Welcome and Introduction
James Phillips
Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs,
The Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies,
The Heritage Foundation
Followed by a Panel Discussion featuring
Farzana Hassan
Canadian Muslim author and human rights activist
on empowering Saudi women
Dr. Ahmed Mansour
Muslim scholar,
religious reformist, and authority on Islam
on the transformation of Saudi religious and educational institutions as a prerequisite for undermining extremism
Jack Pearce
Board Member,
Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia,
on whether existing Saudi institutions are designed to absorb stabilizing and necessary democratic reforms
Lee Smith
Author of The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations
on his interpretation of the culture of violence in Arab societies