Forward Thinking help host Dr Ahmad Iravani, 27th March 2015

Forward Thinking helped to host Dr Ahmad Iravani, an Iranian scholar, when he visited London, 27th March 2015. Dr Iravani is currently president of the Center for the Study of Islam and the Middle East, and a Fellow at The Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies at The Catholic University of America where he teaches courses in Islamic Law, Introduction to Islam, and Modern Iran in the Columbus School of Law and the School of Theology.  Dr Iravani is also an Ayatollah, after receiving the highest possible degree in Islamic Studies (Ijtihad) in 1997 (Qom), and the First Kharej Degree (equal to a Ph.D.) in Islamic Studies, from the Islamic University in Qom (1992).A roundtable was organised at Forward Thinking's office on the morning of the 27th with members of the international community based in London. Discussions focused on recent developments within Iran, the wider issue of regional stability, and the challenges posed by the growth of sectarianism.A meeting was also organised at St Mary's University, Twickernam, where Dr Iravani met with several senior members of faculty for a wide-ranging conversation on issues including: the relationship between religion and politics, secularism, and relations between the West and the Muslim World.