Talk

ISIS, the Caliphate, and History

Swords library, Monday 21st September, 6.30 PM.
ph: 018905894

Ronan Stewart, MA Cambridge

    Massive changes sweep the Middle East as the group known as ISIS tries to resurrect an ancient empire, called the Caliphate. So what was the Caliphate? Where did it come from? And what effect does the idea of this ancient civilisation have on the present? This talk looks into the story of how the Caliphate rose to power in 632 CE/AD and separates fact from fiction. We will explore how good or bad the Caliphate actually was, some of the highs and lows of its 1300-year history, the  myths and reality of the Caliphate and how the concept of the Caliphate illustrates modern debates like women’s rights
and minorities in the Middle East.