Date: Sep 15, 2008

Muslim Gay Activist to Talk About LGBT Issues and the Presidential Election

Faisal Alam is founder and former director of Al-Fatiha, an international group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Muslims

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Faisal Alam, a gay Muslim activist of Pakistani descent, will give his perspective of the presidential election at Hofstra on Monday, September 22 from 7-9 p.m. in the Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, South Campus.

"An LGBT Muslim Perspective on the 2008 Presidential Election," sponsored by the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) Studies Program at Hofstra, the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, and The John D. Miller Fund at the Long Island Community Foundation, is part of the Hofstra’s Educate ’08 series leading up to the October 15 presidential debate at the university and the November election. Mr. Alam will look at issues of interest to the LGBT community and particularly gay Muslims in the United States.

Mr. Alam is the founder and former director of Al-Fatiha, an international not-for-profit organization that, since 1998, has been dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Muslims, as well as those exploring or questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity, and their friends. Under his leadership, Al-Fatiha grew to eight chapters in the United States and seven sister-organizations and affiliates in Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa. In 2001, The Advocate selected Mr. Alam as an "Innovator" and, in 2002, the Utne Reader chose him as a "Young Visionary Under 30."

A former staff member of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Minority AIDS Council, he has been active in HIV/AIDS prevention and education, immigration and asylum rights, interfaith dialogue, and queer youth organizing.

On October 15, Hofstra University will host the third and final presidential debate of the 2008 election season.  This debate, focused on domestic issues, will be televised live around the world.

Leading up to the debate and the 2008 election, Hofstra is proud to host Educate '08, an unprecedented series of lectures, conferences, artistic performances and exhibitions, town hall meetings and interactive forums focused on the issues, history and politics of presidential elections.  Educate '08 provides our students, faculty and the entire surrounding community with access to the newsmakers, scholars and policymakers who have unique insight and knowledge of the American political system. 
 
Many of our programs and events are free and open to the public, and we encourage you to join us for what will be a fascinating series of events.  During spring 2008's Educate '08 schedule, Hofstra hosted more than 30 events, including guests such as Mary Matalin and James Carville, David Gergen, William Kristol and Maureen Dowd, Charlie Cook, and many scholars, historians, journalists and policymakers. 
 
Find out more about Educate '08 by visiting www.hofstra.edu/educate08

LGBT Studies at Hofstra focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, their history and culture, considering sexualities and genders as identities, social statuses, categories of knowledge, and as lenses that help us to frame how we understand our world.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 140 undergraduate and 155 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business, communication, education and allied human services, and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students' interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations.  The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.

Related Link: For a complete schedule of Educate '08 programs and courses: