POLAND – In response to requests from Maine libraries for a series focusing on the Middle East, the Maine Humanities Council and Mahmud Faksh, a Middle East expert and professor at the University of Southern Maine, have developed a special “Let’s Talk About It” series titled “Behind the Headlines: An Introduction to the Middle East.”

Faksh will facilitate the discussions at Ricker Memorial Library. The three-part discussion series, co-presented by the Mechanic Falls Library, will be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 2, 9 and 16. The series is free and open to the public; however, preregistration is required, with a limit of 25.

“Behind the Headlines: An Introduction to the Middle East” uses the recently published anthology, “The Contemporary Middle East,” as a central text.

A collection of articles written by leading scholars, observers and policy analysts on an array of topical Middle Eastern issues and crises, the book focuses on key countries and issues such as Israel and Palestine, Iran and Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the forces of nationalism and Islamism, and U.S. involvement and foreign policy in the region – all to help demystify the complexities and intricacies of the enigmatic politics of the Middle East.

To provide background and context, each of the three sessions will begin with a 45-minute presentation by the facilitator and will continue with facilitated discussions running for an hour following a break for refreshments.

Faksh is a professor of political science at the University of Southern Maine. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Previously, he taught at the University of Connecticut, King Saud University and Duke University. He has published extensively on Middle Eastern and Islamic affairs. His articles appeared in Orbis, International Journal, Middle Eastern Studies, Middle East Policy and Third World Quarterly, among others.

He is the author of “The Future of Islam in the Middle East: Fundamentalism in Egypt, Algeria and Saudi Arabia.” Faksh is a graduate of the American University of Beirut (BA, 1965) and the University of Connecticut (PhD, 1973).

A copy of “The Contemporary Middle East” is available for loan at either Ricker Memorial Library or Mechanic Falls Library. Call Ricker Library at 998-4390 or Mechanic Falls Library at 345-9450 to register and pick up a copy of the book.

Ricker Library is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Mechanic Falls Library is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

More information about the subject can be found at www.mainehumanities.com-/programs/talk-special.html