Civil Rights Attorney Abdeen Jabara to speak as part of Arab-American Experience series at Fairfield University | Press Releases

Noted civil rights Attorney Abdeen Jabara will deliver "The Civil Liberties of Muslims, Arabs and Arab-Americans" on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at Fairfield University. The speech will take place in the Oak Room of the University's Barone Campus Center.

Jabara has long championed the cause of Arab-American civil rights. He was the founder and past president of the Association of Arab-American University Graduates and a president of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee.

While working as an attorney in Detroit, Mich., he successfully challenged the property ownership requirement for candidacy to public office. In the mid-1980s, he played a major role in exposing the American government's Operation Boulder program, a program begun in the 1960s that included surveillance, deportations and other incidents involving the Arab and Arab-American community in the United States.

Jabara received his law degree from Wayne State University. After working in Detroit for many years, he moved to New York City, where he continues to tackle civil rights cases.

Jabara's speech is part of The Arab-American Experience, a series of events taking place on campus this fall. Fairfield University's Humanities Institute, and the Women's Studies, English, History and American Studies departments are sponsors.

On Thursday, Oct. 16, Simon Shaheen and other Arab musicians will present an evening of Arab music.

The final event is a screening of the film "Caught in the Crossfire," which details how the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 changed the lives of three Arab-Americans. The film will be shown on Thursday, Nov. 13.

All events will begin at 7:30 p.m. and take place in the Oak Room. Admission is free. For more information, call Ralph Coury, Ph.D., professor of history, at (203) 254-4000, ext. 2110.