Events of interest!

Mark your calendar as the events below may be of interest to you.

February 15th

Fordham Global Law Society presents: How Can the International Community Help Iraq?

Speaker: H.E. Ambassador Hamid Al Bayati, Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations
Moderator: Professor Paolo Galizzi, Fordham University School of Law

Location: Fordham University School of Law
140 West 62nd Steet (McNally Ampitheater)
Reception to follow
Time: 4:00 p.m.

Free and no RSVP required

February 22nd

UNA NY invites you to hear James Taub, author of “The Best Intentions: Kofi Annan and the UN in the Era of American World Power”

Location: Consulate General of the Republic of Poland (233 Madison Avenue @ 37th Street)
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Event cost: Free

RSVP to info@unanyc.org

More event Info

2/10 Film screening - Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture, and Disappearances in the ‘War on Terror’

OUTLAWED:

Extraordinary Rendition, Torture, and Disappearances in the ‘War on Terror’

Join other concerned students and citizens for a film screening, discussion, and advocacy campaign.

Refreshments provided.

Saturday, February 10, 3-5 PM

CUNY Graduate Center, Room 5414

The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4309

Outlawed tells the stories of Khaled El-Masri and Binyam Mohamed, two men who have survived torture by the U.S. government working with various other governments wo rldwide. It features relevant commentary from Louise Arbour, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, U.S. President George W. Bush, Michael Scheuer, the chief architect of the rendition program and former head of the Osama Bin Laden unit at the CIA, and Condoleezza Rice, the U.S. Secretary of State.

This event is organized by the Americans for Informed Democracy Chapter at CUNY Grad Center and supported thanks to a generous grant from the JEHT Foundation. The film is produced by Witness.

Conference on Guantanamo Bay, human rights and civil liberties - 2/10

Dear friends,

I'm writing to inform you of a conference that will be taking place this Saturday, February 10 at the CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Avenue, between 34th and 35th sts.) from 1-3 P.M. (followed by a video screening of the documentary "Outlawed"). I would appreciate it if you could forward the information to students or anyone else you think may be interested.

The focus of the event is Guantanamo Bay and post-9/11 civil liberties in America. Adem Carroll of the Muslim Consultative Network and Lynne Kates from the Center for Constitutional Rights will be speaking on their work with the Guantanamo issue and civil liberties in general as well as giving advice to students interested in careers in the field. In addition to this specific topic, we want to address the disconnect between expert opinion on these types of issues and actual U.S. policy, in an attempt to learn how to make our careers as influential as possible.

The conference will be open to 20-25 qualified students, giving them a chance to have all of their questions answered and ideas critiqued, as well as offering great networking opportunities.

An invitation is below, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would forward it to students you think may be interested.

Thank you in advance for your support,

Zeeshan Suhail

===========================================

Saturday, February 10, 2007
1 PM
at the CUNY Graduate Center

Guantanamo Bay & Post-9/11 Civil Liberties in America

Who are the most influential figures when it comes to U.S. decisions affecting civil liberties? How do we balance civil liberties with national security concerns after the 9/11 attacks? How can we impact positive, meaningful change when states are listening less and less to their citizenry?

Adem Carroll (Muslim Consultative Network) will speak on infringement on rights and liberties of Muslims after 9/11

Lynn Kates (Center for Constitutional Rights) will speak on the state of affairs of civil liberties and human rights at Guantanamo Bay (and elsewhere) after 9/11

A brief panel discussion will be followed by an open dialogue between the experts and attendees. Come share your views on Guantanamo and civil liberties in America and find out how to have the most impact on U.S. security policy.

Please RSVP with a short bio to clmadden@gmail.com for details.

My article: Nusrat's legacy lives on

My article on Nusrat Fateh Ali's tribute event is copied below. Many of you may not know who Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is, but back in South Asia, he is a legend, who unfortunately, passed away in 1997. He was a musical genius and was a real trailblazer and pioneer when it came to fusion music. He's worked with Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam) and Peter Gabriel among many other artists.

Nusrat’s legacy lives on

As I rediscover the roots of my Pakistani heritage, I try to fathom what it was those ancient sufis from the Middle East and South Asia wanted to tell us. Their stories are compelling, but how could they have survived centuries of warfare, of a history not written by them, but which they shaped so skillfully? It is in these moments that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his qawwalis come to mind, taking me to another world. Unfortunately, God also took Nusrat from us to another world 10 years ago: 2007 marks Nusrat’s 10th death anniversary.

Pakistanis have a penchant for celebrating the lives of those who they hold in high esteem, and tributes to musical legends have been quite the norm these past few years, especially since Noor Jehan’s passing away in 2000. But it is especially unique and heart-warming to see non-Pakistanis, especially those who reside in the West, not only pay him respect but do so because of the inspiration his music and voice provided.

I have mentioned Brooklyn Qawwali Party (BQP) numerous times in this column space, but this time around, it is someone else I am going to be praising: Fabian Alsultany of GlobeSonic Entertainment. GlobeSonic Entertainment is a full-service international music organisation heavily involved in producing shows, festivals and artist relations and consists of Fabian along with a powerhouse of talent in the form of Bill Bragin, director of Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre, and photojournalist/yoga instructor, Derek Beres.

Fabian’s bio is impressive to say the least. His experiences have taken him all over the world and have helped nurture in him a respect not only for diversity, but also for bridging the gaps he saw in cultures. Coming from a Hispanic and Arab background meant that Fabian was already accustomed to bridging these gaps, but it took Nusrat’s music for him to steer in a very different direction professionally and musically.

I spoke to Fabian briefly before an event he and his other colleagues at GlobeSonic organised to commemorate Nusrat’s 10th death anniversary. BQP and another ghazal maestro, Vishal Vaid, were set to transport the audience into another world, and I wanted to talk to Fabian personally about what his motivation and vision was for this and other similar endeavours.

“Nusrat changed my life,” says Fabian. He was tired of seeing the negative images of the Muslim world splashed on TV screens all over the world and saw Nusrat’s music as a way of bridging the great divide between the Western and Muslim worlds. He saw that Pakistan in particular, and the Muslim community in general, was getting such negative press, which needed to be countered. What better way than through music?

GlobeSonic Entertainment hopes this is the first of many such endeavours all over North America. Qawwali and ghazal music has rarely been witnessed and experienced outside of cities and states where South Asians are present in large numbers like New York, Chicago and the Bay Area/California, but with this endeavour, and the success it enjoyed in its first night in New York, the future is indeed bright. The message needs to be passed on, especially in times where Muslims are vilified for believing in the same things their Christian and Jewish brethren believe in.

Nusrat may have passed away a decade ago, but as is clearly visible, his musical genius continues to inspire musicians all over the world. The audience at the concert that night consisted mostly of South Asians, but there were enough non-South Asians present for me to rest assured that his legacy was clearly not only for us; others should know about the cultural bridge he built, which Fabian and his colleagues are now helping others to cross as well. The king has died, but he has left behind several vicegerents. And boy, are they making him proud!

NY event: FROM PINOCHET TO RUMSFELD: Accountability of US Officials for Torture - 1/25

centerforconstitutionalrights

Please Join CCR this Thursday, January 25, for an event at the New York Society for Ethical Culture co-sponsored by The Nation,

FROM PINOCHET TO RUMSFELD: Accountability of US Officials for Torture.

In the wake of CCR's groundbreaking filing of war crimes charges against Donald Rumsfeld, this program aims to examine different strategies for holding international officials accountable for their actions. The program will explore the devastating effects of torture techniques employed by the U.S. Government, and will include original video interviews from torture survivors such as CCR client Maher Arar, and French journalist Henri Alleg.

Featured speakers include:

Janis Karpinski
Former US Commanding Officer at Abu Ghraib prison, Iraq

Vincent Warren
Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights

Scott Horton
Chair, International Law Committee, NY Bar Association

LOCATION

7-9 PM at the NY Society for Ethical Culture Auditorium
2 West 64th Street at Central Park West
New York, NY

Subway: 1 to 66th and Broadway; A/B/C/D to Columbus Circle

Free and open to the public

For more information, please visit our website at www.ccr-ny.org.

Make a donation to help CCR fight for justice.

See a calendar of events.