MSA lecture to delve into terrorism’s effects
The Muslim Student Association continues its “Real War on Terrorism” program series this week, seeking to expose the injustices of efforts to curb terrorism on the global level.
The events will conclude Wednesday with a lecture about Palestinians titled “Humanizing the Forgotten People,” by Manzar Foroohar, a history professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Foroohar will speak on the state of affairs in the Middle East and discuss the peace process from a historical perspective.
Organizers hope Wednesday’s event will inform students about the effects of the conflict in Palestinian-occupied Israel.
“We hope to bring to light the brutality that has been occurring there, since the media has been focusing on Iraq and we tend to forget about what’s happening in other places,” said second-year computer science student Mariam Jukaku.
The series’ events are intended to educate students on the hardships experienced by citizens of countries caught in the middle of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, namely Palestinians and the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and the Philippines.
Yousef Tajsar, outreach coordinator for MSA and a third-year political science student, said most information or news the public gets about the war tends to be from one perspective – that of the U.S. government.
“We want to use our education to promote alternative views, so that students can be aware of both sides,” he said.
MSA President Mohammad Mertaban said the war on terrorism could be viewed as “a microcosm of the United States’ intentions.”
“We want to show the U.S. plan to go into different countries in terms of how it affects people socially, politically, historically and holistically,” said Mertaban, a fourth-year psychobiology and French student.
Wednesday’s event will be the result of a collaborative effort between MSA, the Cultural Affairs Commission and the United Arab Society.
“Humanizing the Forgotten People,” featuring Cal Poly San Luis Obispo history professor Manzar Foroohar, will be held in the Kerckhoff State Room at 6 p.m. Wednesday.


