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Dr. Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqui
Dr. Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi is professor and director of Journalism Program at Western Illinois University. He has also served as Chair of the Department of English and Journalism and has been honored with numerous awards for excellence in teaching and outstanding research contributions.
“The politics of emotions is different than the emotions themselves. In my view, it is the politics that creates imbalances and damaging results, and not the emotive speech itself.”
Dr. Christians Clifford
Dr. Christians Clifford is the former director of the Institute of Communications Research and Chair of the doctoral program in communications. He has been a visiting scholar in philosophical ethics at Princeton University, a research fellow in social ethics and also a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago, and a PEW fellow in ethics at Oxford University.
“Language is contextual, but because language is universal to the human race, our understanding of freedom of expression should not be absolute but governed by a cross-cultural principle, the intrinsic worthiness of human life.”
Dr. Elisabeth Eide
Dr. Elisabeth Eide is a Norwegian media researcher and author. She is professor of journalism at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, and has previously worked as adjunct professor at the Universities of Bergen and Oslo.
“The media world has during the last few decades become increasingly transnational, and images as well as some fragments of discourses travel rapidly, while the contexts in which they occur, do not travel with them.”
Dr. Fernando Resende
With a PhD in Communication Sciences from the University of São Paulo (USP) and Masters in Literary Studies from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Dr. Fernando Resende is a Professor of Media Studies in the Graduate Program in Communication, Department of Media and Cultural Studies at the Fluminense Federal University, Brazil.
“In order to deal with the problem of “affection”, a gesture which is inscribed in the field and practices of media, one must understand issues related to representations and mediations. It is from this perspective that the question of the otherness, with its intentions, desires, and emotions, becomes fundamental.”
Ms. Yvonne Ridley
Ms. Yvonne Ridley is a British journalist, war correspondent and Respect Party activist best known for her capture by the Taliban and subsequent conversion to Islam after release, her outspoken opposition to Zionism, and her criticism of Western media portrayals of the War on Terror.
“The West does not have a monopoly on freedom of speech, liberty or peace. These are the aspirations of most people no matter where they live. The problem is that too many people are denied some or all of them because of endless wars, injustice and hypocrisy forced on them by the never-ending “War on Terror” instigated by Western neoconservatives.”
Dr. Ayesha Leghari
Ayesha Leghari studied for her PhD from the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Melbourne. She is an educationist with a couple of Masters in the area of Educational Psychology and Special Education. She has been delivering lectures on Educational Psychology, Islamic Philosophy of Education, Iqbal’s Philosophy, and Ibn al Arabi’s teachings at International Islamic University, Cambridge University, Melbourne University and the Comparative Religions Group of The Asian Study Group, Islamabad.
“Respecting life beyond ‘religions’ becomes essential for Muslims because they have been asked by their Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) to contemplate the Beautiful Names of God and to see that it is through His Mercy that all human beings are given guidance (Al-Hadi) within their hearts even if they have rejected all forms of organized religions.”