Author and political commentator Dinesh D'Souza will discuss "Islam and the West: A Clash of Civilizations?" in a presentation Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. in UNLV's Richard Tam Alumni Center.
After D'Souza's lecture, short presentations will be made by three panelists, including Mujahid Ramadan, founder and president of Ramadan Ballard & Associates; Chris Blakesley, Beckley Singleton professor of law from the Boyd School of Law; and Jean Sternlight, Saltman professor of law and director of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution from the Boyd School of Law.
The discussion will be moderated by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Phillip Pro.
The event is being sponsored by the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution at the William S. Boyd School of Law.
"After working with law school dean Dick Morgan and professor Jean Sternlight for over a year establishing the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution at UNLV's Boyd Law School, we are excited to be hosting our first community-wide event," Saltman said of the D'Souza presentation.
"One of the goals of the Saltman Center is to facilitate such ongoing discussions amongst professionals, their students, and concerned community members, which can lead to useful applications of the principles of conflict resolution," Saltman said.
"Conflicts and terrorism arising in the Middle East are the most pressing issues of our time," Sternlight said. "By sponsoring a symposium focused on these conflicts, the Saltman Center hopes not only to educate our students and the public at large, but also to help contribute to making our world a safer and better place for all of its peoples."
D'Souza's lecture will be based in part on his recent book, "What's So Great about America," a New York Times bestseller.
"In my talk I will outline both the historical and contemporary sources of Islamic hostility to the West and America, and I will suggest the appropriate ways we can respond," D'Souza said.
D'Souza was senior domestic policy analyst at the White House during the Reagan administration from 1987 to 1988. Currently the Robert and Karen Rishwain fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, D'Souza has authored several books, including another New York Times bestseller, "Illiberal Education."
D'Souza has been featured on numerous television programs and has authored many articles on culture and politics in major magazines and newspapers.
Ramadan designs and provides training, organizational development, consultation, and coaching in the areas of diversity and multicultural issues for individuals, groups, and corporate and government clients throughout Nevada and the U.S.
Blakesley is an expert on international law and terrorism and has written multiple books on the subjects, including "Terrorism, Drugs, International Law, and the Protection of Human Liberty"; "The International Legal System"; and "The Individual Facing Transnational Cooperation in Criminal Matters."
Sternlight, an expert in the field of conflict resolution, has written multiple books and articles regarding how to resolve disputes through means other than litigation. She will address the subject of Islam and the West from a conflict resolution perspective.
Pro was appointed U.S. District Judge for the District of Nevada in 1987 and assumed duties as chief judge in 2002. He currently serves on the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law Advisory Committee. He has worked in Eastern Europe and the Middle East on law reform projects.
For more information about the Oct. 23 presentation, call the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution at 895-0490.
The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution was established in 2003 at the William S. Boyd School of Law in order to provide a venue for advanced study of the nature of conflict and the methods through which conflicts may be resolved. The work of the center encompasses conflicts arising out of regional, national, and international concerns, and involving both the public and private sectors.
