A Coastal Carolina University professor who is expert on politics in the Middle East will discuss "The Mind Behind Islamic Extremism" as part of CCU's Great Decisions in Foreign Policy series on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 10 a.m. at the Myrtle Beach Education Center. A coffee social will precede the presentation at 9:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the community.

Suheir Daoud, associate professor of politics, will examine the reasons that Islamic extremism is the primary national security and human rights concern of the world today, even though the majority of Muslims are not extremists. Her presentation will help guide participants in understanding this ideology and the historical background that caused the rise of Islamic extremism.

Daoud is the author of "Through Ghazalah's Windows," a memoir about growing up as a Palestinian woman in Israel. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science and international relations from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a master's degree in international development and social change from Clark University in Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in political science from Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

From 1996 to 2003, Daoud worked as a political adviser and assistant for a Palestinian Knesset (Parliament) member. She moved to the U.S. in 2004, when she served as a visiting scholar at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University. She was a Mellon postdoctorate fellow at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., and a visiting assistant professor at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont.

The lecture is the second of a month long series sponsored by CCU's Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and the University's Department of Politics. The Dyer Institute engages students in active learning opportunities where they may gain knowledge in various areas of policy research. The OLLI program offers a wide range of opportunities for older adults and noncredit students to achieve intellectual, cultural and social growth.

Other lecture topics this month include global migration and the role of the United Nations.

The Myrtle Beach Education Center is located at 900 79th Ave. N. For more information about the event, contact Jacqueline Kurlowski, coordinator of the Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy, at jamkurlow@coastal.edu or call 843-349-6952.