Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October/November 2000, pages 75-76

Education

 

New Curricular Units on Iraq and Central Asia

 

By Betsy Barlow

Two new curricular units are ready for use in the new academic year. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has produced Fostering Friendships: A Study Guide to Iraq. The work was edited by Jack Briggs, and comes with the video “One Million Postcards,” directed by Joan Mandell and produced by AFSC to accompany this unit of study. While advertised for elementary and middle school, I believe that much in the packet could be used through, or even above, the l0th grade.

The curriculum includes chapters on geography, culture, the history of Iraq, Iraq today, and peace eduction and conflict resolution. In the latter students are introduced to sulha, an Arab approach to problem-solving, and also to the scapegoating of enemies, which then is related to Iraqi issues. The 12-minute video, “One Million Postcards,” focuses not on the horrors of the bombing of Iraq and the devastation caused by the sanctions, but on what people, even young people, can do to build awareness and challenge a policy which leads to horrors.

The unit is available from the American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19102; phone (215) 241-7170; fax (215) 241-7177; e-mail: < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >. To order, send a check for $35 made out to AFSC-Literature Resources.

The Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan has produced Polishing the Mirror: A Curriculum Unit on Central and Inner Eurasia, written by Vika Gardner, a Ph.D. student who has studied and lived in Central Asia, and R.T. Steponaitis, a teacher in Vermont. The unit contains sections on geography, history, and culture (clothing, food, languages, and architecture), several appendices, and comes with 49 slides. A number of photographs are included in the text as well. While designed for high school students, there is much material that could be adapted for middle or even elementary students. The authors also suggest several activities for a culminating project, to which parents might be invited. Discussion questions and classroom activities are provided. The cost of the unit is $75. Checks should be made out to the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, and sent to Suite 4640, 1080 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1106; for more information call (734) 764-0350.

 

Arab-American Anthology

Munir Akash, A Syrian American, and Khaled Mattawa, a Libyan American, have co-edited An Anthology of New Arab-American Writing, published by Jusoor/Syracuse University Press. When interviewed at “The Arabic Hour” TV studio in Boston recently, the authors stated that they “wanted to re-examine the field of contemporary Arab writing in the United States and the manifold ways in which ‘Arabness’ and its system of values, attitudes, and manners define the Arab-American world.” Represented in the book are a variety of genres, including poetry, drama, short fiction, excerpts from novels, diaries and journals, critical essays and memoirs. The voices of men and women of different generations and from different parts of the Arab world reflect their different concerns, and yet seem to have a common bond. This is an excellent resource for classes in literature or American culture.

 

Arabic in the Schools

The University of Pennsylvania’s Middle East Center has initiated with the School District of Philadelphia a program of teaching Arabic which may be emulated by other universities working with school districts unable to accomplish their educational goals without such a partnership. The program trains teachers in grades 4 to 8 in Arabic language and culture, in conjunction with an interactive distance-learning program for students in the teachers’ classrooms. Teacher training sessions focus on Arabic and its cultural significance in Islamic countries for which Arabic is the major language.

As part of the instruction program, “Marhaba: Welcome to the World of Arabic,” will be shown on Philadelphia’s cable Channel 52/8 on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30-10:00 beginning Oct. 4 and ending the first week of June. Although the programs are produced for the School District, they may be viewed by the public as well. The course will teach the basics of the Arabic spoken language and script and will highlight Arab contribution to world culture throughout history, from Islam to Arabic numerals, and astronomy to the introduction of coffee. For further information, contact: < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it > or the center’s Web site: <http://mec.sas.upenn.edu>. Congratulations to the Middle East Center for such a creative approach to language-learning in the schools.

 

Conferences

The Center for the Global South at American University in Washington, DC will host a conference Oct. 11 and 12 to evaluate the recently concluded United Nations Millennium Summit according to four criteria stated in the conference agenda: peacekeeping, humanitarian affairs, development and financing development. Confirmed speakers include Queen Noor of Jordan; Mark Malloch-Brown of the U.N. Development Program: Swedish Ambassador and former U.N. Undersecretary-General for Human Affairs Jan Eliasson; Dr. Atif Kubursi, professor of economics at Canada’s Macalester University; Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi of the Office of the U.N. Secretary-General; Wally N’Dow, co-chair of the State of the World Forum; U.N. Assistant Secretary-General John Ruggie; World Bank vice president Kemal Dervis; Barbara Ferris, president of the International Women’s Democracy Center; and Mona Makram Obeid, professor of political science at the American University of Cairo, and a former member of the Egyptian parliament. For further information, contact Prof. Clovis Maksoud, director of the Center for the Global South, at (202) 885-1612.

The Middle East Institute (MEI) will hold its 54th annual conference, “The Middle East in the Global Arena,” Oct. 20 and 21. MEI president Roscoe S. Suddarth will deliver the keynote address on Friday morning, followed by panels on the “Middle East in the 2000 Elections” and “Political Change and Economic Challenges.” Edward Walker, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, will speak at the Friday night banquet. Saturday panels will address “Media, State and Society in the Information Age,” and “The Middle East and Global Energy Needs.” To register or for more information, contact MEI, 1761 N St. NW, Washington, DC 20036, phone (202) 785-1141, fax (202) 331-8861, e-mail < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >.

The Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Seminar (SERMEISS) will hold its fall meeting Oct. 20 to 22 in the beautiful surroundings of Valle Crucis, North Carolina. The program opens Friday evening Oct. 20 with a board meeting and reception. Saturday morning speakers are Palmyra Brummet of the University of Tennessee on “Representing the Middle East: Sovereignty, Imperialism and the East-West Divide in Ottoman Cartoons”; Driss Cherkaoui of William and Mary University, on “Antar Ibn Shaddad and Pre-Islamic Arabic Poetry;” and Donald Zeigler of Old Dominion, on “Talking Turkey: Turkish Views of the 21st Century World—The Evidence in Maps.” Following lunch and a business meeting, the program resumes with talks by Allen Davidson of Georgia Southern University on “Coat of Many Colors: Interpretations of Joseph in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Traditions” and by Ellie Wilson of Grandview Middle School on “Syria Today.” Saturday evening will feature a preview of newly released films given by Taffy Bodman, who organizes the Middle East Studies Association’s annual film festival. On Sunday morning Morehouse University’s Lisa Hajjar will discuss “Tensions Between Human Rights Organizations and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza.”

To register, contact John Parcels by Oct. 10 at the Department of Literature and Philosophy, P.O. Box 8023, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30461-8023, phone (912) 681-5909, e-mail < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >.

The University of Utah’s Middle East Center will provide information and handouts on doing business in the Middle East to local businesses at the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce’s annual International Festival to be held Oct. 5.

The Fourth Annual Intercollegiate Arab Students Conference (IASC) will take place Oct. 7 at Harvard University. Panels include “The Arab Woman in the 21st Century,” “Arabs: Their Religions,” “Arabs and the American Political Process,” “Lobbying for Arab Interests on College Campuses,” and “Creating Competitive Knowledge-Based Industries in the Middle East.” Confirmed speakers include Dr. Khurram Afridi, cofounder of Techlogix; Dr. Patrice Brodeur, assistant professor of religious studies at Connecticut College; Dr. Yvonne Haddad, Georgetown University professor of Christian-Muslim relations; veteran Chicago political reporter and activist Ray Hanania; Gassan Al-Kibsi, consultant with McKinsey and Company; Hala Maksoud, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC); David Nasser, national field director for the Arab American Institute; University of California-Berkeley graduation speaker Fadia Rafeedie; and ADC western regional director Michael Shehadeh.

Registration is limited to 300 people and available only via the Web site <http://www.mit.edu/activities/arab/iasc2000>. The $8 registration fee includes a light breakfast and lunch. There will be an option of attending a dinner the Saturday night following the conference at an additional cost of $12. Check the Web site for additional speaker confirmations and the updated schedule.

 

Culinary Education

As legend has it, the food and drink that King Midas touched turned to gold, and he nearly starved to death. But, according to recent conclusions by University of Pennsylvania research scientists, the mourners at his funerary feast apparently ate spicy lamb and lentil stew, washed down with a potent fermented beverage of grape wine, barley beer, and honey mead. On Sept. 23 the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia recreated, based on chemical evidence inside the Phrygian royal tomb, “A Feat Fit for King Midas”—described as “an historical culinary extravaganza.” Prior to the event Pam Horowitz, Museum Catering Company executive chef, explained, “Our goal with the dinner is to offer our guests a real taste of what the funerary feast guests at Gordion enjoyed, and then more. We’ll be providing them with a rich sampling of the regional variety of foods and spices available to King Midas and the people of his kingdom 2,700 years ago....It promises to be an educational and delectable meal, fit for an ancient king or an adventurous 21st century American diner.”

Speaking of culinary delights, we should mention that Sanaa Abourezk, author of Secrets of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine, will be featured at a book signing at the Chestnut Hill (MA) Barnes and Noble store on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. In addition to recipes, the book features cultural traditions, folklore and proverbs.

 

Sabeel Bethlehem Conference

The Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem announces its Fourth International Conference, to be held Feb. 21-24, 2001 in Bethlehem, Palestine. Confirmed speakers include: Edward Said, Hanan Ashrawi, Dr. Walter Wink, Jim Wallis and Rami Khoury. The conference seeks to educate and raise awareness about real time “facts on the ground”; address issues of justice and human dignity, both theologically and politically; expose structures of domination; affirm the faithful witness of the Palestinian Christian community; strengthen global ties of solidarity with the Palestinian people; call for justice, liberty, human rights and equality. Topics will include evaluation of the “peace process,” occupation, apartheid, media coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the return of Palestinian refugees, Jerusalem, environmental issues, dialogue among Palestinian Christians and Muslims, and Biblical and theological issues.

Participants will walk the modern-day Via Dolarosa, view a photo exhibit on Palestinian refugees, attend musical, theatrical and cultural performances, examine books and other resources, participate in advocacy forums, worship celebrations and (an extra option) take a post-conference tour to Gaza or the Galilee or explore Jerusalem’s Old City. Previous participants have said that the Sabeel conferences were among the best they have ever attended. For registration or other information, contact Sabeel by e-mail at < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >, or write P.O. Box 49084, Jerusalem 91491 phone 011-972-2-532-7136, fax 011-972-2-532-7137 or visit the Web site <www.sabeel.org>. Since very attractive air/hotel packages are available (see the Web site), this might be a good time to organize a community group to visit Bethlehem and learn about the current realities of Palestinian life.

Betsy Barlow has retired as program coordinator for the Center for Middle Eastern & North African Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

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