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (IKMAS) UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA cordially invite you to;
Title : Islam, Sanctuary and the Forgotten People? The Role of Religion in Providing Sanctuary in Malaysia
Speaker : Dr. Gerhard Hoffstaedter
Senior Research Fellow, School of Social Science
University of Queensland, Australia
Date : 24th March 2016 (Thursday)
Time : 2.30 – 4.30 pm
Venue : IKMAS Seminar Room
ABSTRACT
Malaysia has a mixed track record in providing Muslims with refuge, yet it increasingly lays claims to being an Islamic country. The refugee convention and its protocol, meanwhile, have been under intense scrutiny and their ideals are increasingly ignored or circumvented by some of their signatories. This seminar will explore alternatives to signing up to the convention in providing protection spaces for refugees outside of the convention. Using Malaysia as a case study the paper argues that the Islamic concept of sanctuary has historical application and potential to allow for the temporary and long term integration of vulnerable populations in the region. This also comes with numerous caveats and problems of its own, but considering the large refugee case load in the Muslim world it offers one alternative based on practice in one OIC country.Ethnographic vignettes from fieldwork with urban refugees in the Klang valley demonstrates the limitations of such an approach as well as the possibilities it affords. This paper argues that refugee policy in the region needs to move beyond the conventional durable solutions based on a rights framework that is increasingly meaningless.
BIODATA
Gerhard is an anthropologist at the University of Queensland. Currently he is researching urban refugees in Malaysia. His first book entitled Modern Muslim Identities: Negotiating Religion and Ethnicity in Malaysia is published by NIAS Press.He is co-editor of a volume on human security and Australian foreign policy as well as one on Urban refugees: Challenges in Protection, Services and Policy. He is also course director for World101x: Anthropology of current world issues, UQs fifth edX massive open online course.
We look forward to your participation in this seminar. Confirmation of your attendance is greatly appreciated. For further information please call 8921- 5839 or 8921-3782.
Thank you.