WASHINGTON, July 12, 2012 –This evening at the UCDC campus, Project Nur, the student-led initiative of AIC, will present an intimate discussion with comedian and commentator Dean Obeidallah. Known for his thought-provoking comedy, Obeidallah uses it to both entertain his audiences and dispel negative stereotypes of Arab-Americans and Muslims.
“The goal of my talk is to inspire more students to get involved in the media and politics,” Obeidallah said. “Many younger people don’t realize how easy it is to actually have an impact on issues and I want to share some concrete examples of how do to that based on my own experience.”
The discussion will take place at 6:30pm at the UC Washington Center, 1608 Rhode Island Ave. NW. The event is free to all students with ID, and complimentary light refreshments will be served.
Obeidallah also is an opinion writer for CNN and is in the process of co-producing and co-directing a documentary called “The Muslims are Coming!” The documentary follows a stand up comedy tour in 2011 featuring American-Muslim comedians as they perform free comedy shows in the Deep South and West. The goal was to meet as many Americans as possible and counter Islamaphobia, negate stereotypes and foster understanding.
For Obeidallah, the son of a Palestinian and an Italian, interfaith understanding and reaching out to young people is an important goal. “I enjoy working with Project Nur because their focus is empowering future leaders and building interfaith alliances,” he said. “This is much needed work that I believe will benefit both the American-Muslim community and our nation.”
For more information about the event, contact Project Nur and AIC at 202-595-3160.
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