On October 16, we welcome the religious critic Hamed Abdel-Samad to the Bergson Academy for the presentation of his new book "With God on Their Side". Born in Cairo in 1972, Abdel-Samad is one of the leading critical intellectuals in the Arab world. His trenchant analyses, including on his successful YouTube channel, have attracted international attention. He has been a visiting professor at the Faculty of Law at Keio University in Tokyo since 2025. His books are all bestsellers, and since 2013 he has been living under permanent police protection due to a fatwa imposed on him.

In his new book, Hamed Abdel-Samad sheds light on the growing alliance between authoritarian governments and fundamentalist movements worldwide. He shows that this development does not only affect the Islamic world: Vladimir Putin's Russia is also supported by the Russian Orthodox Church, Xi Jinping secures power in China with the help of Confucianism, Netanyahu is supported by Orthodox MPs. Even in Europe, right-wing populists and anti-liberal faiths are working together. Abdel-Samad draws a worrying conclusion: the enlightenment project, the separation of religion and power, is not only under threat, but could be coming to an end.

At the presentation at the Bergson Academy, Hamed Abdel-Samad explains these connections vividly and discusses the possible consequences for our future. An evening full of insights that will make you think about power, religion and freedom.

Admission 6:30 pm
Start: 7:00 pm
End: 8:30 pm

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