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<p class="MsoNormal">MES Forum, </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Events this semester will be of interest across Middle East studies, history, arts and humanities, public-facing dialogue, and professional development. They cover issues such as financial crimes in the Middle East, immigrant experience
in the U.S., food culture, Ottoman history, Contested Terms when talking about the Middle East, and more. This coming Saturday, there will be a
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none;font-weight:normal">screening of
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21272942/">I Was A Stranger</a> at the Lennox.
</span></strong></p>
<h3>Upcoming events </h3>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Sat, January 31 at 6:30pm</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none;font-weight:normal">: Screening of
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21272942/">I Was A Stranger</a> at the Lennox. Free. RSVP only.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">RSVP: <a href="https://forms.gle/pHeXEmSWjnB8HDuE9">
https://forms.gle/pHeXEmSWjnB8HDuE9</a><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in">Movie Trailer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAWwT2ENK_c">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAWwT2ENK_c</a> <strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Thu, Feb 12, 2026 at 6:00pm</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">: MCRME Event: B’Ima Sheli: An Evening with Dege Feder: Performance and Conversation<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin-left:.5in"><a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/events/bima-sheli-evening-dege-feder-performance-and-conversation">https://mesc.osu.edu/events/bima-sheli-evening-dege-feder-performance-and-conversation</a></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2">
<b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Tues, Feb 17 at 12:00pm</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">:
<em><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Global Risk and Mitigation Event Financial Crimes in the Middle East</span></em>
<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in">
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/events/financial-crimes-middle-east-global-risk-and-mitigation-speakers-series">https://mesc.osu.edu/events/financial-crimes-middle-east-global-risk-and-mitigation-speakers-series</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Thu, Feb 19, 2026 at 4:00 PM</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">: MES Forum, Dr. Kaya ªahin: Ottoman Empire in the early modern period<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin-left:.5in"><a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/events/middle-east-studies-forum-0">https://mesc.osu.edu/events/middle-east-studies-forum-0</a></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Mon, Feb 23, 2026 at 3:30 PM</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">: How Persian Slaves Freed Themselves in Nineteenth Century Central Asia<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin-left:.5in"><a href="https://history.osu.edu/about/centers/chr/2025-2027-program/2025-2026-schedule">https://history.osu.edu/about/centers/chr/2025-2027-program/2025-2026-schedule</a></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Fri, Feb 27, 2026 at 9:00 AM</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">: MCRME Event: Dialogue #3: What makes a definition of a contested term like
Zionism or Intifada reasonable?<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin-left:.5in"><a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/events/mcrme-event-what-makes-definition-contested-term-zionism-or-intifada-reasonable">https://mesc.osu.edu/events/mcrme-event-what-makes-definition-contested-term-zionism-or-intifada-reasonable</a></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Sat, Feb 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">: Seed to Menu Working Session<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin-left:.5in"><a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/events/foodways-working-session-2">https://mesc.osu.edu/events/foodways-working-session-2</a></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Mon, Mar 9, 2026 at 2:30 PM</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">: MES Forum, Alumni Voices<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin-left:.5in"><a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/events/middle-east-studies-forum-alumni-voices">https://mesc.osu.edu/events/middle-east-studies-forum-alumni-voices</a></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 9:00 AM</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">: MCRME Event: Dialogue #4:
<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin-left:.5in"><a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/events/talking-about-middle-east-dialogue-4-0">https://mesc.osu.edu/events/talking-about-middle-east-dialogue-4-0</a>
</p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Mar 31 at Apr 4</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">:
<em><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Walid Raad Events on campus and at the Wexner Center for the Arts
</span></em><em><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in">
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="https://arts.osu.edu/walid-raad">https://arts.osu.edu/walid-raad</a>
<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Fri, Apr 10, 2026 at 3:00 PM</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">: Calligraphy Workshop with Master Calligrapher Dr. Muhammad Habib<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin-left:.5in"><a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/events/calligraphy-2026">https://mesc.osu.edu/events/calligraphy-2026</a></p>
<p>Stay tuned for updates at <a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/events">mesc.osu.edu/events</a> I hope to see you at one or more of these exciting events!
</p>
<p>Best wishes,</p>
<p>Melinda</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#3F4443;mso-ligatures:none"><img border="0" width="280" height="40" style="width:2.9166in;height:.4166in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DC906A.9EB5F410" alt="The Ohio State University"><br>
<br>
</span><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Buckeye Sans 2";color:#BA0C2F;background:white;mso-ligatures:none">Melinda McClimans, PhD</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Buckeye Sans 2";color:#3F4443;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
Assistant Director<br>
<br>
</span><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Buckeye Sans 2";color:#BA0C2F;mso-ligatures:none">The Ohio State University</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Buckeye Sans 2";color:#3F4443;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
Office of International Affairs<br>
Middle East Studies Center<br>
145D Enarson Classroom Building<br>
<span style="background:white">2009 Millikin Rd, Columbus, OH 43210</span><br>
<span style="background:white">614-292-6506 Office / 614-974-4331 Mobile</span><br>
</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Buckeye Sans 2";mso-ligatures:none"><a href="mailto:mcclimans.2@osu.edu"><span style="color:#BA0C2F;background:white">mcclimans.2@osu.edu</span></a><span style="color:#3F4443;background:white"> / </span><span style="color:#C00000"><a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/"><span style="color:#C00000">mesc.osu.edu</span></a></span><span style="color:#3F4443">
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#3F4443;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Buckeye Sans 2";color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none">Affiliated Researcher, Sustainability Institute</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Buckeye Sans 2";color:#3F4443;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
<br>
<span style="background:white">Pronouns: she/her</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p><o:p> </o:p></p>
<h3><o:p> </o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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