News Releases

Muslim/Jewish Relations Experts Judea Pearl and Akbar Ahmed to Speak at USM April 7

March 17, 2008

CONTACT:
Abraham J. Peck, USM Director of Academic Council for Christian, Jewish & Islamic Studies at 207-780-5331.

PORTLAND, Maine – Professor Judea Pearl, father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, and Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, authority on Islam, will speak about Muslim and Jewish cultural issues on Monday, April 7th, from 7-9 p.m. in USM’s Hannaford Lecture Hall, Bedford Street, Portland. The lecture, “Beyond the Clash of Civilizations: A Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding,” is free and open to the public on a first-come first-served basis; seating is limited to 525 in Hannaford Hall, but the lecture will be simulcast to additional rooms in USM’s Abromson Community Education Center and Gerald Talbot Auditorium to accommodate an additional 325 attendees.

Judea Pearl is the father of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002 by terrorists. He is a UCLA professor of computer science, author of three books, and winner of numerous awards. He was born in Tel Aviv and came to the United States in 1960 to complete his Ph.D. at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. He is also president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation which promotes cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and innovative communications.

Akbar Ahmed is considered the world’s leading expert on Islam. He served as the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain and is currently professor of Islamic Civilization at American University in Washington , D.C. He is the author of several books on Islam, has delivered countless speeches to prominent organizations, and is the recipient of dozens of prestigious awards including the 2004 Gandhi Center Fellowship of Peace Award.

In 2006, both Pearl and Ahmed were awarded The Purpose Prize from Civic Ventures for their combined efforts to address chronic social problems on a national and global scale.

The moderator for the dialogue will be Elisabeth Hoffman, founder and president of Catalyst for Peace, a Portland-based foundation that supports community-based peace building around the world.

Questions from attendees in Hannaford Lecture Hall will be welcomed using open microphones, questions from the simulcast rooms will be submitted to the lecturers in written form. A limited number of headsets in the back of the lecture hall will be provided to accommodate those who need translation into Arabic.

An book exhibit relating to Muslim/Jewish relations by Pearl , Ahmed and other authors will follow the event. The speakers will be on hand to autograph purchased books.

For more information on the “Beyond the Clash of Civilizations” lecture call Abraham J. Peck, USM Director of Academic Council for Christian, Jewish & Islamic Studies at 207-780-5331.

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