{May be revised as participants are confirmed}
Morning
8:30 - Welcome Address, Executive Assistant to Mayor Nagin Kenya Smith
Andrew Ward & John Illsley
9:00 - Dr. Mahmoud Sarmini discusses Islam and its popular misperceptions in the USA
10:00 – Nadhira Al-Khalili, Esq. discusses legal aspects of being a Muslim in the US
11:00 – Panel discussion on identity issues faced by Muslims Americans, Brother Willie Mohammed from the Nation of Islam and Sarwat Hussein from CAIR (http://www.cair.com/) Gulnaz Tajoddin, Tulane student

12:30
Buffet Halal lunch catered by Mona’s Café of New Orleans (http://bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2001-08-07/restreview.html)

The event will be held in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall in the Lavin Bernick Center for University Life (UC) on McAlister Dr between Freret and Willow.

Here is a Map-Link: http://tulane.edu/tulane/about/maps/lavin-bernick-center-for-university-life.cfm

Unfortunately Mr. Madhany will not be attending the 2008 Symposium due to a family emergency. We wish him and his family well and hope to invite him to a future event.

Ibtisam Barakat: Writer, poet and educator
IMEU

To interview Ibtisam Barakat contact the IMEU at 510-451-2600 or info@imeu.net

Palestinian-American author Ibtisam Barakat
Born in Beit Hanina, near Jerusalem, Ibtisam Barakat's life was turned upside down at age three, when Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem following the 1967 war. "I will never know what my life would have been like without having grown up under Israeli occupation," says writer, poet and educator Barakat. "This influenced me in every way. And it made me sensitive to all the issues of injustice that exist in the world."

{May be revised as participants are confirmed}
Morning
8:30 - Welcome Address, Andrew Ward & John Illsley
9:00 - Imam Dr. Mahmoud Sarmini discusses Islam and its popular misperceptions in the USA
10:00 – Nadhira Al-Khalili, Esq.
11:00 – Panel discussion on identity issues faced by Muslims Americans, Brother Willie Mohammed from the Nation of Islam and Sarwat Hussein from CAIR (http://www.cair.com/)
12:30
Buffet Halal lunch catered by Mona’s Café of New Orleans (http://bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2001-08-07/restreview.html)
Afternoon

The Tulane University home page is featuring a story about Tuesday's symposium. It is accompanied by an excellent article by Kathryn Hobgood.

Free Symposium Promotes Understanding of Islam

8:30 - Welcome address

9:00 - Imam Omar Suleiman speaks on the history of Islam and popular misperceptions of it in the United States

10:00 - Diplomat in residence Anne Bodine discusses the past, present and future official US government relations with the Islamic World

11:00 - Dr. Behrooz Moazami, Professor Mary Blue and Dr. William Bertrand engage in a panel discussion of obstacles between the two regions from a communications and health perspective.

12:30-1:30 FREE LUNCH!!!

1:30 - Amr Ahmed and Anwer Bashi give student presentations on identity issues facing American Muslims

Unfortunately Dr. Southerland does not relish the new airport security system and is tired of traveling. This means that he will not be joining us.
As yet I have had no success in contacting Suheir so I removed her from our list of speakers.
Look for new speakers being added in the near future, as soon as they are confirmed.

Nov. 06, 2006

John Illsley MS, MS
Payson Center for International Development and Technology Transfer
Tulane University
6823 St. Charles Avenue
300 Hebert Hall
New Orleans, LA 70118
jillsley@tulane.edu Subject: Symposium

Good Afternoon
We the students of the Payson Center at Tulane University wish to inquire if you are interested in joining us for a Symposium for Communication and Development Between the USA and the Muslim World. The students of the Payson Center for International Development and Technology Transfer recognize recent changes in relations between the Muslim World and the USA, and feel heartfelt distress over the changes. We wish to open a frank discussion of the issues and differences pertaining to communications and development that cause friction between the parties. This symposium is called in part because we see areas that we can and wish to contribute and in part a desire to be effective participants in bringing the regions together.