Seyran Ates on a sexual revolution in Islam

February 5 2019

Fritt Ord and Integral Film invite the public to a talk with Imam, lawyer and author Seyran Ates on Tuesday, 5 February 2019, from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. at the Fritt Ord Foundation, Uranienborgveien 2, Oslo. The moderator for the talk is Mohamed Abdi, who is educated as a teacher, social commentator and writer.

Registration: registering@frittord.no

According to Seyran Ates, sexuality in Islam is often characterised by bans, fears and violence. The consequences can be fatal – not only for individuals, but for society as a whole. Seyran Ates is calling for a sexual revolution in Islam, and she will talk about what this entails.

During the conversation between Ates and Abdi, we will also see excerpts from the upcoming documentary film “The First Supper” about Seyran Ates, by the Turkish-Norwegian director Nefise Özkal Lorentzen. Seyran Ates’ book “Islam needs a sexual revolution. A diatribe” will be published in Norwegian in May this year.

Seyran Ates opened the Ibn Rushd Goethe Mosque in Berlin in 2017. This is the first liberal mosque in Germany where men and women can worship together – and where women can be imams. Seyran Ates was born in Istanbul in 1963, and she has lived in Berlin since 1969. She studied law at Freie University Berlin, and has practised law since 1997. Today, she specialises in criminal and family law, and Muslim women feature prominently on her client roster. As a women’s and human rights activist, Seyran Ates is an important voice in the struggle against religious and tradition-related violence. Her books stimulate debates on gender, gender equality, Islam and integration. She is behind the civil initiative “Stop Extremism”, which strives to counter political and religious extremism in Europe.

The conversation will be in English.

Link to the Facebook event: Seyran Ates on a sexual revolution in Islam.

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