Islam and Democracy: Malaysia in Comparative Perspective

RSVP REQUIRED

We are expecting a full house so please bring along a printed ticket with a valid ID. Each person must have a valid ticket to enter the event venue. 

[[{"fid":"216663","view_mode":"crop_870xauto","fields":{"format":"crop_870xauto","field_file_image_description[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_credit[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_related_image_aspect[und][0][value]":"","thumbnails":"crop_870xauto","pp_lightbox":true,"pp_description":true},"type":"media","attributes":{"height":1344,"width":870,"class":"media-element file-crop-870xauto"}}]]

 

Speaker Profile

Anwar Ibrahim has served since 2008 as  the parliamentary Opposition Leader of Malaysia. In the May 2013 General Elections, he led the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance, or PR) to a historic popular vote majority (52%), while winning 40% of the parliamentary seats.

From the early 1980s, Anwar was a rising star and leading figure in the long-ruling UMNO party, serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Malaysia from 1993-1998. Highly respected for his stance against corruption and his skillful management of the Malaysian economy during the Asian financial meltdown, Anwar spearheaded the Asian Renaissance movement and remains a leading advocate of civilizational dialogue aimed at bridging the gap between East and West.

An ardent supporter of freedom and democracy and critic of corruption in Malaysia, he was dismissed from office in 1998 and imprisoned by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed after a sham trial. The Malaysian Courts later overturned his conviction, but only after he served six years in solitary confinement.

After his release from prison Anwar assumed teaching positions at Oxford University, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Georgetown University, lecturing on governance, democracy and Southeast Asian politics. He has also served as President of the UNESCO General Conference, Chairman of the Development Committee of the World Bank and IMF, and an Advisory Board member of the International Crisis Group. 

---

Discussants

Donald Emmerson, Director, Southeast Asia Program

Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow, FSI

Moderator

Larry Diamond, Director, CDDRL

---

This event is sponsored by the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), the Muslim Student Awareness Network and Stanford in Government.