[Peace-discuss] Invite Muslim Peacemaker Sami Rasouli to speak in C-U?

[Stuart Levy]

Heard this from Katy Vizdal of the IMC.  Shall we try to invite
Sami Rasouli, Iraqi founder of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams, to speak here
while he's traveling in Minnesota/Wisconsin over the next few weeks?
His schedule (see attachment) is fairly full, but there are openings
just before Thanksgiving (not ideal), just after (maybe better),
and in early December.  We'd have to pay an honorarium,
and for his travel and lodging here, but that should be within reach.

He'd probably be happy to speak both off-campus and on if we like.
I don't have time to put together a proper writeup on him,
but wanted to pass the word along so we can get started...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Marie Braun <braun044 at umn.edu>
Date: Sat, Oct 17, 2009 at 9:42 AM
Subject: Sami Rasouli
To: katyvizdal at gmail.com, Mike Miles and Barb Kass <anathoth at lakeland.ws>,
Sami Rasouli <sami.rasouli at gmail.com>


Dear Katy,

  My name is Marie Braun and I, together with Mike Miles organize Sami's
speaking schedule in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Mike send me your email so I
am responding.  Generally, when Sami goes to other states, we ask for travel
expenses, lodging, and a $300 stipend.  Our experience is that colleges and
universities can come up with money if one or more departments sponsor a
talk and a student group may have funds.  When a community group has Sami
speak, we ask for $100 and that a collection be taken at the event; however,
we do not refuse invitations because a group cannot meet our request for a
stipend.  The bottom line for going out of state is travel expenses, food
and lodging and whatever you can raise in donations.

  I am attaching Sami's schedule and an informal and formal bio.  As you
know, Sami is an Iraqi-American with dual citizenship, who left Iraq in the
late 1970s, and lived in the Twin Cities area for more than 17 years.   In
November 2004, nearly 30 years after leaving Iraq and following the 2003
invasion and occupation of his country of origin, Sami returned to Iraq to
help rebuild his country.   During this time, he founded and supported the
development of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams, Iraqi groups dedicated to the
principles of nonviolence, and he recently brought a delegation of thirteen
Iraqis from the city of Najaf to the city of Minneapolis as part of a Sister
City Project.

  Sami can speak about the exciting new developments that are taking place
through the Sister City Project and other person-to-person ventures such as
Letters for Peace, Water for Peace and the Iraqi Art Project.  He can also
give a firsthand account of conditions in Iraq today . . . or talk about any
other aspect of his work that might be of interest to faculty, students and
the community.  You can find information at www.reconciliationproject.org <
http://www.reconciliationproject.org> or  www.mpt-iraq.org/
Thanks for your interest, .  Please call me if you find an open date that
works for you.

Best wishes,

Marie Braun
for Twin Cities Peace Campaign-Focus on Iraq
612-522-1861
cell:  612-275-2720





Subject:
Sami Rasouli
From:
Katy Vizdal <katyvizdal at gmail.com>
Date:
Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:42 -0500

To:
anathoth at lakeland.ws


Hello, I had the opportunity to meet Sami Rasouli when a group of students
went up to farm from the University of Illinois in 2008 for Alternative
Spring Break. I'm now working at the Independent Media Center in Urbana, IL
at the performance venue coordinator. I think that I would be able to
generate a lot of local interest in hearing Sami Rasouli speak in this
venue/town, however I don't know what sort of accommodations would need to
be met in order to have him down here? We are a non-for profit organization
so we have very limited funding but perhaps I could organize something to
get the funds to bring him down here? Is this something that would be
possible/what kind of money would be involved? Please let me know it would
be great to see you guys again, Katy Vizdal



-- 
Katy Vizdal
Performance Venue Coordinator
Independent Media Center
202 S. Broadway
Urbana, IL 61801

Web: http://www.ucimc.org/


----- End forwarded message -----
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