“It’s not easy to be an activist in the Middle East. Especially if you’re a woman,” Dalia Ziada told the audience Monday night.
The George Washington University chapter of Project Nur, a student-led initiative of the non-governmental organization American Islamic Congress interested in fostering dialogue and understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim students, sponsored a reception honoring Egyptian blogger and human rights activist Dalia Ziada to mark its fresh start as a re-established student organization on campus.
Ziada is the director of the American Islamic Congress’s Cairo branch and advocates the freedom of expression in nonviolent action. Though she lives in a society that restricts total freedom of expression, her blog is her outlet, in which she speaks out against discrimination impacting Muslim women and discusses Middle Eastern politics and Islamic society.
In an e-mail to WRGW News, Amanda Sawit, a Project Nur intern this semester and a member of the executive board of the GW chapter of Project Nur, wrote, "We want people out there to know that this organization is immensely helpful for networking, researching, and learning about Islam and the societies/countries that are grounded in its teachings."
Though there are currently five students in GW's Project Nur, the new student organization is looking to expand. For GW students interested in Middle Eastern studies, politics, foreign policy, communication, Project Nur provides the opportunity for students to apply their interest and studies outside the classroom.
GW's Project Nur will continue to host a variety of events, lectures, films, and other kinds of forums between Muslim and non-Muslim people to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding.
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