World Issues Forum draws Afghan women's activist as speaker

DATE: September 24, 2009 2:29:11 PM PDT

Contact: Shirley Osterhaus, (360) 650-2309 or Shirley.Osterhaus@wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM – Malalai Joya, an Afghan woman elected to that country’s National Assembly, will be among the speakers this fall in the World Issues Forum/Paths to Global Justice, a lecture series devoted to international social justice issues held at Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Joya, an outspoken critic of governmental corruption in Afghanistan, will speak about her book, “A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of the Afghan Woman Who Dares to Speak Out,” an account of the experiences of young Afghans during the violence that has torn the country apart, the troubles in refugee camps and outrage over corruption in government. Joya, 31, spent much of her childhood in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan. She returned to Afghanistan in 1998 and established an orphanage and health clinic and was an outspoken critic of the Taliban. She now heads the non-governmental organization, “Organization of Promoting Afghan Women’s Capabilities.”

The World Issues Forum will begin Sept. 30 with a discussion of international criminal justice by Babafemi Akinrinade, assistant professor of Human Rights at Fairhaven College. And later in the quarter, Michele Wucker, executive director of the World Policy Institute, will speak about Haiti and international aid. Other topics to be discussed this quarter are globalization in the Dominican Republic, a journalist’s search for his roots among Kurdish Jews in Iraq, a look at the cultural contributions of recent immigrants’ children in the U.S. and immigration policy after 9/11.

Sponsored by Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, along with other campus and community groups, the forums are free and open to the public and held Wednesdays from noon to 1:20 p.m. in the Fairhaven College Auditorium, unless otherwise noted.

Information about each of the events and the speakers can be found at www.wwu.edu/fairhaven.

Sept. 30

Guinea Pigs, Dictators and International Justice

Presenter: Babafemi Akinrinade, assistant professor of human rights, Fairhaven College

A look at the International Criminal Court, international criminal justice and the court’s fight against impunity.

Oct. 7

Globalization and Migration in the Hispanic Caribbean: The Making of a Transnational Society in the Dominican Republic

Presenter: Ernesto Sagás, associate professor of ethnic studies, Colorado State University.

An examination of the impact of globalization and migration on the modern Hispanic Caribbean, particularly the Dominican Republic.

Oct. 14

Haiti in the World: Rethinking the Role of the International Community

Presenter: Michele Wucker, executive director, World Policy Institute

Haiti desperately needs the world’s help, particularly after decades of coups, violence, corruption and last year’s devastating storms. How can the international community do better to help?

Oct. 21

To be announced

Oct. 28

A Son’s Search for his Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq

Presenter: Ariel Sabar, journalist

Sabar’s “My Father’s Paradise” explores his family’s place in a sweeping saga of Middle-Eastern history.

Nov. 4

Immigrant Youth’s Contributions to Families and Society as Language and Culture Brokers

Presenter: Marjorie Faulstich Orellana, professor and director of faculty for the Teacher Education Program at the University of California, Los Angeles

A discussion of how society benefits from the largely invisible work of the children of immigrants as language and cultural brokers.

Nov. 12

A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of the Afghan Woman Who Dares to Speak Out

Presenter: Malalai Joya, Afghan parliamentarian and women’s activist

Thursday, Nov. 12, noon. Location TBA

A discussion of politics, corruption and activism in Afghanistan.

Nov. 18

Immigration & National Security: Reframing the Post 9/11 Debate

Presenter: Margaret Stock, Attorney; U.S. Army Reserve Military Police Corps lieutenant colonel; associate professor of social sciences, U.S. Military Academy; visiting fellow, Border Research Policy Institute, WWU

Which post-9/11 changes in immigration policy have improved national security, and which have not? What future changes should be considered?

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