Director's Activities

19 May 2008
Rotary lecture on Islam, Stockholm, Sweden

9-13 March 2008
Visit by Dr Håkan Bengtsson
Director of  the Swedish Institute in Jerusalem

7 March 2008
Global Village Award Ceremony, Stockholm

6 March 2008
Swedish Research Council seminar. Lecture “Research without borders?”
Stockholm, Sweden

26 February 2008
“Vasaloppet conference on international issues”,
Lecture “How did we get here?”
Mora, Sweden

11-13 February 2008
SwedAlex conference “Honour-related violence against women”
The Director gave an opening address (in Arabic).

10 February 2008
EIEF conference with RAND corporation, Cairo.
Participated as guest. Speaker: Brezinski and colleagues.

5 February 2008
Visit to Egypt by the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament and delegates.
The Director hosted a lunch and conducted a miniseminar at SwedAlex.

5 February 2008
I-ACT conference at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
The Director gave an introductory lecture (in Arabic) at the roundtable on “Freedom of expression”; title “From religious to political sanctity/taboos”. (ENG text available).

31 January – 3 February 2008
Wilton Park conference WP896 on “European Security in 2020: external threats and internal response”, Steyning, UK
The Director participated in WP896 . He also deliberated with programme director Roger Williamson regarding possible future collaboration; (see separate report).

29 January 2008
Deliberations with Sida, on the occasion of a visit to Egypt by colleagues from Sida/Asia departments

23 January 2008
Launching of the SIPRI yearbook 2007 – Arabic translation
Seminar at the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs headquarters in Maadi, Cairo, sponsored by Sida and SwedAlex.

21-23 January 2008
SwedAlex conference “Getting the message out”,
The Director gave an opening lecture on “Breaking the barriers – haram, halal, and the freedom of thought”, (Arabic and English).

19-21 January 2008
“Dialogue among Peoples and Cultures”, Conference at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
This high-profile conference – with participation by the First Lady of Egypt and HRH Hasan bin Talal – was organized by the Institute for Peace Studies and co-sponsored by SwedAlex. The Director moderated the first working session (Arabic and English), featuring Dr Ismail Serageldin, Dr Layla Taka, and Dr Cengiz Aktar.

12-17 January 2008
Visit to Egypt by a delegation from the Swedish parliament/ Commission on Culture
13 January2008: The Director organized a meeting with Dr Gaafar Abdel Salaam and colleagues at the Islamic Universities League, al-Azhar campus, Cairo.
14 January 2008: The delegates had a one-day programme in Alexandria, including a visit to the Bibliotheca, mini-seminar with Egyptian intellectuals (conducted by the Director) followed by dinner at SwedAlex.

13 December 2007
Deliberations with IDSC, Cairo.
Together with colleagues from both institutions, Dr Magued Osman, Director of the Information and Decision Support Center at Egypt’s Council of Ministers, and SwedAlex Director discussed the World Value Survey to be conducted in Egypt, as well as other issues of collaboration.

12 December 2007
Launching of the Encyclopedia of Women in Islamic Cultures, EWIC
SwedAlex sponsored the Arabic translation of Volume1 (Methodology), which is now available online (and a small number in very simple print). The EWIC was presented in a seminar at the American University in Cairo, 12 December 2007, led by Dr Suad Joseph, University of California, USA, chief editor of the EWIC, with a short presentation by the  Director. The launching event was co-sponsored by SwedAlex. The seminar included deliberations on how to finance the Arabic translation of EWIC Volumes 2 - 4.

12 December 2007
"Image of the Other in history textbooks – the case of Spain" Seminar at the Arab League, Cairo.
The Spanish case study was a project within the overall programme on textbooks, (initiated in 2004 and co-ordinated by Unesco, co-sponsored by SwedAlex).
The Director gave a short lecture (in Arabic) on the importance of the textbooks project in general, and the lessons to be learnt from Spain and the mediaeval history of al-Andalus in particular.

26 November 2007
Mo Ibrahim Award Ceremony.
Visit by former OECD Amb. Gun-Britt Andersson, Bibliotheca Alexandrina

20 November 2007
Visit by colleagues from Sida/Culture & Media departments

18 November 2007
Meeting with LAS/ UNESCO, Cairo

13-14 November 2007
Visit by Amb Bo J Theutenberg, Cairo

11 November 2007         
Lecture at the International Peace Bureau Conference, Bibliotheca Alexandrina

8 October 2007          
Public Lecture on “Faith and Science”, University of Stockholm, Sweden

1 September 2007        
Seminar on Educating Arabic Translators, Uppsala, Sweden

23 August 2007          
Lecture on “Islam in the Arab Gulf”, SVIV, Stockholm, Sweden

20-24 August 2007
Annual conference for Heads of Missions, Foreign Ministry, Stockholm, Sweden

10-11 August 2007
Lectures on “Religion and social identity” at Summer Academy, Geijerskolan, Ransäter, Sweden

29 May 2007
Lecture at the Millennium Manuscripts Conference, Bibliotheca Alexandrina

16 May 2007
Public Lecture at the Swedish Research Institute, Istanbul: "Faith and Science-Forever Divorced?"

13 May 2007
Lecture for the Association for Friends of Alexandria, Göteborg

12 May 2007
Lecture at Conference on Interfaith Issues, Linköping: "To Obey God or Think Independently"

10 May 2007
SwedAlex Board Meeting
Meeting in Stockholm.

6 May 2007
Lecture at Conference on Euro-Arab Relations, King Faissal Foundation, Riyadh: "The New Faith-Science Debate"

29 April 2007
Public Lecture at the Delta Cultural Festival: "Images of I and the Other in World Literature"

19 April 2007
Inaugural Lecture for the New Online Exhibition "Discover Islamic Art" Medelhavsmuséet, Stockholm
www.discoverislamicart.org

17 April 2007
Lecture at the Sida Regional Meeting for Asia and the Middle East

3 April 2007
Welcoming New Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) Director and Mrs Lucio Guerrato

2 April 2007
Seminars and Open House on the Occassion of the Visit by Götheborg

1 April 2007
Lecture for the Young Swedish Diplomats' Programme.
Hosting a Reception on the Occassion of the Visit by the Ancient Swedish Ship East Indiaman "Götheborg"

27 March 2007
Hosting a Farewell Reception for Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) Director Traugott Schöfthaler

25 March 2007
Hosting an EC Reception to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome

28 February 2007
Hosting Representatives of Universities in Egypt, France, the Netherlands and Sweden

24-26 February 2007
SwedAlex Board Meeting
Meeting in Riyadh.

15 February 2007
Hosting EC Ambassadors Meeting with Local NGO's in Alexandria

11-13 February 2007
Deliberations with World Value Survey Steering Committee

7-8 February 2007
SwedAlex Advisory Committee
Meeting in Alexandria.

6-7 December 2006
World Views, International Politics, and Globalization
Colloquium organized in Washington DC, by the Foreign Ministry of Sweden together with the research department of the Alfred Nobel Museum.
Themes: conflict resolution, human rights, democracy, social and economic development.

25-26 November 2006
SwedAlex Board Meeting
Meeting in Alexandria.

2-3 November 2006
TEMPUS Visit
A visit to Alexandria in the context of a seminar with TEMPUS/Egypt.

30 October-1 November 2006
Teachers from Halmstad, Sweden
A visit to Alexandria. Lectures on intercultural relations and interfaith understanding.

15-19 October 2006
Swedish Research Links
The annual meeting of Arab research leaders together with Swedish colleagues at Sida and the National Research Council in Stockholm. A Joint Technical Committee ranks project proposals and suggests funding within the MENA-Sweden Research Links programme.

12 October 2006
Linguistic Challenges in the Encounter between Arabs and Swedes
Lecture at the Stockholm School of Economics.

27-28 September 2006
Sida Delegation Visit to Egypt

30 August 2006
SwedAlex Board Meeting
Meeting in Stockholm.

21-25 August 2006
Heads of Swedish Missions Abroad – Annual Conference
Reunion in Stockholm organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden.

17 May 2006
SwedAlex Board Meeting
Meeting in Stockholm.

25-28 April 2006
UD/MENA Heads of Mission, Regional Meeting
Annual gathering of heads of Swedish foreign missions in the MENA region.

10 April 2006
Perspectives on Interreligious Dialogue
SwedAlex Director to lecture at a seminar on interfaith theology “The Fruits of Pluralism and the Dilemma of Choice” in Sigtuna, Sweden; (in Swedish: ”Mångfaldens frukter och valfrihetens dilemma”).

8 April 2006
Global Village Lecture
SwedAlex Director to give the annual Global Village public lecture in Stockholm, together with Prof Tord Olsson, Lund. Theme ”Beyond holy scriptures and the wounds of history” (in Swedish: “Bortom heliga skrifter och historiens sår”).

6 March 2006
"World Views, Religions, Freedom of Expression, and Globalization"
A public debate in Stockholm, organized by the Foreign Ministry, the National Network for the Anna Lindh Foundation, the National Museums of World Culture, the Anna Lindh Memorial Fund, and the Södra Teatern in Stockholm.

7 February 2006
SIPRI Yearbook 2006
Preparatory meeting in Stockholm. The yearbook of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute is considered a standard work of the highest quality and reliability. For the fourth consecutive year, SwedAlex will try to raise funds for an Arabic translation.
Launching Event: usually in December.

6 February 2006
SwedAlex Board Meeting
Hosted by the Swedish Institute in Stockholm.