Former U.N. official, SFSU Islam experts to speak as part of International Education Week

SAN FRANCISCO, November 15, 2002 - San Francisco State University sponsors three free campus lectures on Monday that will address relations between Iraq and the United Nations and explore Muslim culture.

Amer Araim, a former Iraqi diplomat and United Nations secretariat official, will speak on "Iraq and the United Nations" from 9:10 to 10 a.m. in the HSS building, room 362.

Carel Bertram, SFSU assistant professor of humanities, will present "Inside the Mosque," a slide presentation on mosque architecture and its development as a sacred place, with a demonstration and explanation of Muslim ritual prayer, from noon to 1:10 p.m. in Rosa Parks Conference Rooms A-C in the Cesar Chavez Student Center.

A screening of the documentary "Islam: Religion and Empire," followed by a discussion on "The Islamic Civilization's Contributions to the World" with Maziar Behrooz, SFSU assistant professor of history and noted Islamic scholar, from 1:10 to 3 p.m. in Rosa Parks Conference Rooms A-C in the Cesar Chavez Student Center.

The lectures kick off SFSU's celebration of the third annual International Education Week, which features more than 80 cultural and educational events on campus. Other events include symposia, international film festivals, presentations, panel discussions and workshops sponsored by more than 25 SFSU departments, offices and student organizations. The goals of the week's activities are to help raise the profile and importance of international education and exchange, build greater international understanding, encourage programs that prepare Americans for operating in a global environment, and attract future leaders from abroad to study in the United States. SFSU is located at 1600 Holloway Ave. (at 19th Avenue) in San Francisco.

For more information about International Education Week and a complete list of events, call (415) 338-1293 or visit: www.sfsu.edu/~oip/internationaleducationweek.htm. One of the largest campuses in the CSU system, SFSU was founded in 1899 and today is a highly diverse, comprehensive, public and urban university.