Speakers 2017

Masih Alinejad

Journalist

Alijenad was born as Masoumeh Alinejad but uses the first name "Masih" (anointed or Messiah) which is the title of Jesus of Nazareth in Islam and Christianity. Alinejad was politically active from a young age and was arrested as an activist for producing leaflets critical of the Government in 1994…click here for more

 

Kazem Alamdari

Kazem Alamdari

Alamdari was the recipient of a fellowship from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) in Japan, Kyushu University in 1997. As a public intellectual, he is frequently featured in the media and presents lectures at national and international conferences in different parts of the world. …more

 

Maz Jobrani

Maz Jobrani

MAZ can currently be seen in the new CBS sitcom SUPERIOR DONUTS, opposite Jermaine Fowler, David Koechner, Katey Sagal and Judd Hirsch. He has had four standup comedy specials and most recently, I’M NOT A TERRORIST, BUT I’VE PLAYED ONE ON TV which can currently be seen on Netflix. …more

 

Abbas Milani

Abbas Milani

Abbas Milani is the Hamid & Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University and a Professor (by courtesy) in the Division of Stanford Global Studies. He has been one of the founding co-directors of the Iran Democracy Project and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. …more

 

Homa Sarshar (Master of Ceremonies)

Journalist, Author, Producer and Organizer

Homa Sarshar worked as a correspondent, reporter, and columnist for Zan-e Ruz weekly magazine and Kayhan daily newspaper in Iran from 1964 to 1978. During this period, she also worked as a television producer, director, and talk-show host for National Iranian Radio & Television… click here for more