Deepening Crisis in the Middle East: Syria, Iran and Israel/Palestine

Monday, February 25, 2013, 7:00 pm

Boston University, CAS Room 211
725 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
BU Central T - Green Line "B"

What are the prospects for war and peace in 2013? Will the civil war in Syria engulf the region or die down? What is the effect of economic sanctions in Iran and the situation of Iranian women? How will political shifts in Israel and Palestine affect the overall environment and what is the emerging US role?

Speakers will feature reportback and analysis.

Mohamad al Bardan was born in Damascus and studied electronics and communications engineering at the University of Kalamoon. He participated in the nonviolent Syrian revolution from the beginning which included protests of 20 to 20,000 people. Mohamad left Syria in Sept. 2011 to continue his studies at Northeastern University and has remained active politically, helping found the Syrian Nonviolent Movement organization. He works with the Syrian community in Boston to promote awareness about Syria and other projects. Mohamad believes in the nonviolent struggle for self determination.

Alex Shams is an Iranian-American graduate student of Middle Eastern studies at Harvard. He has been active in Palestinian rights activism for years, both in the United States and in Lebanon. His academic research focuses on gender in Islamic political movements, and he recently returned from Iran where he was researching women's experiences of expanded access to higher education since the 1979 Revolution. Shams is the editor of Ajam Media Collective (AjamMC.com), a site focused on society and culture in modern Iran and Central Asia.

Alice Rothchild is a physician, author, activist, and filmmaker. She practices gynecology at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. She has been active in women’s reproductive rights and health care reform, and turned her focus to the Israel/Palestine conflict in 1997. She is on the steering committees of American Jews for a Just Peace – Boston and Jewish Voice for Peace – Boston. She is the author of Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience. Her documentary, Voices Across the Divide, will be released this summer, 2013. www.alicerothchild.com

Presentations will be followed by ample time for discussion.

Donation $5 requested, no one turned away

Sponsored by United for Justice with Peace and the Boston University Anti-War Coalition.

United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and community peace groups in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition, formed after September 11th, seeks global peace through social and economic justice. Help us continue to do this critical work! Make a donation to UJP today.
info@justicewithpeace.org	617-383-4857	www.justicewithpeace.org

Upcoming Events:

Walk for Peace For the People – For the Earth - Potluck	Wed Feb 20	6:00pm	Cambridge Friends Meeting House	Cambridge
Panel Discussion on Immigration Reform	Thu Feb 21	11:00am	tbd	Boston area
Budget for All / Fund Our Communities Not War - Statewide Meeting	Sat Feb 23	1:00pm	Worcester Friends Meeting	Worcester
Deepening Crisis in the Middle East: Syria, Iran and Israel/Palestine	Mon Feb 25	7:00pm	Boston University - CAS Room 211	Boston
Saint Patrick’s Peace Parade	Sun Mar 17	2:00pm		South Boston