“After the Arab Spring and Protests in Israel: Toward a New Reality in the Middle East,”@@http://jerusalempeacemakers.org/events/22/after-the-arab-spring-and-protests-in-israel/@@ a guided discussion encouraging understanding and reconciliation in the Holy Land, will be held this afternoon from 3-5 p.m., in the Alumni Lounge at Gerlinger Hall.@@http://pages.uoregon.edu/jdst/events/@@
Dialogue will be based on the experiences of guests Eliyahu McLean, director of Jerusalem PeaceMakers@@http://jerusalempeacemakers.org/@@, a network of religious leaders and grassroots peace advocates, and Sheikh Ghassan Manasra@@same link@@, director of the Islamic Cultural Center in Nazareth, which promotes tolerance and interfaith dialogue.
Manasra is an ordained Sheikh and a Fulbright scholar. He trains Jewish, Christian and Muslim high-school teachers and principals tolerance, publishes a newspaper in Arabic spreading the message of a moderate Islam, and teaches courses in Judaism for Muslims.
McLean, a “Rodef Shalom,” or Pursuer of Peace@@http://www.aleph.org/rodef.htm@@, travels internationally as an organizer of reconciliation-oriented events. He is particularly known for his work with Palestinian Sufis@@http://www.deepdyve.com/lp/university-of-california-press/palestinian-sufism-xocNoIT8Z6@@, members of a notably diligent sect of Islam.
Today’s event is being sponsored by the Center for Intercultural Dialogue@@http://unesco.uoregon.edu/@@ and the Oregon Humanities Center@@http://ohc.uoregon.edu/@@.
“I can’t think of a more immediate way to bring to our campus some insight into what’s happening in the Middle East,” Oregon Humanities Center Director Barbara K. Altmann@@http://ohc.uoregon.edu/uotPeople.html@@ said. “This event has added a really important chapter to our programming on conflict this year.”
Manasra and McLean have worked together for years, seeking an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and have helped train civic leaders in peacemaking strategies that are rooted in Abrahamic traditions.
“What this is going to be about is how the whole region and the whole way of approaching peace has changed,” said Steven Shankman@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Steven+Shankman@@, a University professor and the director of the Center for Intercultural Dialogue. “Recent events in Arab nations and in Israel are re-defining the landscape.”
The event will be open to the public and will also appear on UO Today@@http://media.uoregon.edu/channel/category/uo-today/@@, the Oregon Humanities Center’s weekly half-hour cable television and web interview program.