Tales from  The Ruby Tear Catcher  on

 The   IMPACT   of
RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM 
in the Middle East

Tuesday, October 11, 5:30-8:30pm
Iwan Ries Lounge, 19 South Wabash, 2d floor

Cocktails at 5:30, presentation 6:00-6:30 followed by discussion and more cocktails.     $40 includes drinks, two cigars, and sandwiches. 
Reservations are required.

The significance of the Middle East in our world today and the plight of women in particular is a vital and timely topic. The recent demand for democracy in the Middle East demonstrates that freedom and equality are basic human principles that repressive governments or fundamentalist rule cannot stifle forever.

In her novel, The Ruby Tear Catcher, Nahid Sewell explores the impact of religious fundamentalism on the people of Iran and on Iranian women in particular. She describes life in Iran before and after the Islamic Revolution, evoking images of blue-tiled mosques, Persian kings and the taste of lamb kabob and saffron rice in contrast with curfews, gun-toting soldiers, chadors that cover women from head to toe, and the quest for freedom. Describing the radical changes under Islamic rule, Sewell charts the social, cultural, political and religious changes that have taken shape in her country in the past thirty years.

An advocate for human rights, Nahid speaks on behalf of her sisters in the Middle East, seeking tolerance and equality for men and women of all colors, races, religions and cultures.

Nahid Sewell was born in Tehran, Iran, before the Islamic Revolution. After finishing high school in Tehran, she came to the U.S., where she obtained a BA and MBA from Lehigh University. In addition to a successful IT career, Sewell has written hundreds of articles and four non-fiction books. She is married to Cigar Society member Gerry Sewell.