Educators are invited to attend dinner and a book discussion on Behind the Beautiful Forevers, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Boo. Boo explores how Muslims, Hindus, and Christians sharing a slum in India's financial capital, Mumbai, have been dealing with the daily implications of global change, intensifying inequality, and repeated efforts to incite religious conflict. Shortlisted for numerous prizes, the book recently won the 2012 National Book Award for Nonfiction.
Come join FORGE (a student group which aims to Facilitating Refugees Growth and Empowerment) as we learn about the current situation in Syria and the more than 2 million refugees produced by the conflict. Dr. Basel Termanini, Laila Al-Soulaiman and Mohammed Bamyeh will speak based on their diverse knowledge of the crisis, informing us of the history and medical relief efforts within Syria, the global impact of the conflict, and the empowerment of youth as a response. It will be held on October 28th in the O'Hara Student Center Dining Room from 8-10pm.
National Endowment for the Humanities, American Library Association
Join us this fall for an exciting 5-part reading and discussion series: Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys: Literary Reflections. The discussion will be led by local scholar Dr. Christina Michelmore. Dr. Michelmore received her BA from Smith College and her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, both in history. For seven years she lived and worked in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Pakistan. Until her retirement in 2013, she was chair of the Department of History, Political Science and International Studies at Chatham University.
ASIRPA in collaboration with the Indonesian Student Association in Pittsburgh currently organize an annual interdisciplinary conference called Indonesia Focus 2013, November 1-2, 2013, at the William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. The theme for this year is "Beyond Physical Capital: The Role of Human and Social Capital in Indonesia Economic Growth." We cordially invite you to join this conference. It's a FREE registration.
Dr. Jeff Halper is the co-founder and director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. He is a tireless advocate for justice and civil rights for all Israelis and Palestinians. He has written three books including "An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel" from which he will be reading. A light lunch will be served at 11:30am and after the reading and discussion.
The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh will be hosting the lecture "Does Syria Matter? Policy Discussion and Luncheon" on Friday, November 1 from 12:00 pm-1:45 pm at the Duquesne Club at 325 Sixth Ave in Pittsburgh, PA. Michael Doran, a Roger Hertog Senior Fellow will be speaking. Political dissent, general war fatigue, and an international coalition split on what course to take makes any involvement in Syria - either diplomatic or military - frought with untold consequences and ramifications. But to what degree does Syria actually matter? And, why is the Syrian Civil War an increasingly American issue? Join the World Affairs Council and a leading Middle East expert to discuss the complexities of the on-going Syrian conflict. More information can be found at www.worldpittsburgh.org
Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East
The continuing struggle for a just and fair peace between Israelis and Palestinians should concern all of us. Dr. Jeff Halper is an American-born Jew who has lived in West Jerusalem for forty years and is co-founder and director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD.org). He will be presenting a workshop on how we can best direct our energy to advocate for Palestinian-Israeli peace.
Dr. Jeff Halper’s talk presents the political situation in maps, and also walks through a house demolition in slides. It ends up asking: Where do we go from here?, in which he will talk about options for resolving the conflict – two states, one state (bi-national or democratic) or a regional confederation – or towards apartheid or the warehousing of the Palestinian population.
This talk will work through a number of issues that have been tackled by the revolutionaries in the Arab world. Primarily, the analysis of the geopolitical and grassroots forces at work in advancing and countering the revolutions, mainly in Syria but also in Egypt. The politics of international intervention will figure in prominently as it is a question that remains on the table in both policy and academic circles.
