IS THE WEST TO BLAME FOR ISLAMIC EXTREMISM (Terrorism)?
Date: 23rd April 2015
Venue: Cambridge Union, Cambridge University
Debate Description:
As the western military presence in Afghanistan draws to a close, much of the Middle East remains just as unstable and volatile as it has ever been. The actions of ISIS in Iraq and Syria have once again brought the issue of Islamic Extremism to the fore of global politics. The Union asks whether this pressing security issue, both in the West and the Middle East, is the legacy of Western foreign policy, or if it is instead a result of more deep-rooted, regional factors.
PROPOSITION
Frances Guy - Frances was the British ambassador to Yemen and Lebanon, the Foreign Secretary’s envoy to the Syrian opposition, and is the UN Women's representative in Iraq.
Abdullah al Andalusi - Abdullah is an international speaker, thinker and intellectual activist for Islam and Muslim affairs, and is the co-founder of the Muslimn Debate Initiative.
Dr Iza Hussin - Dr Hussin is a member of Cambridge's POLIS department, and researches comparative politics, Islam and Muslim politics. Her forthcoming book explores the construction of Islamic law in colonial India, Malaya and Egypt.
OPPOSITION
Dr Usama Hasan - Dr Hasan is a former senior lecturer at Middlesex University, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Senior Researcher in Islamic Studies at the Quilliam Foundation
Chris Doyle - Chris is the Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding and a member of the Royal Institute for International Affairs.
Robin Simcox - Robin is a Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, where he specialises in al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda inspired terrorism. He is the co-author of both editions of 'Islamist Terrorism: The British Connections' , and has written and spoken on the issue on a variety of platforms.
