Speaking the Unspeakable: Is the Bush Adminstration Guilty of Torture and War Crimes?
Thursday, May 4th at 7:30 PM in the William Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm 200 at Stanford.
This past October and January in New York City, an unprecedented people’s Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity by the Bush Administration (www.bushcommission.org) took place. Nationally known whistleblowers, expert witnesses, and victims of the Bush policies presented rigorous and dramatic evidence on war, torture, global environment, global health programs, and the abandonment of New Orleans. It found the Bush Administration guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity – acts that, by their scale or nature, shock the conscience of humankind.
“I’d rather die than have anyone tortured to save my life.” Craig Murray
SPEAKERS
brigadier general JANIS karpinski
Former U.S. Brigadier General whose 800th Military Police Brigade was in charge of Abu Ghraib and 17 other prison facilities in Iraq. General Karpinski has testified that torture and other crimes committed upon detainees in Abu Ghraib and elsewhere in Iraq were authorized and directed by officials at the highest levels of the US government.
FORMER UK AMBASSADOR, CRAIG MURRAY
Former British ambassador to Uzbekistan who was fired for exposing the US and British governments’ complicity in torture and illegal detention in the US backed government of Uzbekistan. “I went to meetings with colleagues of mine, people I had known for over 20 years, ordinary, nice people who were setting down on paper strategies by which what we were doing could be said not to circumvent the U.N. Convention against torture. . . . At that moment I understood how some civil servant ended up writing out the orders for cattle trucks to go to Auschwitz and felt they were only doing their job.”
Larry Everest
Journalist and author of Oil, Power, and Empire: Iraq and the U.S. Global Agenda. “There is no ‘war on terror.’ The invasion and occupation of Iraq are not part of a ‘war on terror’.....What does exist is a horrific and criminal U.S. war of terror against the people of the world for greater empire.”
The Struggle for Democracy and Human Rights: A Case Study of the Maldives
A tropical paradise is in political crisis. The Maldives have always drawn international attention for their beauty, but for decades their government continued to suppress calls for reform. Dr. Waheed, the first Stanford alumnus from this island nation, suffered years of persecution by the state until international pressure finally forced the inclusion of political parties. Dr. Waheed is a favored presidential candidate for the 2008 elections and is now one of the leaders of the largest opposition party in the country. He discussed the current political situation in the Indian Ocean, including the prospects for human rights and democracy.
Mustafa Bargouti: Democracy Under Occupation. Monday, April 24th at 7:30 in Kresge Auditorium. Prominent Palestinian activist addressd recent developments and future outlook for democracy in Palestine.
.jpg)
Democracy Divided with Radwan Masmoudi Wednesday April 12th
Even as President Bush has made democracy in the
Speaker Radwan A. Masmoudi, Founder and President of the Center of the Study of Islam & Democracy, addressed the divided prospects for democracy in the Muslim world.
American Jihad: Challenges Facing Muslim American Women April 12th, 7:30 PM @ History Corner, Building 200, Room 02.
Join us for an event with Tayyibah Taylor that examines Muslim American women - how they have struggled, how they have overcome, and how they must must still confront.
“Muslim women. The only images they see of themselves are of being oppressed and repressed. They are these faceless nonentities."
For Tayyibah Taylor, this was the inspiration for Azizah Magazine, a publication she founded that acknowledges the unique way American women who follow Islam must juggle the need for spirituality with citizenship, social norms and personal aspirations. Their American Jihad, or struggle, has been to balance multiple identities as they negotiate unique sets of obstacles and contexts. How do you retain modesty but still look fashionable? Follow Islamic precepts with standard American norms?
Tides of Change: A Muslim Woman's Response to the Tsunami
April 6th, 12-1 PM, Women's Community Center, Santa Teresa St.
While everyone could appreciate the horror of the tsunami, and millions donated to relief efforts, very few took the kind of decisive action that Dian Alyan, an Indonesian resident of California, did. At the height of her career in 2004, the tsunami ravaged vast portions of Asia - ultimately taking the lives of 200,000 innocents. Having lost over 40 close relatives to the ravages of the tsunami, Alyan converted overwhelming grief into remarkable action, aiming to save as many orphaned children as possible in devastated Aceh, Indonesia. With the help of her career background, she emerged as an inspiring success story amidst terrible catastrophe, and was nominated for Sunnyvale's Woman of the Year award.
Have lunch with us, hear Alyan's story, and be prepared to rethink how you might live your life.
Dialogue with Abbas Milani - The Iran Nuclear Crisis. March 8th, Bechtel International Center, Front Dining Room @ 7:30. Cosponsored with Coalition for Justice in the Middle East.
Red Fallujah: Broken Promises in the U.S. Occupation of Iraq featuring Dair Jamail: Wed, March 15th, Building 200-02 @ 7:30. Lecture by acclaimed reporter based in Iraq - an insider perspective of the Iraq conflict.
Hispanos Musulmanes: Latinos embracing Islam
Thurs, Feb 23rd, 6PM, El Centro Chicano
America’s fastest growing ethnic community is embracing its fastest growing religion. Young. Latino. Muslim. In major cities across the nation, these new converts are challenging the dominant socio-religious standards by retaining their established identity but embracing a new faith. In adopting Islam, converts struggle to win acceptance from families, churches and even other immigrant Muslim communities. Despite such obstacles, Latino converts are creating an exciting new space in urban social constructs that media outlets are just picking up on.
Join us for an informative panel of Latino Muslims discussing conversion and identity, personal struggles and successes, and the future outlook for this new growing community.
Conservation in Faith: The Green Discourse in Islam
Part of Islam Awareness Month. Sun 2/19 @ 5.30 PM
Oak West – Tresidder Student Union, Middle Eastern Cuisine provided
How are environmentalists in the Muslim world responding to the urgency of protecting the environment yet still honoring the religious precepts that they are asked to uphold within the Qur'an and Islamic tradition? Join us for an engaging lecture by Dr. Safei Hamed of Texas Tech on how principle uniquely informs preservation in some of the world's most precious ecological preserves.
"Jews in the Modern Arab World" with Prof. Joel Beinin
Tues. Feb 21, 7:30 PM. Bld 200-002
Jews are one of the most ancient communities in the Middle East and North
Africa. After the rise and expansion of Islam, many adopted the Arabic
language and major elements of Islamo-Arab culture. With the advent of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the concept of Arab Jews has almost become an
oxymoron, despite a rich history that extends to the modern present. Join us
for a talk by History professor Joel Beinin on the varying status and fortunes of “Jews in the Modern Arab World,” with special case studies in Morocco and Iraq.
Confusion of Color: Uprooting Racism in Our Communities
Part of Islam Awareness Month
5.30pm, Sunday, Feb 12th
Graduate Community Center, Havana Room
FREE dinner provided
Racism manifests itself in many forms worldwide, touching every culture and color. Join us for a provocative discussion on how racism has divided spiritual bridges within the Muslim world, and what efforts communities can make to counter the "color culture" of discrimination.
Sudan Solace: Beyond Activism
Monday, February 13th
6.30PM, DK Seminar Room, HAAS Center
How does idealism face up to the gritty realities of life in the non-profit sector? Are you ready to dedicate your life to service?
Rania Eltom, former President of the Muslim Student Awareness Network at Stanford University, spent her summer combining entrepreneurship with
social change in her native Sudan. Join us for a candid conversation on the rigors and wonders of dedicating your life to the service of others.
ABU 'ALI ABUSE:
Wed (2/8) @ 7.30PM in 260-113 (Piggott Hall)
It has been described as one of the most shocking and intriguing cases since
the Patriot Act came into effect, raising alarm bells across the legal
spectrum about how far the US government will pursue prosecution in the
midst of appalling methodology. Join us for a talk on the extraordinary
circumstances of Ahmed Abu 'Ali's case and its troublesome consequences with
prominent civil rights activist and President of the Muslim American Society
Mahdi Bray. Event part of the Chasing Liberty Series.
“The Chasing Liberty Series”
With the screening of the powerful documentary “Malcolm X: Make it Plain”
Political philosopher and visionary, husband and father, dynamic orator and
militant minister. In his lifetime, Malcolm X was many men. Born Malcolm
Little, he later became "Detroit Red" and "New York Red" -- a hustler, drug
pusher, pimp, con man and the head of a Boston robbery ring. After spending
time in prison, he emerged as Minister Malcolm -- Malcolm X, the fiery,
eloquent spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Finally, he became El Hajj
Malik El Shabazz, an internationally recognized leader and advocate for
oppressed peoples. He was both loved and despised, revered and feared--
until an assassin's bullet cut him down at age 39.
WHEN: TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14 @ 7:00 PM
WHERE: 260-113 (PIGGOTT HALL
AND
“X and the Nation of Islam”
With Imam Amir Abdel Malik Ali of Masjid Al-Islam (Oakland)
Thurs, Feb 16th @ 7:30 PM
Bld 200, Rm 002 (History Corner)
Making Poverty History: The Quran and Compassion
Oak West, 7.30 p.m Feb 5th
Free West African dinner provided by SASA
Part of Islam Awareness Month. Come to this informative lecture on how Muslims are forming their own responses to poverty and hunger in the Islamic world.
Kick off event: Islam 101 feat. "Sounds of Islam"
Sunday, Jan 29th Bechtel Intl. Center
Islam is a religion best appreciated through the diversity of its followers - more
than one billion people from Morocco to Malaysia, of 52 nations and 62 languages,
lead their lives according to its spiritual tenets.
Join us for a cultural dinner as Dr. Ahmed Sobeh delivers an introductory lecture on
the very basics of this vibrant but often misunderstood faith, followed by a
presentation on the most populous Muslim country in the world - Indonesia. Free Indonesian dinner provided. RSVP to islamawarenessmonth@gmail.com
Intelligence Failures: Re-examining the Case for the 2003 Iraq War A Talk with Dr. Ibrahim al-Marashi
Tuesday,
January 17, 2006 @ 7:30PM
Summary:
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Marashi, a lecturer in
Middle Eastern politics at the Naval Postgraduate School, as well
as an analyst at the Center for Non-Proliferation Studies in
Monterey will be discussing the topic of intelligence failures that
led to the conflict in Iraq. He will be speaking for the
first time about the "dodgy dossier" scandal in which his PhD
dissertation was plagiarized by the British government and misused
to make a case for intervening in Iraq. A highly pertinent
and troubling issue to be discussed by an expert on the inside of
the controversy!
America, Islam and the War of Ideas A Talk with Lawrence
Pintak
Thursday, January 19, 2006 @ 7:30PM, Bldg 420-041
Summary: The 9/11 attacks and its aftermath, including
wars and insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq, detentions in
Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, Quran desecrations, beheadings,
military offensives, and suicide bombings, has damaged American
relations with the Muslim world and led some to declare that we are
witnessing "A Clash of Civilizations" between the world's great
superpower and a faith that incorporates almost ¼ of the
world’s population. While a bold U.S. administration has
declared an extensive international war on terror, Islamic
resistance organizations have shown no signs of wearing thin. As
ignorance and misunderstandings about Islam run rampant in America,
Muslim societies across the globe are harboring increased
anti-American sentiments. As a result, Bin Laden now enjoys more
popularity than Bush in many Muslim countries.
Lawrence Pintak, director of the Adham Center for
Electronic Journalism at The American University in Cairo, will
address this clash of perceptions and explain how immediate
sympathy for the U.S. in the Muslim World following the 9/11
attacks bred today's tragic, dangerous rift.
Azhar Usman Comedy Tour ! A Nigh
t of Comedy with Azhar
Usman
Sunday, January 22nd, 2006 @
5:00PM, Annenberg Auditorium
Sponsored by PaS and
MSAN
Summary: Also referred to as the 'Ayatollah of comedy,'
Azhar Usman has become one of the most recognized Muslim comedians
in the world. Writing and performing comedy for the past several
years, he has developed a unique act based on trans-ethnic and
intercultural issues, keen and witty insights, and general
observational humor. In 2004, he co-founded the "Allah Made Me
Funny" comedy tour and has been profiled in The New York Times, TIME, Newsweek, Comedy
Central's 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart', ABC's
Nightline, to name a few.
Look forward to an evening full of laughs! For more information
about the event, and to purchase tickets, visit the
PaS
website.
“Transnational Political Islam: Religion, Ideology, and Power”
Fri, Feb 3rd @ 3:30 PM, 320-105 (Geo corner)
With Dr. Azza Karam
Senior Policy Research Advisor, UNDP
and Author of “Transnational Political Islam,” “Islamism, Women and the State,” “Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers,” “Islam in a Non-Pillarized Society”
Political Islam, to be distinguished from Islam as a culture or a religion,
and from Islamic fundamentalism, is an increasingly important feature of
the western political scene. Dr. Karam’s lecture will focus on what
Islamism is in general, and why it is important to distinguish it from
fundamentalism. Why is religion mixing with politics? What do these
different ideologies have in common and what differentiates them? What are
its aspirations on a transnational scale?
'Objective'
Disaster: Power, Ideology and the Failure of the U.S. News Media in
Middle East.
Thursday, January 26th, 2006 @
7:30PM
Speaker: Dr. Robert Jensen
Dr. Robert Jensen is a professor of journalism at
the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a free-lance
journalist, author, and activist. He will discuss how U.S.
journalism routinely fails to provide citizens with the information
and analysis needed to understand the politics of the Middle
East. He argues that the core of the problem is an inability
of corporate commercial journalism to understand the nature of the
U.S. empire. Jensen will look at the factors that constrain
U.S. journalism and ways citizens can work to promote a more
democratic media. Join us for an intelligent discussion about
media and the Middle East!
ISLAM AWARENESS
MONTH SERIES "Islam- Confronting Today’s
Challenges"