The Cultural Events Board of the University of Colorado at Boulder's student government is hosting a lecture by Hanan Ashrawi, an internationally known speaker on the Palestinian cause, on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.
The talk will be in the University Memorial Center's Glenn Miller Ballroom. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Tickets for the talk will go on sale Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 10 a.m. at the Connection in the games area of the UMC.
Ashrawi will speak on "Liberty and Justice Forgotten: United States and the Israeli Occupation of Palestine."Ìý
Leslie Herod, chair of CEB said, "We understand that this is a controversial issue and security is one of our main concerns. However, we will not be diverted from our mission to educate students on this contentious issue and its relation to American politics. CEB remains neutral on this controversy and through this speaker series hopes to provide perspectives from both the Palestinian and Israeli points of view."
The CEB, which is funded by student fees, plans to host a prominent Israeli speaker in the fall or spring semester, making Ashrawi's talk part of a two-part series. However, the second speaker has not yet been booked.
Ashrawi also will appear at a private, off-campus fund-raising event on Sunday, Sept. 15. This event, which is by invitation only, is co-sponsored by the Coalition for Justice in Palestine, a student organization, and the Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace, an off-campus organization.
Ashrawi grew up in the West Bank town of Ramallah, outside Jerusalem, and was a student of English literature at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1967 when the Six-Day War broke out. She became an "absentee" and was not able to return to Ramallah for several years, during which time she earned her doctorate in medieval literature from the University of Virginia.
She was allowed to resettle in Israel in 1973 and soon after became chair of the English department at Birzeit University in Israel, an Anglican Teachers College, a post she held from 1973 to 1978 and again from 1981 through 1984. She served as dean of the Faculty of Arts at Birzeit University from 1986 to 1990.
Ashrawi's political career began at Birzeit University, where she founded the Birzeit University Legal Aid Committee/Human Rights Action Project in 1974. But she became more prominent in 1988 when she joined the Intifada Political Committee and served on its Diplomatic Committee, which she did until 1993.
From 1991 through 1993 she served as the Official Spokesperson of the Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East Peace Process and as a member of the Leadership/Guidance Committee and Executive Committee of the Delegation.
In 1993 Ashrawi headed the Preparatory Committee of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights in Jerusalem and was the founder and commissioner general of that committee until 1995. From 1996 through 1998 she served as Minister of Higher Education and Research.Ìý
Since 1996 Ashrawi has served as an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Jerusalem District. In 1998 she founded MIFTAH, the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, and has been secretary general of the organization since its inception.
MIFTAH's mission is to "foster the principles of democracy and effective dialogue based on the free and candid exchange of information and ideas," including Palestinian nation-building and empowerment on the basis of the principles of democracy, human rights, rule of law and participatory governance.
She is a member of the Independent International Commission on Kosovo, the Council on Foreign Relations, the World Bank Middle East and North Africa Region and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. Her most recent publications include "From Intifada to Independence" and "This Side of Peace: A Personal Account."
Ashrawi's talk is free for CU-Boulder students. Student tickets are limited to two tickets. Cost for non-students is $5.Ìý
For information call the Cultural Events Board at (303) 492-3227.