Dr Farish Ahmad Noor
Visiting Islamic Scholars Programme
Dr Farish Ahmad Noor and Saba Afzal at the Northern Interfaith and Intercultural Network event.
October 2009
In October academic-activist Dr. Farish Noor from Malaysia visited the Centre for Dialogue. He came as part of the Visiting Islamic Scholars Programme, funded by the State Government of Victoria and organised in collaboration with the Islamic Council of Victoria. The programme aims to promote an informed and open dialogue among South-East Asian and Australian scholars.
Dr Noor is a Senior Fellow at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and Affiliated Professor at Universias Muhamadiyah Surakarta (Solo) Yogjakarta, Indonesia. He has published many books and papers and has his own blog at othermalaysia.org where his blunt and sometimes controversial opinions are aired. Dr Noor is both a respected academic and a strong defender of human rights.
In a wide ranging series of lectures, interviews and panel discussions Dr Noor impressed with fascinating stories from his years of field research in Madrasas (Islamic Schools) across Asia. His deep political knowledge of his two homes in Malaysia and Indonesia was highly valued at the Australian Institute of International Affairs and again at seminars with academics at Monash, Latrobe and Deakin Universities. Dr Noor was interviewed by ABC TV and radio and by the AGE newspaper in Melbourne. As a former TV host himself he was incisive and pithy and he was much in demand.
Dr Noor was eager to meet the Young Muslim Leaders who had been part of the Centre’s Leadership Training program in the past three years. The Northern Inter-Faith Network organised a public event at which five young leaders matched wits with Dr Noor who challenged them to describe what is particular about Islam in Australia. “What does an Australian Muslim look like?’ he asked.
Early in 2010 the Centre will invite its third respected Muslim Scholar to visit Australia.