Global Forum on Peace & Security: along with Ali Shakeri and Roger EatonIn this Global Forum on Peace and Security, Dr. Muhammad Sahimi will speak on "Democracy in Iran and the Role of the Diaspora Community." Dr. Sahimi will be joined by former political prisoner and citizen-peacebuilder Ali Shakeri, who will speak on "Practical Steps for Citizen-Peacebuilding on Behalf of Iran," discussing what we can do to lend support to the democracy movement in Iran today, and to build more dialogue between Iranians and Americans. Joining this distinguished forum is Roger Eaton from the LA Area Nuclear Disarmament Coalition. There will be ample time devoted to audience participation after panel members' remarks.

Guests will first enjoy a light lunch of refreshments and Middle Eastern mezzes from 12-1 pm, with both indoor and outdoor garden seating, before Jordan Elgrably, artistic director at Levantine Cultural Center, helps introduce and moderate the afternoon's discussion, with opening remarks by IGM Gallery director Lynn Crandall.

The IGM Art Gallery can be found off the Soto Ave. exit of the 10 Freeway, a few minutes east of the main USC campus. Check this link for a visual of the building and detailed driving directions:

Pull into the lot through the driveway on the west side of the building (San Pablo street side of building) and drive way up and back until you can park in one of the slots that says for day care only. The meters out front are 25c for 15 minutes and if you run over you'll get a ticket there. The gallery is on the 2nd floor, which you may reach by coming up the stairway to your left, about 10 yards inside the glass back door with a door handle with stainless steel curving element like a music score and yellow spheres on it (chromosomes on the protein chain) in the middle of the building. Call 213.705.7489 or 310.402.8866 if you need guidance.

This program is presented by USC's Institute for Genetic Medicine Art Gallery, in partnership with Levantine Cultural Center and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics, Americans for Informed Democracy, Los Angeles-Tehran Sister Cities and with assistance from the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at UC Irvine.

RSVPs are strongly suggested as space is limited to 100. Reservations and info: 310.657.5511.
Dr. Muhammad Sahimi at USC
Dr. Muhammad Sahimi is a frequent commentator on Iran's democratic process and has recently been featured on NPR. He is Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and the NIOC Chair in Petroleum Engineering at USC. In addition to his scientific work, he has written about Iran's political developments and its nuclear program for the past 15 years, with articles in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Wall Street Journal and the Harvard International Review, among others. He is currently a columnist for TehranBureau.com, an independent political web site dedicated to news and analysis of Iran news. He also blogs at Huffington Post, and has contributed numerous articles to antiwar.com and other major political web sites.

Ali Shakeri: photo Paul Rodriguez, Orange County RegisterAli Shakeri is an Orange County activist and businessman who sits on the advisory board of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, at UC Irvine. During a 2007 visit to Iran, he was arrested and spent 140 days incarcerated at Evin Prison, much of it in solitary confinement. He was interrogated almost every day. A few weeks after his release, he told the Orange Country Register that his ordeal had convinced him to work even harder to help build bridges of peace and understanding between his birthplace and adopted homeland so there are "no more victims like me." Shakeri has been a freelance researcher on Middle East and Iranian social and political issues for several decades, and has written for the New York Times.

Roger EatonRoger Eaton coordinates the LA Area Nuclear Disarmament Coalition and is on the Boards of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics, the Unity-and-Diversity World Council and Westside Progressives. He works as a computer programmer for Princess Cruises and is the architect of InterMix Group Dialog Software, which he is proposing today for an LA/Tehran online dialogue.

About the IGM Gallery:
The mission of The Institute for Genetics Medicine Art Gallery is to serve as an art-framed forum for open-minded, deliberative discussions on complex social issues that interface with the creative process and findings of research in molecular biology, health and social systems.

About Levantine Cultural Center:
Founded in 2001, Levantine Cultural Center promotes a greater understanding of the Middle East and North Africa by presenting artistic and educational programs that bridge political and religious divides. In a search for common ground, the Center fosters discussions among artists and thinkers and offers classes and workshops that serve diverse ethnic communities.

About the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics
The RWIE is committed to promoting a culture of peace and its foundational values of equality, justice, love, compassion, and mutual respect. Its humanitarian programs are aimed at the resolution of conflicts, the elimination of prejudice, and the broadening of perspectives.

About Americans for Informed Democracy:
Americans for Informed Democracy empowers and equips young people in the United States to address global issues-poverty, health, climate change, peace and security-through awareness raising and actions that promote just and sustainable solutions on their campuses, in their communities, and nationally.

About the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding-UCI
The Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California, Irvine has advocated peace through dialogue, and has sponsored for instance the Olive Peace Tree Initiative between Israelis and Palestinians, and has hosted and given peace awards to Nobel Peace Prize laureates such as Mikhail Gorbachev, the Dali Lama, Shirin Ebadi, Mary Robinson, Wangari Maathai and Jimmy Carter.