Ithaca College

Iraqi activist and political analyst Raed Jarrar will speak at Ithaca College this Monday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. in room 103 of the Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise. His presentation, "Iraq War: Where Will It End?" will focus on the future of Iraq during and after the planned withdrawal of U.S. combat forces.

Raed will also discuss life under U.S. occupation from the perspective of one who has lived through the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent American-led state-building project.

During the early years of the U.S. occupation, Mr. Jarrar established Emaar, a humanitarian organization which focused on providing aid to Iraqis who had lost their homes as a result of the invasion. Jarrar, an experienced architect and blogger, currently works as a consultant for the American Friends Service Committee in Washington, D.C., where he has lived since moving to the United States in 2005. He is also widely known for being the victim of discrimination at the hands of the Transportation Security Administration and JetBlue Airways, who confronted him in 2006 at JFK International Airport because of his ethnicity and he was wearing an anti-war t-shirt with Arabic writing, which he was forced to change. In January JetBlue paid Jarrar $240,000 to settle an ACLU lawsuit filed over the issue.

IC students John Kessler and Sam Brady organized Raed Jarrar’s visit to Ithaca College. Sam writes, “As someone who has experienced the war in Iraq from both the United States and Iraq itself, Mr. Jarrar is wonderfully suited to provide a uniquely valuable perspective on the situation as it currently stands and as it progresses into the future.” John adds, “This event should not be missed and all are welcome.” Event co-sponsors are the IC Institute for Independent Media and the History Department.