For 3 days (February 19-21, 2015), scholars, students and community members met at Michigan State University in East Lansing for the 2015 Muslim Studies Conference, Global Halal: Muslims and the Cultural Politics of the Permissible. The conference was videotaped. Video of selected conference papers and keynotes will be available in Fall 2015. Click this link to view the video of the welcoming address by Paulette Granberry Russell, Director MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives and Deandre Beck, Associate Dean MSU International Studies and Programs.

The Conference program included over 20 papers on topics ranging from the halal food markets to the representation of halal themes in literature. Conference highlights included keynote presentations by John Esposito (Georgetown University), Kecia Ali (Boston University), Ingrid Mattson (University of Western Ontario), and Sherman Jackson, University of Southern California.

While the term halal refers to all that is permitted to Muslims, its specific associations with Islamic dietary restrictions underscore the cultural politics of food at time of growing awareness of ethics of food production and consumption and simultaneously an expansion of the globalization of food habits, including increased consumption of highly processed foods. The conference provided a forum for discussing the culture and politics of food within the framework of Muslim Studies, emphasizing not only the cultural or ethnographic aspects of food preparation and consumption, but also the political and economic considerations.

We are currently developing a series of documentary films based on the performances, presentations, and film screenings organized as part of Migrations of Islam (trailer).

Professor Ali Mazrui of Binghamton University presented a lecture titled: “In the Shadow of Islamophobia: The United States and the Muslim World” at Michigan State University.

Ali Mazrui Lecture from IMAJE / MSU on Vimeo.

Professor Mohammad Ayoob delivered a lecture at Michigan State University titled “Three Reasons behind the Popularity of Islamist Groups in the Middle East.” Video of the lecture can be viewed below.

Mohammed Ayoob Lecture from IMAJE / MSU on Vimeo.

An interview with Michigan State University associate professor Folu Ogundimu on media framing of the Islamic world.

Media Framing of the Islamic World from IMAJE / MSU on Vimeo.

Noreen Ahmed-Ullah is a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. She was one of the first US journalists in Kandahar after the U.S. invasion. In this interview for IMAJE at Michigan State University in Fall 2009, she discusses her experiences as a journalist.

Dan Rather visited East Lansing in Spring 2009 to give the commencement lecture at Michigan State University. In this interview for IMAJE, he talks about reporting on Islam and outlines key points for journalists.

Dan Rather – How to Report on Islam from IMAJE / MSU on Vimeo.

Ayesha Khan is an independent Pakistani filmmaker. She visited East Lansing in Fall 2009 to screen her feature film “Kashf” at Michigan State University. She also is the executive producer of a documentary titled “Made in Pakistan.” In this interview for IMAJE, she discusses her work with FAIR as a student intern and what went into making “Kashf” and “Made in Pakistan.”

Ayesha Khan from IMAJE / MSU on Vimeo.

Alec Hargreaves is a Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Florida State University. In this interview with IMAJE in Fall 2009 at Michigan State University, he discusses media coverage of Muslims in France.

Alec Heargraves from IMAJE / MSU on Vimeo.

Tariq Ali is an internationally renown author, journalist and scholar. He is the author of Clash of Fundamentalisms, Bush and Babylon and over 30 other titles. He spoke at Michigan State University in Spring 2009. In this interview, he briefly discusses religious stereotypes, comparing contemporary forms of Islamophobia to past expressions of anti-Semtisim.

Tariq Ali from IMAJE / MSU on Vimeo.