Women in Judaism and Islam by Dr. Seth Ward

The Niobrara County Library will sponsor a free presentation by Dr. Seth Ward on Wednesday, March 16 at the library at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Ward’s topic is “Women in Judaism and Islam,” focusing on dramatic changes in women’s roles in the past decades, and some of the most contentious contemporary issues.

According to Ward, “Women’s status issues are surprisingly controversial even in very modern segments of these religious communities. Issues such as women who support extremism, women’s prayer (and “egalitarian” prayer), and marriage and divorce have far-reaching ramifications and are often little-understood by American civil society.”

The format of the program allows substantial time for questions to ensure discussion of topics of immediate concern or special interest to the audience. In recent presentations, Ward has discussed developments in women’s education and leadership, Women of the Wall, Orthodox Feminism, involvement in Islamic State (ISIL), honor killings, female genital cutting, marriage and divorce, military service and much more.

Dr. Seth Ward has been teaching Islamic and Jewish studies at the University of Wyoming Department of Religious Studies since January 2003. His academic fields include Muslim-Jewish relations, cultural studies, women’s issues, crypto-Judaism, Women and Judaism, and Contemporary issues in Islam and Modern Middle East. He is lead author in a new textbook, History of the Modern Middle East, scheduled to appear in 2017.

“Women in Judaism and Islam” is presented by the Wyoming Humanities Council as part of its ThinkWY Road Scholars Tours program. The Wyoming Humanities Council provides public humanities-based programs in partnership with local organizations and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional support from private donors and the Wyoming Legislature.