Islam in Dialogue: Feminism, Interfaith

This year’s Social Justice Colloquium at CSU Monterey Bay will feature a pair of dialogues focusing on Islam.

The keynote event, “Muslim Feminisms: Reading the Texts, Advocating for Rights,” will be held at 6:30 p.m., March 7, in the Alumni and Visitors Center.

Dr. Aysha Hidayatullah (at left), a faculty member in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the Jesuit University of San Francisco, and Rini Iswarini, an Indonesian public interest lawyer, will reflect on contemporary developments in Muslim feminist activism in the U.S. and Asia.

At 4 p.m. on March 7, Ms. Iswarini will address some of the same issues in the Tanimura & Antle library, Room 1180.

On March 3, an interfaith dialogue on Israel will be held at 6 p.m. in the Media Learning Center, Room 118. Nashwan Hamza, a founding member of the Islamic Networks Group, will discuss the issue with Richard Moss, a Jewish American and co-founder of Monterey County Citizens for Middle East Peace.

The colloquium will get under way on March 2 with a screening of the documentary, “Little Town of Bethlehem,” at 10 a.m. in Room 1180 of the library. The film follows the story of three men of different faiths and their lives in Israel and Palestine. The story explores each man’s choice of nonviolent action amidst a culture of overwhelming violence.

The Social Justice Colloquium, now in its 15th year, is an annual event featuring international activists and scholars discussing timely questions of social and environmental justice.

All of the events are free and open to the public. For driving directions and a campus map, visit csumb.edu/map.

The Division of Social, Behavioral and Global Studies is sponsoring the event along with the Student Peace Alliance.

For more information or for disability accommodations, call Heather Wilde at 582-4332.

Photo at right: Rini Iswarini