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THE 2015 NATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS
Week A Delegate Seminars – Tuesday, 24 March – 4:00 pm
Addressing Violent Extremism After Charlie Hebdo
Sheraton New York – 2nd Floor, Metropolitan West
The initial global dialogue about freedom of opinion and expression following the Charlie Hebdo attack
in Paris has broadened into a discussion on countering violent extremism. Join a conversation about
freedoms and responsibilities with Alex Sinha, Aryeh Neier Fellow at Human Rights Watch and American
Civil Liberties Union and Amierah Ismail, Professional Officer, Permanent Observer Mission of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to the UN. Moderated by Kevin E. Grisham, Director, Center for
Islamic and Middle East Studies (CIMES), California State University, San Bernardino.
Amierah Ismail, Professional Officer, Permanent
Observer Mission of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) to the UN
Kevin E. Grisham (Moderator), Director, Center for
Islamic and Middle East Studies (CIMES), California
State University, San Bernardino
Alex Sinha, Aryeh Neier Fellow at Human
Rights Watch and American Civil Liberties
Union
THE 2015 NATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS
Week A Delegate Seminars – Tuesday, 24 March – 4:00 pm
Amierah Ismail serves since January 2011 as a Professional Officer at the Permanent Observer Mission of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to the United Nations. In that capacity, she participates in meetings,
programmes and events related to the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee (Human Rights and
Humanitarian Affairs) issues related to climate change and other UN issues. Amierah has extensive experience in
negotiating resolutions, especially on the issue of the current situation of human rights in Myanmar and combating
intolerance and issues related to discrimination based on religion or belief. Prior to her time at the OIC Observer
Mission, Amierah managed Alumni Events for hundreds of Law School Alumni at the New York University School
of Law. Additionally, Amierah served as the Global Classrooms Coordinator for the Global Classrooms programme
at the United Nations Association of the United States of America in New York. Amierah has also been a model
UN'er and MUN consultant for over 10 years and most recently joined the National Model United Nations
Advisory Board. She has served as Secretary General of the 2007 NMUN-NY Conference and Chief of Staff at the
2008 NMUN-China. Amierah graduated with her Masters of Science in Global Affairs and Transnational Security
from New York University's Center for Global Affairs in December 2010 and graduated with her Bachelor’s
Degree in Political Science from the School of Public Affairs from The American University in 2003.
G. Alex Sinha is the Aryeh Neier Fellow at Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union. His
current work primarily concerns human rights, especially the rights to privacy and freedom of expression. Most
recently, he researched and wrote a report on the effects of large-scale electronic surveillance by the US government
on the work of journalists and lawyers. In addition to a law degree, he also has a Ph.D. in philosophy.
Kevin E. Grisham (Moderator) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental
Studies and Faculty Adviser for the Model United Nations and Model Arab League Programs at California State
University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the National Collegiate
Conference Association (NCCA), the sponsor of the National Model United Nations (NMUN). He also serves as
the Director for the Center of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (CIMES) at CSUSB, the flagship Islamic and
Middle East Studies Center in the CSU system. He holds a M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University
of California, Riverside. He has been involved with the NMUN Conferences since 1997. He founded the MUN
program at Victor Valley College in Victorville, California in 2001 and has previously taught the coursework for
Model UN at UC Riverside. He has served as a delegate, a faculty adviser for MUN teams that participate at the
NMUN•NY conference, a member of the NMUN•NY staff, and a member of the NMUN•NY Advisory Board.
He served as the Director General for the 2006 NMUN•NY Conference and in 2008, Dr. Grisham served as the
Director-General for the first international NMUN Conference, NMUN•China. Dr. Grisham writes on
international issues and is often a guest speaker at various venues in the Southern California region. Also, he is
regularly interviewed by the media on issues relating to the Middle East and North Africa, politics in the Islamic
world, and political violence in the developing world. Dr. Grisham has published two textbooks on the developing
world, The Developing World: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Kona Publishing and Media Group) and The
Nonwestern World: Perspectives on the Developing World and its Peoples (Cognella Publishing). His latest book,
Transforming Violent Political Movements: Rebels Today, What Tomorrow? (Routledge) was published in 2014.