Anti-war events aim to spark student interest

Two events today will attempt to give students a view of current
affairs and the United States’ involvement in the Middle East
from the perspective of the anti-war movement.

The first event is designed to both inform and encourage
students to ask questions and understand current events in
Iraq.

Titled “MisEducation & MisInformation: Breaking the
Silence on Campus about the War on Iraq,” the event features
talks from professors and a representative from the Act Now to Stop
War and End Racism Coalition, a group which was heavily involved in
organizing anti-war protests.

“I think students need to be aware of what’s going
on in society and in the schools,” said Rosa Furumoto, a
professor of Chicana/o Studies at California State University,
Northridge.

Furumoto will be speaking on the rising militarism in
communities of color through the increased implementation of Junior
Reserve Officer Training Corps programs. She said the event is not
only for information, but also to encourage students to ask
questions and to take action.

“Whenever we see people being asked to kill other people,
we need to ask the questions, Is it fair? Is is just?”
Furumoto said.

After the event, organizers will distribute information on the
ways students can get involved in the effort to protest the war in
Iraq.

Preston Wood, the representative from ANSWER, will present an
update on recent events in Iraq.

“If students look deeply, much of the curriculum glosses
over the history of United States aggression in the world,”
Wood said.

The second event is “Iraq and Palestine Under Occupation:
State Sponsored Terror and Torture,” hosted by Students for
Justice in Palestine.

Elias Rashmawi, the coordinator of the Free Palestine Alliance
and a member of the national steering committee for ANSWER, is the
featured speaker, and his message will be followed by a film
screening of “Dispatches: The Killing Zone.”

“The purpose is to bring attention to the ongoing
occupation of Iraq and Palestine and the similarities between the
two,” Rashmawi said. “I will be addressing the reasons
behind why the United States considers the Middle East such an
asset to be involved in.”

ANSWER, which is taking an active role in both events, is also
working to coordinate rallies and marches on Saturday in major
cities, including Los Angeles to protest the military occupation of
Iraq.

“We want to build a broad and diverse movement,”
Wood said. “We have an agenda of seeking peace and jobs. We
want to reach all of those who are facing being sent to Iraq, and
we want them to stand with us and refuse to go.”

The events are part of the mobilization effort to draw student
support.

“Students need to come out and get involved,” Wood
said. “People will start fighting against (the war) more and
more, and it will eventually involve millions people.”

“MisEducation & MisInformation: Breaking the
Silence on Campus about the War on Iraq” will be held from 3
to 5 p.m. today in Moore Hall 3340. “Iraq and Palestine Under
Occupation: State Sponsored Terror and Torture” will be from
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. today in Young Hall CS76.

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