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Asian Studies Committee to Host Asia Update on Portrayal of Prophet Muhammad


The Asian Studies Committee at SUNY Plattsburgh will host an Asia Update forum Tuesday, Oct. 16, from 5 to 6:15 p.m. in the Alumni Conference Room, Angell College Center. Students, faculty and community members are invited to discuss the controversial film portraying Islamic Prophet Muhammad, which has inspired protest against American embassies across the Middle East.

Dr. Taher Zandi, a SUNY distinguished service professor of psychology, will present “Understanding the Reaction to the Mock-up Video of Prophet Muhammad.” He will give his insight on why the film has caused such strong reactions.

Dr. Jin Kim, communication professor, will discuss the difficulties with legally defining the film as "hate speech" during a presentation titled “The Innocence of Muslims: When ‘Protected Expressive Disorder’ Goes Global.”

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding about why Muslims are so upset about this,” said Dr. Connie Shemo, associate professor of history. “We want to give people an opportunity to discuss the issues.”

The Asian Studies Committee encourages all students, faculty and community members to attend the forum.

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