February 23, 2012

Next week, MPAC will host a series of events around Southern California with Egyptian American journalist Ashraf Khalil, whose new book “Liberation Square: Inside the Egyptian Revolution and the Rebirth of a Nation” has won praise from Publishers Weekly as “essential reading [of] a street-level view of history in the making.”

During this leg of his national book tour, Khalil will share his perspective as a journalist covering the revolution and its aftermath at four locations from February 23-26: St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, the Islamic Center of Irvine, the Islamic Institute of Orange County and the Islamic Center of Southern California. (See below for more details.)

As a journalist based in Cairo, Khalil was an eyewitness to the perfect storm that brought down former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his regime. Khalil was subjected to tear gas alongside protestors in Tahrir Square, barely escaped an enraged mob and witnessed the day-to-day developments from the front lines. From the halls of power to the back alleys of Cairo, Khalil offers a one-of-a-kind look at a nation in the throes of an uprising.

SEE: Excerpt from “Liberation Square” (Foreign Policy)

Khalil, a graduate of Indiana University, has been covering the Middle East for years. He has written for the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, the Times of London and The Economist.  He worked as a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in Baghdad and Jerusalem and has been based in Cairo for most of the past 15 years.

BOOK READINGS WITH ASHRAF KHALIL

Author of “Liberation Square: Inside the Egyptian Revolution and the Rebirth of a Nation”

Thursday, Feb. 23:
7 - 8:30 p.m.
St. Mark Presbyterian Church 
cosponsored by Orange County Islamic Foundation
2200 San Joaquin Hills Road
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Last month, Khalil participated in a book reading hosted by MPAC’s Washington, DC, office at the famed Busboys & Poets, which was attended by a packed house of more than 100 people.