Öffentliche Lesung: „Enemies Near and Far: The World according to Al-Qaeda and ISIS“ by Prof. Dr. Sohail Hashmi, USA Prof. Dr. Sohail Hashmi, Mount Holyoke College, USA Time: Thursday, 15.10.2015 19:00-20:00, lecture and discussion 20:00-21:00: reception Place: Catholic Academy, Hamburg (Panoramraum) Herrengraben 4 A debate has raged within radical Islamic groups for decades on who should be the targets of their jihad, the local rulers (the near enemy) or these rulers‘ foreign backers (the far enemy). The controversy reached new heights after the 9/11 attack and the American interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. It bitterly divided the leaders of al-Qaeda from Abu Mus`ab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. This lecturer will consider the religious roots of the near enemy vs. far enemy debate, its impact on the radicals‘ strategy and tactics, and its implications for the continuing war against al-Qaeda and ISIS. Free and open for public, registration is recommended but not necessary. Organized by Institute for Theology and Peace (ithf) and Catholic Peace Foundation as the opening lecture of the international workshop on Islamic Peace Ethics, 15-17 October 2015 Institute for Theology and Peace (ithf), Hamburg