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News and Events
Barbecue at the Point!
June 1, 2009
- Yossi Alpher, former Senior Advisor to Camp David Summit, founder of bitterlemons.org & former director of Tel Aviv University's Jaffee Center of Strategic Studies
- Bernard Wasserstein, Professor of Jewish History at University of Chicago, author of Israelis and Palestinians: Why do they Fight? Can they Stop?
- Bashir Abu-Manneh, Professor of Literature at Barnard College, frequent contributor to The Nation
- George Bisharat, Professor of Law at University of California Hastings College of Law, member of editorial board of Journal of Palestine Studies
- Stephen Shalom, Professor of Political Science at William Paterson University, frequent contributor to Znet and Democratic Left
- Alan Dowty, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at University of Notre Dame, author of Israel/Palestine
- Baruch Spiegel, former Senior Advisor to Israeli Ministry of Defense; negotiated the Israel-Jordan Peace Accords
- Gilbert Achcar, Professor of International Relations at University of London, fellow at the International Institute for Research & Education
- Moshe Machover, Professor of Philosophy at King College London, a founder of Matzpen, the Israeli Socialist Organization
- John Mearsheimer, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, author of The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy
- Daniel Levy, former Senior Policy Advisor to former Israeli Minister of Justice Yossi Beilin; lead Israeli drafter of the Geneva Accords
- Seumas Milne, Associate Editor of the Guardian, former journalist for on The Economist, author of The Enemy Within
Moderators: Mezna Qato, PhD Candidate, University of Oxford :: Yigal Bronner, University of Chicago Professor of Sanskrit
Sponsors: SGFC, Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs, and the Harris School of Public Policy
Please contact Hoda Hassan at hoda@uchicago.edu for more information or if you require special assistance.
Directions to Campus (including public transportation for Chicago residents):
- Map of the University of Chicago Campus
- Bus/Train
- Car
- Taxi/Shuttle
- Parking Information
- Facebook Group
Islamic Awareness Month
April 21st, 2009
1. Environmental Study Break: Come join us on Wednesday April 15th @ 8:30pm for our MSA Study Break in McCormick Lounge!
2. The Virgin Mary in Islam and Catholicism : April 21st Tuesday @ 8:00pm in Hutch; Free food will be provided
3. Islam 101: Monday, April 27th with Omer Muzaffar @ 8:00pm
4. Maghrib/Picnic at the Point: April 30th Thursday @ Maghrib Time at the Point! Great time to spend outside and a speech by Divinity School Doctoral Candidate Jawad Qureshi
5. Prospie RSO Fairs: Welcome Prospective Students! Come by to the MSA table in Reynolds Club (In Hutch Commons) and get to know your MSA, the board, events held through out the year, and what the MSA can do for you! You can also sign up to be included on our list host. April 16th and April 23rd both at 7:30 pm.
The full democratic aspirations of the Pakistani people have been too long denied. A child growing up in Pakistan, more often than not, is taught to see America as a source of hate –-not hope.” - Barack Obama
50 missile attacks have been carried out over the last year in the tribal regions of Pakistan killing over 250 people many of whom were women and children. The most recent occurred on January 23, 2009. It was authorized by President Barack Obama.
“Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either [aristocracy or monarchy]. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” - John Adams
“Democracy don't rule the world, You'd better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence, But I guess that's better left unsaid.” - Bob Dylan
“I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace. - George W. Bush
A Democratic society that imposes democracy on the rest of the world through violence and the killing of innocent people? Is that really a democracy? The Muslim Students Association presents, Imposing Democracy on the Islamic World
Join us, Friday February 6, for dinner and an evening lecture by special guest speaker Dr. Muneer Fareed. Tickets are $5, on sale now in the Reynolds Club.
Video: Crisis in Gaza: The US, Israel, and Palestine
January 21st, 2009
Part 1:
Part 2:Part 3:
Re: "Panelists probe Gaza conflict at Mandel Hall forum"
January 17th, 2009
By: Ali Al-Arian, Class of 2012, and Ibrahim Kamal, Class of 2011
The Chicago Maroon purports itself to be a legitimate source of news on campus. It came as a surprise to many, then, to read an article as biased as the one about last week's panel on Gaza.
The article completely ignored Amnesty International's role, along with the MSA, as a chief sponsor, which shows intent to stray away from the fact that one of the main focuses of this event was the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Nearly 1000 Palestinians have been killed and over 4000 injured. A university with 20,000 students was bombed. Although the speakers, quite appropriately, addressed this, the article completely ignored it, as it did with every human rights issue that the panelists spoke of.
It also fails to mention most of the substantive issues addressed in the event.
From the article: "'It was not Hamas that breached the ceasefire,' he said, citing that Israeli forces have launched 'over 100 tons of bombs' in response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip."
The article ignores the context of the situation. First, it does not mention that the 100 tons of bombs were not dropped during the ceasefire – but on December 27th, the first day of Israeli bombardment over Gaza, which resulted in 230 Palestinian deaths. It is only after this paragraph that it quotes Mearsheimer, who explains how Israel broke the ceasefire on November 4th with an incursion that left 6 Palestinians dead (though, unsurprisingly, it ignores the Palestinian deaths).
Secondly, the article seems to have missed Abunimah and Mearsheimer's assessments of the Gaza border siege by Israel, where for over 2 years – including during the ceasefire – Israel has limited the amount of goods, including food, from passing the border to the 1.5 million impoverished Palestinians, 80% of whom are refugees.
In its final paragraph, not only did the article distort Finkelstein's comment but resorted to deceptive wording and questionable tactics to do so. "Finkelstein's final lament" as the reporter puts it, was actually the first comment of his 20-minuite speech and was praise directed toward John Mearshiemer and Ali Abunimah, who had spoken before him. The quotation of Finkelstein: "Unfortunately most of what panelists say is rhetorical and devoid or intellectual or scholarly substance," placed at the end of the article, and characterized as Finkelstein's "final lament", was an attempt to deceive readers into thinking that Finkelstein was speaking of the panel at the event when, he was, in fact, commenting on the fact that the panel stayed away from such tactics.
Furthermore, for a news reporter to write that "Finkelstein's final lament was the usual caliber of debate on the issue." is not only to cross the line that separates fact and journalism from opinion and propaganda but also leads one to question if the reporter actually attended the event himself and spoke to any (non-CFI members) of the crowd of over 1,000 that filled Mandel Hall to capacity and spilled into the halls of the Reynolds Club. Regrettably, he chose to speak only to select members of the Chicago Friends of Israel, giving a voice to sensationalist, irrational claims of anti-Semitism that draw attention away from the issue, and not to a single member of any student group that organized the event.
The article's propagation of distorted facts and inaccurate reporting is a disservice to its readership and unbecoming of a news publication. If the Maroon expects to retain its credibility on campus, it is essential that it uphold journalistic standards of a much higher caliber.
Crisis in Gaza: The US, Israel, and Palestine
January 7th, 2009
The University of Chicago MSA and Amnesty International invite everyone to attend a panel discussion with Professor John Mearshiemer, Norman Finkelstein and Ali Abunimah in regards to the current crisis in the Middle East.
The event will be held at Mandel Hall, inside the Reynolds Club at the University of Chicago. The exact address is:
5706 S. University Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637
Map of the University of Chicago campus:
http://maps.uchicago.edu/pdfs/campus.pdf
Directions to Campus (including public transportation for Chicago residents):
By Bus or Train:
http://maps.uchicago.edu/directions/masstransit.shtm l
By Car:
http://maps.uchicago.edu/directions/car.shtml
By Taxi or Shuttle:
http://maps.uchicago.edu/directions/taxi.shtml
Parking Information:
http://maps.uchicago.edu/directions/parking/
In regards to parking, there is limited free street parking all around campus. There is also metered parking on Ellis Ave between 57th and 59th streets. Finally, there is a parking structure located at 55th Street and Ellis Ave. You may refer to http://maps.uchicago.edu/directions/parking/ for reference.
We hope to see you all there and encourage you to inform others about this event. It may be beneficial to arrive slightly early, particularly if you are not familiar with the campus area. We are expecting a rather large crowd and seats will be granted on a first come, first serve basis.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the organizers.
Link to the Facebook event page
This event is co-sponsored by MSA at Northwestern University, CMES, and AAAN.
© 2008 University of Chicago MSA - Map of the University of Chicago Campus
(Thanks to Nadia for such a great image above.)
Israel, Palestine, and the World
April 28th, 2009
Israel, Palestine, and the World: Prospects for Peaceful Resolution
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, University of Chicago
5850 S. Woodlawn Ave
*ADMISSION IS FREE*
Thursday May 14, 6:00-10:00 PM
*STATE SOLUTIONS: PARAMETERS & PARADIGMS
Featuring:
Featuring:
Friday May 15, 4-8 PM
*FORCES & IMPEDIMENTS AGAINST RESOLUTION
Featuring:
Featuring: