Students for International Knowledge

February 28, 2006

Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter Speaks

Filed under: Upcoming Events — csusbsik @ 3:35 pm

 

Saturday, March 4, 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
3300 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles

 Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter will join legendary writer-
radical reformer Gore Vidal in LA on March 4.

U.S. Tour of Duty’s Real Intelligence Project, Los Angeles City Beat,
and Progressive Talk AM 1150 present:  an emergency public discussion
about Iraq, Iran and America’s constitutional crisis.

A citizen response to lying, spying and dying for the “war on terror”

Doors open 3:00 PM. Seating is first-come, first-served.

A book sale and signing (“Iraq Confidential”) will follow the event.

SCOTT RITTER was the UN’s top weapons inspector in Iraq between 1991
and 1998. Before working for the UN he served as an officer in the US
Marines and as a ballistic missile adviser to General Schwarzkopf in
the first Gulf war. He is the author of Iraq Confidential, published
by Nation Books.

“The important thing to know about Scott Ritter is that he was
right.” – Seymour Hersh

National Book Award winner GORE VIDAL was born in 1925 at the United
States Military Academy at West Point. His first novel, Williwaw,
written when he was nineteen years old and serving in the Army,
appeared in the spring of 1946. Since then he has written twenty-
three novels, five plays, many screenplays, short stories, well over
two hundred essays, and a memoir.

Suggested donation: $10 (nobody turned away)

For more information call 310.842.8794 or visit
http://www.ustourofduty.org

U.S. TOUR OF DUTY (http://www.ustourofduty.org), a non-profit project
of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), supports the anti-
war advocacy of Iraq veterans, military families, policy analysts,
and performers by organizing public forums, developing communication
strategies, and producing video/audio content.

IRAQ CONFIDENTIAL: The Untold Story of the Intelligence Conspiracy to
Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein

Praise for Iraq Confidential:
“I find myself totally in sympathy with Scott Ritter’s central
proposition, which is not that the intelligence agencies failed, but
that the intelligence was made subordinate to policy…
Scott speaks with the authority of someone who has been there.” – The
Rt. Hon. Robin Cook (1946-2005)

“A powerful record of the period…no one else could have done it.” -
Dillip Hiro, author of Iraq: In the Eye of the Storm

“Ritter’s revealing testimony confirms what some of us have
suspected, but never heard
set out so vividly.” -John Kampfner, author of Blair’s Wars and
editor of the New Statesman

International Women’s Day

Filed under: Upcoming Events — csusbsik @ 3:33 pm

Event Location: Glendale Central Library
Street: 222 East Harvard Street
City, State, Zip: Glandale, CA 91205
Phone: Fatima Atieh Bakhit 323.669.8838 alenteshar@yahoo.com

Palestinian-American Women’s Association of
Southern California (PAWA)
is proud to present an unforgettable evening celebrating

International Women’s Day
Women’s Resistance Through Art and Culture

Keynote Speaker Artist, Activist and Made in Palestine Exhibitor Samia Halaby and Palestinian-American poet and political activist
Suheir Hammad and Iraqi-American multi-media studio artist who is active in exhibiting her work
locally, nationally and internationally
Hanna Al-Wardi and Monologue by Natasha Attala

Al-Juzoor Dabke Troupe

March 11, 2006

Holiday Inn Select
14299 Firestone Blvd.
La Mirada, CA  90638

Reception: 6:00pm, Arabic Dinner: 7:00pm

Gold tables – $1,000, Silver tables – $800, Bronze tables – $650
Adults – $50, Students – $35

For more information and to purchase your tickets contact:
714-305-7120 or 949-369-6510, 909-861-8645
website: www.pawasca.org
email: contact@pawasca.org

ARAB AMERICAN PRESS GUILD – 21st Annual Poetry Festival

Filed under: Upcoming Events — csusbsik @ 3:27 pm

ARAB AMERICAN PRESS GUILD – 21st Annual Poetry Festival
Sunday March 5, 2006
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
(This event does not repeat.)
Event Location: Glendale Central Library
Street: 222 East Harvard Street
City, State, Zip: Glandale, CA 91205
Phone: Fatima Atieh Bakhit 323.669.8838
Notes:
The 21st Annual Arab Poetry Festival

February 27, 2006

A New Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Filed under: General — csusbsik @ 10:32 pm

“Arabs need Israelis and Israelis need Arabs,” announced Ferial Masry, Saudi-American candidate for the 37th California Assembly District, Sunday in UCLA at the first ever Israeli-Palestinian Confederation Symposium.

Academics and specialists on the Middle East gathered from all over the United States, Israel and Palestine to discuss a proposal for an Israeli-Palestinian Confederation.  The proposal, as stated on www.aboutipc.org, would seek to create a joint Israeli-Palestinian administration overseeing economic and utility projects as well as a judiciary system between the two in an effort to rectify the existing power imbalance, improve the mutual economy, and increase mutual dialogue and understanding.

The checkered Symposium speakers included the beloved and timely Masry, in addition to retired Israeli general Shlomo Gazit, “the Waterman” Jeff Albert of the Aquaya Institute, Saleem Ali of the University of Vermont, Salam Al-Maryait of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Nancy Gallagher of UC Santa Barbara, Mahmood Ibrihim of California State Polytechnic University, Mehran Kamrava of CSU Northridge and Trevor Le Gassick of the University of Michigan.

Not all of the invited speakers were enthusiastic about the idea however.  Former Israeli general Shlomo Gazit remarked that the proposal “puts the cart before the horse” by not settling such important issues as the status of borders, illegal Israeli colonies (also known as settlements), Palestinian refugees, shared water and Jerusalem.

Mahmood Ibrihim took this point even further.

“We need justice for security and peace,” he continued, saying, “This agreement presupposes equality.  Palestine is being dismantled.  Will this remove the wall around Qalqilya?” he asked, concluding that “we need two, side by side, sovereign states.”

“It can’t stay the way it is.”

This was interrupted by a few zealous audience members, who shouted “That’s a lie!  Stop the terrorism!”  To which Jeff Albert responded, “hey, we’re all adults here.  Behave yourselves.”

“Shouting is not a bad thing,” added Ferial Masry, “families shout, and if we want to be family we have to accept that.”

Returning to the proposal, Mehran Kamrava reminded everyone that “the European Union parliament is an auxiliary of the European governments,” and that “this model wants to be an auxiliary and complement to build confidence, trust and dialogue.”

Saleem Ali continued in this vain, stating that “Conflicts are like a mountain, there are a different ways to climb the summit.”  It is a positive step to a difficult solution.
 
“I could easily solve the problem if I had the power,” Nancy Gallagher stated for her part.  “Just return East Jerusalem and the West Bank to the Palestinians, recognize the United Nations resolutions and international law.”

Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, speaking through a pre-recorded video, offered his support for “any effort to make a realistic peace.”

Ferial Masry had her own suggestion to the 58-year-old conflict.  “I think I have a solution – get the women to take over.”  This was met with a burst of laughter from the audience.

A focal point of the symposium would be the willingness of the Israeli and Palestinian governments to accept such a reduction of their authority.  One suggestion included outside pressure from the United States.

“It is in America’s interest to solve this problem,” commented Salam Al-Marayati, “This situation undermines the War on Terrorism” and that current “US policy [in the Middle East] is part of the problem, not the solution.”

As an example of American duplicity in this conflict he cited Palestinian Hisham Shkoukan, who had been invited to speak but was denied a visa by the US and/or Israel, while Israeli Shlomo Gazit was not.

On the issue of Hamas representing the Palestinian people, Trevor Legassick commented that “Hamas has consistently said it would recognize Israel if it returned to pre-1967 borders,” and that “simply viewing Hamas as terrorists bent on the destruction of Israel leads us into a blind alley.”

- Andre Castillo

February 26, 2006

Kan Zaman Community Ensamble

Filed under: Upcoming Events — csusbsik @ 10:50 pm

Kan Zaman Community Ensamble
Friday March 10, 2006
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
(This event does not repeat.)
(The next reminder for this event will be sent in 7 days, 4 minutes.)
Event Location: Armory Center for the Arts
Street: 145 N. Raymond
City, State, Zip: Pasadena, CA
Phone: www.kanzaman.org or call Wael Kakish 626-432-8235

Notes:
Friday, March 10th at 8:00 PM at the Armory Center for the Arts located at 145 N. Raymond in Pasadena. This is a FREE event and is open to the public

Information please visit: www.kanzaman.org / or call Wael Kakish 626-432-8235

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