How does one reconcile the Islamic laws and rules for society with the United States constitutional concept of separation of church and state? Does Islam permit a Multicultural Society with protection from the noriti religions? That's an excellent question and it varies from state-to-state. One of the interesting things about the Arabian parlamentu said it not only has women that also has Jews Christians members of the zoroastrian faith, which is the ancient Iranian religion. It does exclude Baha'i, which the state considers to be heretical. It's quite clear that there can't be a matching of the imposition of the western. Way of government are constitutional rights. our structure of government with a a real Islamic State that uses Sharia or Islamic law as the foundation Other ways society rules but it's still can have the different branches of government the checks and balances judicial legislative and executive branch, but it would be striking differences. I think and again is hard to generalize because every societies different Can we follow up on that with another question addressed to you you stated that Islam is tolerant or accepting of other religions. How does that square with the fact that during the recent War our troops in Saudi Arabia were ordered to hold worship services in secrecy or at Best in a very low-key fashion. Yes, I've been to Saudi Arabia several times and they don't even allow the burial of non-muslims in Saudi soil in the way. They've gotten around it is they put concrete Liners in the soil and then they put the body in that way the body doesn't touch sauti Sol there ways around things. When I talked about Islam being a tolerant religion, I was talking about in principles the tenants of its faith. If you look at the history of virtually every religion on Earth, you will find what are excessive. I think of the Inquisition the Crusades I was talking about in principle. Yes, there are clearly violations of basic human rights. professor said that could you please comment on the changing role of women in the Middle East from the two perspectives of a traditional Islam and Western Islam Well, I could I could tell you about Egypt and I could tell you about some of the gulf countries where I visited and I saw the real difference. It's okay, baby. They still have the bill and they still have a very limited role in. the society but they say they work they were the veil but they still work in the Gulf countries women replaced 50% of the foreign labor know. How did they dress? They dress very differently. Although they have that borders with Saudi Arabia. They dressing I was standing there different short clothes and no real nothing at all. It is improving today women the fact that's how much it cost them to get foreign labor and women can replace that in most of these Gulf countries it changed if we talked about Egypt example in front of you and this hasn't been really different because women moving then it started in 1919. Probably that's because Egypt Tina was a little earlier before anybody else when it is mini. They were many when it is micro. They were make with skirt. They were everything just named it's going down in the streets in Cairo and you'll find it almost like the states here. To it, either or both of you most Americans equate or confuse democracy with capitalism is perhaps the West sphere of Islam connected to a desire to be in control of resources and maintain access to markets. What are Islamic values regarding accumulation of wealth and exploitation of resources? Islam is a capitalist, I give you one example Muhammad the prophet was married to a Trader. This woman was extremely wealthy and part of why he married her was that she can help him make his life. She used at 12th and helping him to spread his religion Islam does not mind at all that somebody would be extremely wealthy. Somebody wouldn't have they always it's it's being in the Quran in one of the verses that we made that life. On an an equal basis everybody gets what he works for either. One of you what role does Yasser Arafat play in the current peace initiative should he and it is and is it necessary that he be included in the talks? Especially given the release of the recent tape where he curses juice. Will that destroy any credibility he had I can't verify the nature of the tape and I'd rather not get into that debate. I think Yasser Arafat has been one of the most incredible survivors in modern political history. I think that that this time around however, he has found that there are alternative Palestinians who can represent the Palestinian movements and that indeed is one of the most important changes in the peace process that Palestinians from the West Bank have been brought into the process represented the main body of Palestinian still living in the region. I don't think he is Finished from the process. I think he's still a strong influence in all decisions made by the delegation of the peace talks. I think that since 1988 there has been a subtle change when he formally recognized Israel's right to exist and renounce terrorism Yasser Arafat clearly though. It's not as strong as he has been the past when it comes to controlling the various groups under the Palestinian umbrella. The PLO at various junctures has had anywhere from 8 to 10 different factions operating underneath that some of them comparatively pragmatic some of them very extreme and Marxist for him to be I don't think he is capable of controlling all those movements today, unfortunately and as a result, I think they're particularly during peace process as one finds an increase in terrorism because there is there is a desire by some factions to play the role of spoiler. So I think that's a problem. Unfortunately arafat's power is such I don't think you can control it. Do professors have. It seems that many conflicts exist because of religious differences. How can peace be achieved in the face of attempts of all of the great religions to convert each other with the tensions this produces? Just an easy short answer. Yeah for the present, you know in a little in a little capsule. I think the awareness today not only here in the whole world to how religion is being used is much greater. At what we need is to increase that awareness and to increase the education for people who are less privileged about the role of religion because when you think about basic religions, there isn't a religion that really tries to be in conflict with another religion. They all come from one. God always God is one which is peace. So I think I think today we are not like the people of 50 years ago when we had to listen, you know to missionary stories or we had to listen to people, you know, who tell us, you know, just go with me and I'll get you no place in heaven with God Robin Wright's how would you respond to Camellia cir. Cistercian that many of the problems in the Mideast are misrepresented and many myths are perpetuated by the US media. How do you think that this dangerous dependence in quotes on the media can be avoided? I think the media has perpetuated images stereotypes we have fed. The American public public an image of Islam or Arabs or different members of the Islamic world and Foster them. We have not become sophisticated in our understanding and I think there is a real challenge to my colleagues and to me to try to be try to understand how the movement is evolving what changes are taking place in the great differences between today's the state of Islam and Islamic activism today and what it was 13 years ago. I can just urge you to all read my newspaper. I I follow up on that sort of. Given the death sentence against Salman Rushdie. Would you please discuss freedom of speech and the press in Islamic society. Yes, I must say I'm outraged totally outraged by the death sentence on Salman Rushdie. And I think that is probably one of the most negative legacies Ayatollah Khomeini left. It was a very clever tactic and it has its the death sentence had as much to do with domestic politics in Tehran as it did with his anger over Satanic Verses. In fact, it was for the nine months after the book came out before he before the Ayatollah issue the death sentence only when he saw that there was growing Islamic anger and places for tickling out in the Arab world, but in Indian and Pakistan where there were riots over the issue and it came at a juncture that there was a swing toward moderation in Tehran and this was one of the ways he didn't disappoint the two steps the island toll it took just months before his death to try to reverse the course to prevent it the so-called pragmatist modern whatever you want name. You want to give them The faction led by the man whose today president, hashemi rafsanjani of the run from leading a run into a course that would allow the revolution to settle down. He wanted to make sure it stayed on its militant way and I think that at the unfortunate fact it is very difficult for anyone after the I told his death to reverse a death sentence like that. And unfortunately, I think it's going to stay around as long as Salman Rushdie is alive and I think that's an outrage. in terms of freedom of speech most Islamic countries are today third world societies and freedom of speech is not it's not a common practice. I will say one of the most important things to happen in Algeria during its for your experiment with democracy was a fact that the number of papers went from 3 to more than a hundred that shows that when the when there is a movement toward democracy or Democratic Democratic process that freedom of press has been shown to open up.