Date/Time: Sep 12 2009 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Price: Free, charitable contributions requested.
Where: IGM Art Gallery, 2250 Alcazar Street, Suite 240
Los Angeles, CA 90089-9075
Phone day of forum, 213.705.7489
|
Global Forum on Peace & Security |
In this Global
Forum on Peace and Security, Dr. Muhammad Sahimi will speak on
"Democracy in Iran and the Role of the Diaspora Community." Dr. Sahimi will be
joined by former political prisoner and citizen-peacebuilder Ali Shakeri, who
will speak on "Practical Steps for Citizen-Peacebuilding on Behalf of Iran,"
discussing what we can do to lend support to the democracy movement in Iran
today, and to build more dialogue between Iranians and Americans. Joining this
distinguished forum is Roger Eaton from the LA Area Nuclear Disarmament
Coalition. There will be ample time devoted to audience participation after
panel members' remarks.
Guests will first enjoy a light lunch of
refreshments and Middle Eastern mezzes from 12-1 pm, with both indoor and
outdoor garden seating, before Jordan Elgrably, artistic director at Levantine
Cultural Center, helps introduce and moderate the afternoon's discussion, with
opening remarks by IGM Gallery director Lynn Crandall.
This program is presented by USC's
Institute for Genetic Medicine Art Gallery, in partnership with
Levantine Cultural
Center and the
Raoul Wallenberg
Institute of Ethics,
Americans for Informed Democracy, Los Angeles-Tehran Sister Cities and with
assistance from the
Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at UC Irvine.
RSVPs are
strongly suggested as space is limited to 100. Reservations and info:
310.657.5511.
|
Dr. Muhammad Sahimi at USC |
Dr. Muhammad Sahimi is a frequent commentator on Iran's democratic process and
has recently been featured on NPR. He is Professor of Chemical Engineering and
Materials Science, and the NIOC Chair in Petroleum Engineering at USC. In
addition to his scientific work, he has written about Iran's political
developments and its nuclear program for the past 15 years, with articles in the
Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the
Wall Street Journal and the Harvard International Review, among others. He is
currently a columnist for TehranBureau.com, an independent political web site
dedicated to news and analysis of Iran news. He also blogs at Huffington Post,
and has contributed numerous articles to antiwar.com and other major political
web sites.
|
Ali Shakeri: photo Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register |
Ali Shakeri is an Orange County activist and
businessman who sits on the advisory board of the Center for Citizen
Peacebuilding, at UC Irvine. During a 2007 visit to Iran, he was arrested and
spent 140 days incarcerated at Evin Prison, much of it in solitary confinement.
He was interrogated almost every day. A few weeks after his release, he told the
Orange Country Register that his ordeal had convinced him to work even harder to
help build bridges of peace and understanding between his birthplace and adopted
homeland so there are "no more victims like me." Shakeri has been a freelance
researcher on Middle East and Iranian social and political issues for several
decades, and has written for the New York Times.
|
Roger Eaton |
Roger Eaton coordinates the LA Area Nuclear
Disarmament Coalition and is on the Boards of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of
Ethics, the Unity-and-Diversity World Council and Westside Progressives. He
works as a computer programmer for Princess Cruises and is the architect of
InterMix Group Dialog Software, which he is proposing today for an LA/Tehran
online dialogue.
About the IGM Gallery:
The mission of The Institute for Genetics Medicine Art Gallery is to serve as an
art-framed forum for open-minded, deliberative discussions on complex social
issues that interface with the creative process and findings of research in
molecular biology, health and social systems.
About Levantine Cultural Center:
Founded in 2001, Levantine Cultural Center promotes a greater understanding of
the Middle East and North Africa by presenting artistic and educational programs
that bridge political and religious divides. In a search for common ground, the
Center fosters discussions among artists and thinkers and offers classes and
workshops that serve diverse ethnic communities.
About the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics
The RWIE is committed to promoting a culture of peace and its foundational
values of equality, justice, love, compassion, and mutual respect. Its
humanitarian programs are aimed at the resolution of conflicts, the elimination
of prejudice, and the broadening of perspectives.
About Americans for Informed Democracy:
Americans for Informed Democracy empowers and equips young people in the United
States to address global issues-poverty, health, climate change, peace and
security-through awareness raising and actions that promote just and sustainable
solutions on their campuses, in their communities, and nationally.
About the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding-UCI
The Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California, Irvine has
advocated peace through dialogue, and has sponsored for instance the Olive Peace
Tree Initiative between Israelis and Palestinians, and has hosted and given
peace awards to Nobel Peace Prize laureates such as Mikhail Gorbachev, the Dali
Lama, Shirin Ebadi, Mary Robinson, Wangari Maathai and Jimmy Carter.
... Payvand News - 09/05/09 ... --
