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NEWS RELEASE

02-25-03

Contacts:
Pat Miller, Lectures Program, (515) 294-9934
Annette Hacker, News Service, (515) 294-3720

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY LECTURES PROGRAM LAUNCHES DIALOGUES ON IRAQ, WAR TENSIONS, MIDDLE EAST

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State will host five lectures addressing the current state of affairs in Iraq and tensions in the Middle East. The lectures, which begin tomorrow evening and continue through March 10, are free and open to the public.

Dates and topics include:

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 8 p.m. - Sun Room, Memorial Union
Inside Iraq: Rehan Mullick
Rehan Mullick was born in Lahore, Pakistan, earned a doctorate in sociology from Iowa State University, and holds dual citizenship. Mullick worked with the United Nations' Iraqi-based Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator, Baghdad, for two years. As a member of the staff overseeing implementation of the Oil-for-Food Program, Mullick helped to assess and monitor humanitarian conditions in Iraq, and measured the impact of "Oil for Food" supplies in the country. Mullick will share his experience and provide an overview of the history, government and people of Iraq.

Monday, March 3, 7:30 p.m. - Sun Room, Memorial Union
Thinking Morally About War: A Participative Dialogue
John Donaghy, St. Thomas Aquinas Church & Catholic Student Center, Ames,
will begin with a brief explanation of the "just war theory" and other ethical perspectives on war. Participants will then break into small groups to discuss the moral issues of war. The event, sponsored by the Religious Leaders Association, is designed to help participants clarify their own moral response to war. Donaghy will moderate the hour-long program, which will allow participants to dialogue with others who may hold opposing views.

Tuesday, March 4, Noon - Sun Room, Memorial Union
Iraq: A Forum
The panel discussion will feature moderator James McCormick, chair of Iowa State's political science department; Kathleen McQuillen, Iowa program coordinator of American Friends Service Committee; and Brian Girvin, professor of comparative politics, University of Glasgow (and a visiting professor in Iowa State's political science department).

Thursday, March 6, 8 p.m. - Sun Room, Memorial Union
Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue: We Refuse to Be Enemies
Taleb Al-Harithi and Jessica Nevo, peace activists from the Middle East, are in the United States on Fulbright Fellowships for Professionals. They will discuss their work in Israel and Palestine, the ongoing Israeli and Palestinian peace movements, the impact of occupation and the need for alliances.

Al-Harithi is a founder of the Palestine Peace Society, and has worked with a number of Israeli peace organizations, including Gush Shalom and Peace Now. He is a geo-environmentalist and part of the Environmental Quality Authority of Palestine. Al-Harithi's home is in Edna, a West Bank village. He is Humphrey Fellow at the University of California - Davis.

Jessica Nevo is a sociologist, educator, member of Women in Black and New Profile, and has been a human rights and feminist activist in Israel since 1984. Nevo is a Humphrey Fellow at Rutgers University and an intern in the International Center for Transitional Justice.

Monday, March 10, Noon - Pioneer Room, Memorial Union
Four Golden Minutes: An Israeli Terrorism Response Team Volunteer Speaks of Suicide Bombings: Yaakov Uri
ZAKA Rescue and Recovery was founded in Israel in 1995 to ensure that people who die unnatural deaths, either in terrorist attacks or other forms of tragedy, are identified and buried according to Jewish tradition. Still headquartered in Israel, ZAKA has offices worldwide and provides emergency first aid, assists in rescue efforts, and recovers and identifies attack victims - regardless of race or creed - to ensure their relatives are notified and they receive a proper burial. Yaakov Uri developed the idea of putting paramedics on motorcycles, so these units can get to the suicide bombing scene within four minutes. ZAKA helped with Columbia and Sept. 11 recovery efforts, and was named Volunteer Organization of the Year 2001 by the United Nations.

For more information about these and other Iowa State lectures, visit www.lectures.iastate.edu or call (515) 294-9934.

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