NY Event: PALESTINE - Reality Beyond the Headlines - 4/4

Come join us for an important panel and discussion

PALESTINE

"Reality Beyond the Headlines"

Update on Current Situation

with

Dr. Ali Jarbawi

Professor of Political Science at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank City of Ramallah, Palestine

Wednesday, April, 4th, 2007

6:00 PM

At

Salaam Arabic Lutheran Church

Address: 345 Ovington Avenue Brooklyn, NY

Transportation : Nearest train station is the "Bay Ridge Avenue Stop" off the "R" line. or the B63 bus

This event is sponsored by the American Mideast Leadership Network & the Arab American Association of New York with special thanks to Father Khader El Yateem for hosting this important event.

The Sixth Annual CIR Conference at Yale - 4/14

The Sixth Annual CIR Conference at Yale
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Hermeneutics and the Future of Islam in America

Linsly-Chittenden Hall, Yale University
Conference Schedule
8:00 - 9:15am Registration; Breakfast & Coffee
9:15 - 9:30am Welcome
9:30 - 11:30am Panel 1: Hermeneutics: Texts and Society
Response: Zareena Grewal; Moderator: Homayra Ziad

Juliane Hammer, "Hermeneutics, Identity & Society:
American Women's Approaches to the Qur'an"
Martin Nguyen, "Hermeneutics as Translation: An
Assesment of Islamic Translation Trends in America"
Saminaz Zaman, "From Imam to Cyber-Mufti: Navigating
the Supermarket of Islamic Identities in America"
Mark Gould, "Kemal A. Faruki: an Islamist, a
Modernist"

11:30 - 11:45am Coffee Break
11:45 - 1:45pm Panel 2: Change and Continuity in Theology
and Law
Response: Yasir Qadhi; Moderator: Sayeed Rahman

Ayesha Chaudhry, "The Problems of Conscience and
Hermeneutics: A Few Contemporary Approaches"
Fareeha Khan, "Gender, Tradition and Change: Some
Reflections on the Deobandi Presence in America"
Youshaa Patel, "Tradition in Motion: Pluralizing
Islamic Law through Incorporation of Custom"
J. Ahmed, F. Ahmed, I. Syed, "From Liberal to
Liberation Theology: An Islamic Hermeneutics of Social
Justice"

1:45 - 3:00pm Lunch Break and Dhuhr Prayers
3:00 - 5:00pm Panel 3: Case Study: Pluralism
Response: Matthew Ingalls; Moderator: Altaf Saadi

Vice Biondo, "Islam in the U.S. and Britain:
Tribalism and Pluralism"
Anas Malik, "The Case for a Minarchist Libertarian
Political Islam"
Al-Husein al-Madhany, "Pooh-Poohing Pluralism:
Ijtihading Hadith to Build a Theology of Exclusion"
Peter Wright, "Rethinking the Inimitable"

5:00 - 5:30pm Coffee Break and 'Asr Prayers
5:30 - 6:30pm Roundtable Panel Discussion, Moderator:
Mahan Mirza
6:30 - 7:30pm Keynote Address, by Ingrid Mattson,
Moderator: Mahan Mirza
7:30pm Conclusion & Maghrib Prayers

Hidden Apartheid: Caste Discrimination against India’s “Untouchables” - 4/3

CHR&GJ

Center for Human Rights & Global Justice, NYU Law School of Law

Hidden Apartheid

Caste Discrimination against India’s “Untouchables”

The Center for Human Rights & Global Justice and the International Human Rights Clinic at NYU School of Law invite you to a briefing on the impact of our report on caste discrimination in India. The report, issued jointly with Human Rights Watch, was presented to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva during its review of India’s human rights record on February 23 & 26.

Presenters include:

Prof. Smita Narula, CHRGJ Faculty Director

Jayne Huckerby, CHRGJ Research Director

Stephanie Barbour, Tiasha Palikovic &

Jeena Shah, Clinic students

Reena Arora, CHRGJ fellow

Maithili Pradhan, CHRGJ intern

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2007

6:00-7:30 p.m.

NYU School of Law

Vanderbilt Hall, Room 214

40 Washington Square South

I.D. required for entry

In what has been called India’s “hidden apartheid,” more than 165 million Dalits, or “untouchables,” continue to face discrimination, exploitation, and violence simply because of their caste. The report documents India’s systematic failure to respect, protect and ensure Dalits’ fundamental human rights.

Hidden Apartheid and related materials are available at www.chrgj.org

http://www.nyuhr.org/docs/IndiaCERDShadowReport.pdf

Islam in Democratic Societies Conference - 4/27

Islam in Democratic Societies Conference

Sponsored by The Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies, The Hudson Institute, and The Fletcher School
Friday, April 27
Time: 4:30 pm
Location: ASEAN Auditorium in the Cabot Intercultural Center at The Fletcher School, Tufts University. Reception will follow the panel discussions in the Hall of Flags. For directions please visit http://fletcher.tufts.edu/IslamInDemocraticSocietiesConf/directions.shtml.
Panel discussions will include: Moderates & Radicals; Supporting Moderates: How Moderate Muslims Can Counter Extremism
RSVP: For those who will be attending we ask you to register at http://fletcher.tufts.edu/IslamInDemocraticSocietiesConf.

"South Asian Cooperation and the Role of the Punjabs" by Tridivesh Singh Maini

(Photo of Singh with Ambassador John McDonald)

I recently came across some information about a fascinating book written by an Indian Punjabi fellow by the name of Tridivesh Singh Maini. Singh has studied in England and the US and has worked all over the world in diverse sectors and organizations, and is using his experiences constructively to talk about the role of the two Punjabs - Indian and Pakistani (that were torn apart during the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947) - in South Asian cooperation.

I have yet to get my hands on it, but will leave you with some resources that show you how much of a must-read this book is for anyone remotely interested in South Asia, especially cooperation and peace in that region.

Happy reading!

Links to coverage in Pakistani papers:

http://www.dawn.com/2007/03/01/nat39.htm

http://www.thepost.com.pk/CityNews.aspx?dtlid=85085&catid=3

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=42205

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/Feb07/12/10.htm

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C02%5C27%5Cstory_27-2-2007_pg7_54

Coverage in Indian Papers:

Punjab link can further Indo-Pak peace'
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070217/delhi.htm

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070218/spectrum/books.ht

Coverage in America:
http://www.bridgestv.com/show_news.asp?newsid=1475

http://veracity.univpubs.american.edu/weekly/032707/032707_people.html

The book is available from the following website;

https://www.dkpd.com/servlet/dkNewRel?offset=80

Islam and Innovation: Muslim Entrepreneurs Talk Business - 3/30

Please attend and spread the word! I'm moderating!

SHURUQ 2007

A Muslim American Mosaic: Celebrating Islam, Activism and Enterprise in America

www.shuruq.net

You are invited to a networking mingle with Muslim entrepreneurs to discuss their innovative ideas and inspiration from a faith-based perspective. Come learn how Muslim Americans are promoting enterprise in America. The event is free and open to the public.

Co-sponsored by the ICNYU Alumni Association and Americans for Informed Democracy.

Islam and Innovation:

Muslims Talk Business

Friday, March 30, 2007

7:00 PM

Kimmel Center, Room 802

New York University

60 Washington Square South,

New York NY 10012

Dinner and desserts will be served.

Entrepreneurs include:

Nabeel Kaukab

UBS, Associate Director

Moushumi Khan

Attorney, Law Offices of Moushumi M. Khan

Asma Shikoh

Visual artist

Omar Taha & Yasser Salem

S&T Group

Musa Syeed

Filmmaker

Sarah Musa

Fashion designer

Sajjad Chowdhury

Editor, Dinar Standard

Toufique Harun

Internet start-up

Extended Biographies of Panelists:

Zeeshan Suhail our moderator, is a graduate student in Political Science at The Graduate Center (CUNY). Zeeshan was recently appointed Board Member for Americans for Informed Democracy and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in International Relations at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Zeeshan was also an active member of student government at his undergraduate school, Queens College-CUNY, where he was the first Pakistani and the first Muslim to be elected Vice President in the 35 years of student government history. Zeeshan has appeared on CNN and his work has been published in Q-News (Britain), The World Scholar (New York), Pakistan Post (New York) and The Nation (Pakistan).

Asma Shikoh is visual artist, whose main concerns are her immediate environment. She grew up in Karachi, Pakistan--a society constrained by tradition, threaded through with colonial legacy and subjected to the most rapid changes due to the impact of globalization. Her work there attempted to define national and cultural identities of a society in flux. ‘Ronald’ from McDonalds and ‘Colonel Sanders’ of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) became revered icons in the imagery of my artwork; celebrating, dancing, invading, controlling, and challenging the very vulnerable/sacred ideals of nationalism in our society. She recently had an exhibit at the Ceres Gallery in New York City.

Sajjad Chowdhry is creator of Dinar Standard, a new business strategy e-magazine, released the first ever ranking of top businesses in the Muslim world covering companies from the 57 member countries of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference.)

Yasser Salem is a former consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York and Dubai. Prior to McKinsey & Company, Mr. Salem held several positions within the financial services industry, including investment banking and buy-side investing. Mr. Salem works with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, a non-profit organization which recruits, trains, and places outstanding minority college students in substantive financial services internships. Yasser graduated with honors from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He is currently a recruiter for Sponsors in Educational Opportunity, nation’s premiere summer internship program for talented students of color leading to full-time job offers. Since its inception, SEO’s Career Program has placed over 4,000 Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Native American students in internships that lead to opportunities in exciting and rewarding careers in the most competitive industries worldwide.

Omar Taha has various experiences in the financial services industry, including Foreign Exchange trading in New York. Prior to Foreign Exchange trading, Mr. Taha was an Investment Banking analyst at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Taha graduated from the Honors Program at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He started The S&T Group, a financial services executive search firm catering exclusively to Dubai and the greater Gulf; focusing on direct investing (private equity and hedge funds), investment banking, capital markets, and accounting opportunities. They were founded with the mission of being primary contributors to the economic and corporate development of the Middle East. They believe, with the right professional talent, the Middle East has all the resources necessary to become leaders in the corporate world. The S&T Group focuses on high quality long-term relationships with clients and candidates.

Moushumi Khan is an attorney and business consultant in private practice in New York City. She has had extensive experience with cross-cultural issues affecting companies dealing with Muslim employees, customers or suppliers. She has been active in the non-profit, economic development and legal sectors. Since February 2001 Ms. Khan has been in solo legal practice concentrating on corporate and civil rights law. Her clients include the Muslim immigrant populations, and companies with Muslim employee and community relations issues to resolve. Ms. Khan is a co-founder and President of the Muslim Bar Association of New York and is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Toufique Harun is a technology entrepreneur at heart. He is currently the founder and CEO of an Internet search start-up. He was formerly the VP of Systems & Technology at an oil trade facilitation company he helped build from conception. Prior to that, he was consulting at Deloitte. Toufique has a Bachelor's and Master's in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. In his spare time, he enjoys talking to and learning from ambitious leaders and entrepreneurs who want to change the world for the better.

Sarah Musa started Haya, LLP to meet the overwhelming demands for modest, contemporary clothing for women living in the West. There are countless stories by women who have spent hours in shopping malls, only to find that they have to compromise simply to get a long garment, perhaps something that is not walk-able, has slits, is made to be fitted, etc. She is currently a student at Fashion Institute of Technology.

Musa Syeed is a 2005 Fulbright Fellow producing experimental films related to identity in the Muslim world. His work has taken him from the deserts of Egypt to the mountains of Kashmir. His other filmmaking honors include being named a finalist for the George A. Heinemann Film Production Award. As a writer, he produced original theatrical work for the Children's Museum of Manhattan and serves as a film critic for Islamica Magazine. Syeed has worked as an educator in schools, community centers, and prisons. He focuses on interfaith education and serves as an advisor for film and television companies, including Thirteen/WNET, the PBS affiliate in New York City. He is an alumnus of New York University's Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and Tisch School of the Arts.

Questions? Please contact Sadia Kalam at sadia.kalam@gmail.com