Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami is scheduled to speak at the University next week, according to Sheri Winston, University director of TV news.
Khatami, who was president of Iran from 1997 to 2005, will speak in the Dome Room of the Rotunda room next Thursday afternoon.
The lecture will be sponsored by the University's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, an interdisciplinary research center and intellectual community at the University of Virginia, according to the Institute's press release.
Event coordinator Marilyn Roselius said Religious Studies Prof. Abdulaziz Sachedina invited Khatami to speak.
Winston said the speech is an invitation-only event, as the Dome Room can accommodate only 140 people.
Roselius said the audience will be composed of faculty, students, administrators and friends of the University.
Faculty members from departments related to Middle Eastern studies will be involved in the process of selecting students to attend the lecture, Roselius said.
Khatami's lecture will address the relationship between religion and democracy, Roselius said, and is intended to "open up a dialogue among civilizations."
While in office, Khatami called for political democratization and the advancement of women, according to the Institute's press release. Khatami also advocated improved relations between Iran and the West and between Iran and Arab nations.
Winston said University police are working with the State Department in order to provide security for Khatami's visit.
Monticello spokesperson Kim Curtis said Khatami expressed interest in visiting Monticello, but no specific arrangements have been made for a visit.
Roselius said Khatami will return to Washington, D.C. after visiting the University to speak at the National Cathedral the same evening.
Khatami's schedule also includes an address to the United Nations Sept. 6 and a speech at Harvard Sept. 10, Roselius said.
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