Daniel C. Peterson, professor of Islamic studies and Arabic and editor in chief of the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, will chair a plenary session at the Parliament of the World’s Religions held December 3–9, 2009, in Melbourne, Australia.

Entitled “Islam and the West: Creating an Accord of Civilisations,” the panel discussion will center on understanding Islam. Peterson’s involvement illustrates METI’s engagement with scholars worldwide.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions, first held in 1893, brings together the world’s religious and spiritual communities to discuss and explore interreligious understanding and cooperation.

Others who will participate in this session include Tariq Ramadan, professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford University and senior research fellow at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan; Chandra Muzaffar, political scientist and founding president of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST), Malaysia; and Feisal Abdul Rauf, chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, a multinational, multireligious project that works to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West. ◆