Confused About The Middle East?

Posted By: Liz Goodrich
Date Posted: 7/26/2003

Deschutes Public Library welcomes Raja S. Tanas, Ph.D, for a program titled “Who Is Who & What Is What In The Middle East,” on Saturday, August 2, 2003 in the Brooks Room of the Bend Public Library. This program is in conjunction with the photo exhibit “The Other Face of Iraq,” on display at the Library from August 1 through August 14, 2003.

Dr. Tanas, a professor of Sociology at Whitworth College since 1983, offers insight into the complex and sometimes confusing region of the Middle East. His program presents an overview of Middle Eastern society with attention to its geography, history, and composition. Special attention is given to the rise of Islam in the seventh century to present, the rise and demise of the Arab and Ottoman Empires (632-1924 A.D.) and breakup up of the Middle East region into the current state system by the colonial powers. The program concludes with mention of the many grievances that the Middle East people have against the West.

The photo exhibit is the result of a fact-finding mission to Iraq by Bob Haynes, a cardiologist from Kirkland, Washington. Dr. Haynes took the photos in May 2002. Sponsored by Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, Haynes’s photos show the humanity of the Iraqi people. The exhibit has been brought to Central Oregon by The Human Dignity Coalition and Amnesty International #610.

This program is free and open to the public. For more information about this or other library programs, please call 312-1032. For more information about The Human Dignity Coalition, please cal 385-3320.