An Iranian graduate student at California State University, Los Angeles, will speak at the NIU Marxist-Humanist Forum tonight at 8:30 in DuSable 202B.

Cyrus Noveen, a Marxist-Humanist and an authority on Middle East affairs, will discuss the Iraqi crisis in his presentation titled, “On the brink of war, who will stop Saddam Hussein, and who will stop Bush?”

Forum member Tom Rainey said the purpose of the meeting is to discuss how to “create a society where oil isn’t more important than human life.”

Rainey said he is looking for a full and open discussion after Noveen’s talk.

Noveen was the winner of the Associated Press Documentary of the Year award for his program “International Journal” at KPSK Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles. Noveen worked as a news editor at KPSK.

He is the Middle East affairs writer for the international newspaper of Marxist-Humanism, News and Letters. Noveen also has written several papers on Iran and Iraq.

The NIU Marxist-Humanist Forum is a News and Letters Youth Committee.

“No state power can solve the problems,” Rainey said. Instead he said the solution will be the Arab people rebelling against Hussein.

“We’re calling on American youth to oppose the war and support the freedom of youth, women and workers in Iraq,” said forum member Jim Fabris.

Fabris said he hopes people’s reactions to the Middle East crisis will be discussed.