Dr. Vali Nasr, author of “The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future,” will speak about the Shia/Sunni conflict in Iraq and throughout the Middle East on Thursday, Jan. 11, at La Jolla Country Day School, 9480 Genesee Ave.
Nasr, who is also a professor and associate chair of research at the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and is Senior Adjunct Fellow on the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations, said he thinks it is important for the community to gain a better understanding of the issue.
“Students, by definition, are in the stage of life where they have to be educated on many things, and they should learn about complex issues because the more information and knowledge we have as society, the better we are,” Nasr said by phone.
A longtime La Jolla resident and parent of two children who attend La Jolla schools, Nasr said he realizes how important it is to educate the community about issues in the Middle East.
“I think it’s important to have these kinds of debates more broadly,” he said.
In his book, Nasr discusses the ongoing conflict between the Shia and Sunni sects of Islam and the forces that have contributed to the enduring political and cultural battle between the groups in countries such as Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Pakistan, and in North Africa and the Palestinian territories.
The United States’ recent alliance with the Shia, along with the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein, has turned the tables from the dictator’s Sunni-led regime and given the Shia power in Iraq. The movement has also caused retaliation against the Shia from Sunni extremists, Nasr said.
His talk at Country Day School is one of many he has given locally, including lectures at the Gillispie School and at Warwick’s Books. He plans to speak at The Bishop’s School and at UCSD in the near future, he said.
Nasr will speak to students during the day, then again to parents at 6:45 p.m. at La Jolla Country Day School. Admission is free.
“The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future” is $25.95 and can be purchased at Amazon.com or by visiting the publisher’s Web site, www.wwnorton.com.