HUNTINGTON BEACH : Middle East Focus of 4-Day Seminar

Golden West College will host a four-day educational seminar on the Middle East beginning today.

The series of events will include lectures on the Persian Gulf War, the Palestinian problem, the Muslim religion and the Jewish perspective of Middle East problems.

“It’s easier to win a military war than to win peace in the Middle East,” explained Gandasari Win, a professor of political science at Golden West. “For peace we need to understand the complex Middle East situation. That is what the week’s activities are designed to do.”

The events, which are free and open to the general public, will also include Middle Eastern dance performances, films from the Arab world and Middle Eastern food sales.

At 10 a.m. today, George Prather, research analyst with the Los Angeles Community College District, will discuss the lessons of the Persian Gulf War. Larry Howard, a lecturer with UCI’s Global Peace and Conflict Studies program, will speak on the same topic at noon.

At noon Tuesday, Mohammed Sidiqqi,director of the Islamic Center of Orange County and a guest lecturer at Cal State Long Beach, will give a talk on understanding Islam.

Rabbi Danny Epstein of Temple Beth Shalom in Long Beach will discuss the Middle East crisis from the Jewish perspective at 10 a.m. Wednesday. At noon Thursday, Cal Poly Pomona history professor Mahmood Ibrahim will discuss the Palestinian problem in the Middle East.

All lecturers will speak in Forum I on the campus, which is located at 15744 Golden West St. in Huntington Beach. For more information, call (714) 895-8261.