VCU news

By Mike Porter

Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of World Studies in the College of Humanities and Sciences hosted Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States, on Feb. 16.

Rasool delivered a lecture titled “Overcoming Fundamentalists in a World in Transition: Lessons from South Africa” to nearly 150 students in the VCU Student Commons Theater.

He told the audience that when the world is in a state of transition, as it is today, people become more uncertain. The more uncertain they become, the more dogmatic they become. 

“Fundamentalism is a not a religion. It is a mindset,” Rasool said. “Everything is divided between being ‘with us’ or ‘against us,’ black and white, right and wrong. This is what makes fundamentalism extremely dangerous. A fundamentalist is always prepared to die for a cause because he doesn’t know how to live for a cause.”

Rasool said the world can learn from South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggles and work to move people from a place where they compete to a place where they collaborate.

“We need to expose people to the joys of communication, negotiation and compromise,” Rasool said.

Before joining the Embassy, Rasool served as a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly, Special Advisor to the State President of the Republic of South Africa and Premier (governor) of the Western Cape Province.

He has a long history of involvement in South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle and spent time in prison and under house arrest.

Religious faith has been a guiding principle in his political and social efforts. Rasool has been active in the Muslim and Interfaith movements.  He has worked to promote deeper understanding of Islam, particularly under conditions of oppression and globalization.

Christopher Brooks, Ph.D., professor of anthropology, organized the ambassador’s visit to VCU.

“We’re honored to welcome you to a very special event,” Brooks said. “It is important that we expose our students to a variety of cultural experiences.”