Al-Qalam 
By Ismail Suder
Acclaimed intellectual, author, journalist, and Islamic scholar Wadah Khanfar will be visiting three major cities in South Africa on a lecture tour entitled “Palestine and the changing global order” and also to launch his new book – The First Spring – about the life of the Prophet (SAW).
Khanfar, a Palestinian, is the President of President of Al Sharq Forum, an independent network dedicated to developing long-term strategies for political development, social justice and economic prosperity of the people of the Middle East.
Khanfar is being hosted by the Islamic Forum, AMEC, Baitul Hikmah and printing outfit Digniti.
His first talk will be in Johannesburg on August 14, Pretoria on August 15, Durban on August 16 and Cape Town on August 17. Venues will be announced.
In Durban, Khanfar will give a talk after Jumu’ah talk (August 16) and the same evening After Esha 7pm), he will be at the SLA Auditorium, Mariam Bee Centre, 222 Kenilworth Road, Overport.
He previously served as the Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network and stepped down in 2011.
Khanfar’s book, The First Spring, examines the political and strategic trajectory pursued by the Prophet Muḥammad (SAW) during a mission that spanned 23 years, and it carefully considers the regional and international contexts within which the Prophet’s (SAW) life played out.
From an examination of his biography, it seeks out the fundamentals and principles of the new methodology that resulted in the greatest-ever strategic and historic transformation of the international system. The Prophet’s (SAW) biography is replete with lessons for individuals, communities, and nations.
In this era of unpredictability and rapid change, humanity is in dire need of a new philosophical vision and a fresh start. The Western hegemony that has dominated the global stage for the past three centuries has reached a point of bankruptcy, where it can no longer offer creative solutions that might guarantee a secure future for humanity. The world’s ‘civilisational’ and cultural heritage is rich and diverse, encompassing much wisdom and collective experience that has been accumulated over many millennia. Our present malaise demands that we study this enormous human capital and draw lessons from it so that we might devise solutions for the future.
According to Wikipedia, Khanfar has been ranked by Foreign Policy Magazine in 2011 as the first in The FP Top 100 Global Thinkers, and in Fast Company as the first in the 100 Most Creative People in Business (2011) and as one of the most ‘Powerful People in the World’ by Forbes magazine (2009) in 2008 World Economic Forum named Khanfar as one of the ‘Young Global Leaders’. During his tenure Al Jazeera went from a single channel to a media network with multiple properties, including the Al Jazeera Arabic channel, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera’s news websites, the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center, the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Al Jazeera Mubasher (Live), and Al Jazeera.
