Lecture: "Mahatma Gandhi and Islam" by Prof. Dr. Gita Dharampal-Frick

Sponsored by the School of Historic Studies, Institute for Advanced Study

Thursday, October 13

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

White-Levy Room

Institute for Advanced Study

1 Einstein Dr.

Princeton, NJ 08540

As a prominent defender of Islam, Mahatma Gandhi proclaimed in 1938 that "the sayings of the Prophet", ranked "among the treasures of mankind, not merely of Muslims" (Foreword to a reprint of The Wisdom of Muhammad by Abdullah Suhrawardy). The talk will trace the development not only of Gandhi's empathetic appreciation of Islam's civilisational and political significance, but will also underscore the extent to which this 'prophet of nonviolence' drew inspiration from Islamic theology for his own doctrine and implementation of satyagraha ('truth force') in the struggle for Indian independence. 

Dr. Gita Dharampal-Frick, Head, Department of History, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, teaches modern South Asian history. 

For more information on this event, please email Gabriella Hoskin at ghoskin@ias.edu.