News Release| CSULA; Cal State L.A.; Los Angeles; CSU; U.S.-Muslim relations; CoolStateRadio

Journalists from Muslim world, local leaders to focus on bridging divides

CSULA hosts panel to address
racial, religious, economic issues March 30

Los Angeles, CA  -- To explore the relationships between Asian countries with large Muslim populations and the United States since Sept. 11, 2002, Cal State L.A., through its Communications Studies program, will present a wide-ranging panel of experts discussing “Racial, Religious and Economic Divides in the U.S.” Monday, March 30, at 3:30 p.m., in the University-Student Union, Los Angeles Room, on the CSULA campus.

The discussion will bring together six noted Asian journalists who work in predominantly Muslim countries and three local southern California civic leaders. It is also supported by the Honolulu-based East-West Center and Cal State L.A.’s CoolStateRadio student group.

According to Jon Beaupre, event moderator and professor of Communication Studies at Cal State L.A., “The panelists will tackle issues, such as the possibility of international race relations improving during the Obama administration, the role of politics in the pulpit, and how the economic crisis affects Muslim American civic relations.”
 
The following Asian journalists are on the panel:
* Art Bonjoc Jr., area news manager, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
* Syed Shujaat Bukhari, bureau chief, The Hindu, Sringagar, India
* Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, senior staff reporter, News Network International, Peshawar, Pakistan
* Purwani Diyah Prabandari, bureau chief for Central Java and Yogyakarta, Tempo International Media, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
* Saini Bin Salleh, assistant editor, Berita Harian, Singapore
* Reza Zandi, member, Iranian Journalists Association, Tehran, Iran
 
The following civic leaders from Los Angeles are scheduled to participate:
* Leon Jenkins, president of the L.A. chapter of the NAACP
* Sara Sadhwani of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center Southern California
* Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of Muslim Public Affairs Council
  
The public and members of local journalism organizations are invited to attend. A reception will follow the discussion. 
   
For directions and parking, go to www.calstatela.edu/univ/maps/cslamap.php. Reservations are not required, but are encouraged to assist in planning. Reservations may be made by contacting [email protected]. For more information, contact Beaupre at (323) 223-6287 or [email protected].

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The East-West Center is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States.  The Center’s charter is to contribute to a peaceful, prosperous, and just Asia Pacific community by serving as a hub for cooperative research, education, and dialogue.  Funding for the Center comes from the U.S. government, with additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and the governments of the region. Over its nearly half century of serving as a U.S.-based institution for public diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region, the Center has built a worldwide network of more than 55,000 alumni and 600 partner organizations.  With a 21-acre campus in Honolulu and a Washington, D.C. office focused on preparing the U.S. for an era of growing Asia Pacific prominence, the Center is developing global leadership through programs that help current and future leaders understand the issues and people in this region.