News Summary: Carnegie Scholar Dr. Nathan J. Brown, internationally known expert on the Middle East and the question of Palestine, will present a special lecture at Henry Ford Community College (Dearborn, Mich.) titled “Islam and Nationalism in Palestine” Wednesday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m., Room L-14, basement of the Liberal Arts (Reuther) Building.
The Palestine question rings as loudly today as it did when the United Nations held a special session to address the issues surrounding Palestine during the General Assembly meeting April 28, 1947.
Since then, much has changed for this region of the world. Palestine remains a critically important part of the Middle East equation and potential for peace. To help better understand the complexities of the Palestine question, Henry Ford Community College’s (HFCC) Arab Cultural Studies Program will bring internationally recognized Carnegie Scholar Dr. Nathan J. Brown to campus Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. to discuss “Islam and Nationalism in Palestine.” This event is FREE and open to the public. The event takes place Room L-14, basement of the Liberal Arts (Reuther) Building.
Brown is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities on Middle East studies and the question of Palestine. He is a professor of Political Science and International Affairs, as well as director of the Institute for Middle East Studies, at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is also the author of four highly regarded books on Arab politics and according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, offers considerable expertise on Palestinian politics, Arab law and constitutionalism. His most recent book, Resuming Arab Palestine, offers research on Palestinian society and governance after the establishment of the Palestinian Authority.
Dr. Michael Daher, director of the HFCC Arab Cultural Studies Program, feels that Brown’s lecture has the potential to shed much light on the question of Palestine.
“Nathan Brown will bring a vision to his lecture that combines his extensive field work in Arab Palestine with his solid background in public service as an advisor for Human Rights Watch and the committees drafting the Palestinian and Iraqi constitutions, and as a consultant to the United States Agency for International Development and to the United Nations Development Program,” Daher said. “At a time when the Obama Middle East peace initiative in Palestine appears on the verge of collapse because of an aggressive Israeli settlement policy in Palestine and East Jerusalem, Professor Brown’s assessment of the roles of Islam and nationalism in the future of Palestine will provide essential perspective for all who are committed to promoting peace and justice in the region,” he added.
Brown was named a Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 2009 (http://www.carnegieendowment.org/). For the 2009-2010 academic year, he was also a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. For more information on his background and experience, visit http://home.gwu.edu/~nbrown/.
The lecture will take place in the HFCC Liberal Arts Building (Reuther Building), Room l-14. For more information, please contact Dr. Michael Daher at 313.845.6457 or via email at mdaher@hfcc.edu.