The Distinguished Lecture Series, which has brought many famous figures to the UW-Madison campus, concluded for the year Wednesday with author and professor John Esposito. Esposito, founder of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, spoke at the Great Hall on how Muslim policy has changed post-Sept. 11, 2001, and his concerns on the past and future of Middle East relations.
Esposito explained jihad, a concept originally defined as any struggle or defense in the way of God, but has now become something \global"" in the eyes of Middle East militants. Groups such as al Qaeda have adapted the concept to their own ideals, applying the idea that their wars are just to them and all their actions are defensive against aggression.
""What they do is paint the siege of good and evil ... it can be a holy and unholy war fought in the name of defense,"" Esposito said.
Additionally, Esposito touched on rising anti-Americanism, pointing out that hatred in the Middle East stems from mercurial foreign policies. He cited as a key example the ""Axis of Evil"" and its eventual focus toward Iraq, a policy which ignored the rising problems of Israel and abandoned the Afghani people in the middle of war.
""Before we had finished that first page, people were talking about the next functions,"" Esposito said on the shifting priorities.
At the end of the presentation, Esposito said for the first time in his 30-year-long career, he had given a speech that led him to an unexpected conclusion. With growing hostility from U.S. enemies, simmering anti-Americanism, and a ""monolithic"" post-Sept. 11 America, it was apparent that a potentially unassailable challenge lay ahead, which only a seriously ""imaginative"" policy would counter.
""The U.S. must develop a short-term and long-term policy, which will be challenged in ways that I don't think any administration could handle,"" Esposito concluded.
Nasuh Malas, UW-Madison junior and president of the Muslim Student Association, praised Esposito's informative attitude.
""I thought it was very clear and straightforward, and he was very unbiased in his treatment of the subject,"" Malas said.
UW-Madison sophomore Amanee Markos also praised Esposito for his message of communication, but expressed disappointment that more students were not in attendance.
""He made us aware that we need to question,"" Markos said. ""It's important that we start talking and seek out information.\
