News Article

SPONSORED BY THE GONZAGA INSTITUTE FOR ACTION
AGAINST HATE AND SPOKANE CHAPTER OF HADASSAH

Nonie Darwish, author of the book “Now They Call Me Infidel – Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel and the War on Terror,” will speak at Gonzaga University at 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 7 in the Globe Room of Cataldo Hall (located directly north from the entrance to St. Aloysius Church on the GU campus).

Her presentation, titled “Possibilities for Peace: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges in the Middle East,” is sponsored by the Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate and the Spokane Chapter of Hadassah. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Born and raised as a Muslim in Cairo, Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Darwish earned bachelor’s degrees in sociology and anthropology from the American University in Cairo. An advocate for minority, human and women’s rights in the Middle East, she has appeared on CNN, FOX, MSNBC, Al Arabiya TV and other major media outlets. “Now They Call Me Infidel” is an autobiography of her life in Egypt and Gaza where she lived under oppressive dictatorships for 30 years.

“Now They Call Me Infidel” will be available for purchase following Darwish’s presentation. The presentation by Darwish represents her personal story, opinions and experiences.

Darwish speaks frequently on U.S. and Canadian college campuses, telling her story of growing up in a culture of hatred, jihad, vengeance and retaliation. Her story is about her personal transformation into a supporter of peace in the Middle East and an active advocate for the State of Israel.

Darwish moved to America in 1978. In 2004, she founded Arabs for Israel, an organization of Arabs and Muslims who reject suicide terrorism as a form of jihad and promote constructive self-criticism and reform in the Arab Muslim world. This community program is being sponsored by a special partnership between the Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate and the Spokane Chapter of Hadassah. The Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate was founded as a positive vehicle to combat hate and hate crimes on campuses and in communities throughout the nation. Through research, advocacy and education, the Institute focuses multidisciplinary academic resources on the causes and effects of hate as well as potential strategies for combating hate.

As part of the Jesuit community, the Institute advances the social justice mission of Gonzaga University while creating a positive educational presence in a region sometimes associated with bigotry and intolerance.

Hadassah, founded in 1912, is the largest women’s organization in the United States and supports Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) in Israel. HMO is the most advanced medical and research center in the Middle East, treating all people regardless of nationality, religion or political standing. HMO has achieved international acclaim for promoting peace and was nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

For more information, please contact Peter Tormey at Gonzaga University at (509) 323-6132 or via e-mail.