Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January/February 1998, Pages 132-134

Education

New Books for Young People

By Betsy Barlow

Educators only a few years ago used to wring their hands over the meager and biased resources available at the K-12 level for teaching about Islam, the Middle East and North Africa. However, in recent years some excellent new resources have been produced. This year is no exception.

AMIDEAST is presenting a new video designed for youngsters in the 5th to 8th grades based on the lives of five real young people from Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Kuwait. The Jordanian youngster speaks about his Islamic heritage.

The new video, which will take its place beside AMIDEAST's "Introduction to the Arab World," designed for 9th to 12th graders, will be available in early 1998, with a guidebook for teachers to be published soon thereafter.

AMIDEAST already has some new books for this younger age group, when the student usually meets the people of the Middle East for the first time in courses on the Eastern Hemisphere. In the 1997-98 AMIDEAST catalogue, a new series has been introduced for students in grades 2-6 on "Heroes from the East," including books on Akbar, Avicenna, Cheng Ho, Rumi, Saladin, Sinan, Suleiman the Magnificent, and Ibn Battuta.

A new book, Ibn Tulun: The Story of a Mosque, has been added to the series on Islamic architecture. For further information or to order, contact AMIDEAST at 1730 M St. NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036; phone (202) 776-9600.

Oriental Carpets Web Site

The Textile Museum in Washington, DC and the Math Forum (a National Science Foundation-funded project at Swarthmore College) have created an educational Web site, "Symmetry and Pattern: The Art of Oriental Carpets," based on the museum's past exhibit of the same name.

Included on the site is a rug gallery of 28 carpets with commentary; an illustrated introduction to the mathematical aspects of the exhibit; social historical and technical information about Islamic art, and student activities and suggestions for further reading. The site, authored by Textile Museum staff member Carol Bier, can be found at http://forum.swarthmore.edu/geometr/rugs/

Arab-American Poetry on Tape

"Six Arab-American Poets in Conversation with Barbara Nimri Aziz," a radio series of half-hour interviews, is available on cassette. The poets include D.H. Melham, Khaled Mattawa, Haas Mrouse, David Williams, Lamea Abbas Amara, and Mohja Khaf. All were interviewed between 1992 and 1996 on the popular weekly show "Tahrir," aired in New York on WBAI 99.5 FM. To order contact Barbara Aziz, phone (212) 561-0424, or e-mail: aziz@escape.com

Arabian Peninsula Curriculum

The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, has prepared another curriculum unit, this year on the Arabian peninsula. The unit includes 20 slides and printed material, and is available for $20. Contact Michelle Delattre, Office for Resources in International and Area Studies, 120A Stephens Hall, No. 2306, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720; phone: (510) 643-0868; e-mail: orias@uclink.berkeley.edu This is the 12th curriculum unit which the Center has prepared on geographic areas and topics in the Middle East and North Africa.

Children's Book List

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has issued an updated annotated bibliography of children's storybooks on the Arab world. ADC does not sell any of the books. Parents are referred to local libraries or bookstores, or may use the addresses in the appendix to order books. To obtain the 7-page list, contact ADC at 4201 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 300, Washington DC, 20008; phone: (202) 244-2990.

Habiby : A Novel for Teen-Agers

It is often hard to find books that will interest high school students and still give them a realistic picture of life in the Middle East. Naomi Shihab Nye has just written a novel, Habiby, published in Simon & Schuster's Books for Young Readers, which will be read with great interest by 13- to 17-year-old students.

In the book the heroine, Liyana (like Naomi Nye herself), returns to Jerusalem with her family and experiences the stresses of adjustment. Liyana sees her grandmother's home invaded and trashed by Israeli soldiers, her friend in a Palestinian refugee camp shot, and her doctor-father arrested for attempting to treat the wounded.

Liyana also meets a Jewish Israeli student close to her age. Through him and through their relationship we learn something of Israeli perspectives and the difficulties confronting people in both camps who try to bridge the culture gap. This is an excellent book for young people, especially girls of high school age.

A Turkish Novel

Another novel, recently published by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas, is a vehicle for helping American college students and the general public understand an important moment in Turkish history. Curfew, a translation of Uc BesŸ KisŸi by Adalet Agaoglu, takes place on a June evening in 1980 in Turkey. Seven people—lovers, friends, and relatives—are gathered in different parts of Turkey. The characters play out their shared history, their disagreements and their hopes related to the military coup, martial law and the curfew imposed that night. The translator is John Goulden, a former British ambassador to Turkey. If you can't find the book in your bookstore, call the University of Texas Press, phone: (800) 252-3206.

Workshops for Teachers

Two workshops for teachers were offered in early December. The King Fahd Middle East Studies Program at The University of Arkansas presented a program on Dec. 1 entitled "The Middle East: A Mosaic of People." On Dec. 4, the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University presented a workshop for secondary school teachers on the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, utilizing a contrasting narratives approach.

Upcoming AWAIR Programs

A number of programs are planned for the future. Audrey Shabbas of AWAIR, in connection with the Middle East Affairs Council, is offering a series of workshops around the country in February and March. February programs include: Feb. 16, Anchorage Public Schools in Alaska; Feb. 17, San Diego City Schools; Feb. 21, Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies in Oklahoma City; Feb. 26-28, California Council for the Social Studies.

March programs include: March 7, El Paso Community College; March 11-12, Stafford Public Schools in Stafford, Virginia; March 14, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

AWAIR will also present a July 13-20 workshop at Ghost Ranch Conference Center in Abiquiu, New Mexico on "Understanding Islam." Exploring sacred texts and traditional art, the seminar leaders and invited resource people will help participants to understand this important world faith.

To enroll in the Saturday workshops, contact the local sponsors. To bring the seminar to your area, or for information about the summer program, contact, Audrey Shabbas at AWAIR, phone (510) 704 0517. To register for the summer program, contact Ghost Ranch at (505) 685-4333.

Islamic Studies Workshops

Dar al Islam offers two two-week summer institutes for secondary school teachers July 12-25 and Aug. 2-15, 1998 at Abiquiu, New Mexico. The director for both sessions is Karima Diane Alavi, who has 20 years teaching experience, the last 7 at Sidwell Friends School in Washington.

The program will cover the faith, civilization and world view of Islam through the study of basic texts and beliefs. The faculty are academic and traditional scholars. Contact the director for application procedure at Dar al Islam Teachers' Institute, PO Box 180, Abiquiu, NM 87510; phone (505) 685-4515, ext. 24. Applications are due March 1, 1998.

Another summer opportunity for teachers is a five-week study tour of Turkey, funded by the Fulbright program and administered and planned by Tyler Junior College in Texas. The tour is planned for June 1-July 5, 1998. Community college faculty and public school teachers in social sciences and humanities are eligible to apply.

Participants will work on curriculum development for the classes they teach in geography, history, culture, economy, politics, arts and crafts, music, literature, educational systems, Islam and secularism, and Turkish foreign policy. For information or to apply, contact Dr. Manoucher Khosrowshahi, Tyler Junior College, PO Box 9020, Tyler, TX 75711; phone (903) 510-2279; e-mail: mkho@tjc.tyler.cc.tx.us

Fall Jerusalem Study Tour

A program of study for college students is available in Jerusalem in the fall of 1998. It is sponsored by Albion College (MI), Antioch University (OH), Hope College (MI), and Earlham College (IN). The program focuses on Israeli and Palestinian cultures and the process of peace building in the region.

In 1998-99 the program will be led by David Gerth, director of academic support services at Earlham, and Lisa Williams, staff attorney in the Richmond, IN office of Legal Services and the former director of Richmond's Human Rights Commission.

During the spring semester there is a required orientation program at Earlham. Application deadlines for Earlham are Dec. 12, 1997, and Jan. 30, 1998 for the other institutions.

Students at the participating colleges should obtain application materials from their campus study abroad offices. All other students should contact Patty Lamson, International Programs Office, Drawer 202, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374-4095; phone (765) 983-1424. Students from sponsoring colleges pay the equivalent of one semester of on-campus tuition, room and board. The charges for students from non-sponsoring institutions will be the equivalent of one semester at Earlham, the agent college.

Fall Yemen Study Tour

AMIDEAST and Portland State University (OR) are joining forces to offer a study opportunity in Yemen for 10 weeks each fall term starting in 1998. It is open to qualified students above the freshman level at American colleges and universities.

Each participant will enroll in six quarter (or four semester) credits of Arabic language, offered at the Yemen Language Center in Sana'a. Placement in the appropriate level of Arabic instruction is based on an exam administered upon arrival.

Prior study of Arabic is recommended but not required. In addition to Arabic, students will enroll in two upper division courses, one in history and one in political science, each carrying five quarter, or three semester credits.

The history course, "Yemen From Arabia Felix to the Republic," examines Yemen's 5,000-year history with emphasis on archeology, architectural heritage, physical environment, and Islam.

The political science course, "Contemporary Yemen at the Crossroads of Change," addresses current socio-cultural, political and development issues. The program is open to students in good standing in all disciplines. Applications are due July 12, 1998, and may be obtained from Portland State University, Attn: Ron Witczak PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207; phone (503) 725-8246.

Conferences

Marking the l0th anniversary of the start of the intifada, the students of the graduate program in International Studies and their instructors at Bir Zeit University, Professors Ibrahim Abu-Lughod, Hisham Ahmad, Ali Jarbawi and Roger Heacock, were scheduled to host an open seminar on "The Palestinian Intifada and the International Implications" on Dec. 9, 1997 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Birzeit University, Birzeit, West Bank.

SERMEISS (Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Seminar) will hold its spring meeting on March 6-8 at Mary Washington College in Fredricksburg, VA. For more information or to register, contact John Parcels at PO Box 8023, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460; e-mail: parcels@gsvms2.cc.gassou.edu.

"Iran and the Region: Past, Present and Future Relations with Its Neighbors" is the topic for the 16th annual conference of the Center for Iranian Research and Analysis (CIRA), to be held at the Middle East Studies Center, Portland State University on April 24-25, 1998. The deadline for submission of abstracts (300-400 words) for proposed papers is Jan. 12, 1998.

The program committee welcomes proposals for pre-organized panels and workshops, as well as for individual papers. In addition to proposals dealing directly with the main theme of the conference, the committee welcomes abstracts and panel proposals on all social, political, historical, economic, literary and artistic issues related to Iran, the Middle East, and Central Asia. The contact person is Dr. Nader Entessar, Department of Political Science, Spring Hill College, 4000 Dauphin St., Mobil, AL 36608; phone (334) 380-3051.

The University of Chicago's Center for Middle Eastern Studies has issued a call for papers for its 13th annual Middle East History and Theory Conference, to be held May 8-9, 1998. Students and faculty in the social sciences and humanities are invited to present papers treating Middle Eastern/Islamic history, culture, society, and politics from the 7th century to the present.

Graduate students are particularly urged to participate. Both individual papers and pre-arranged panels can be accommodated. A one-page abstract and curriculum vitae must be received by Monday, Feb. 23, 1998. Working papers must be submitted by Monday, April 6, 1998.

Send abstracts and papers to Michael Provence, MEHTW Coordinator, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, The University of Chicago, 5828 South University Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637; e-mail: prov@cicero.uchicago.edu.

The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) will hold its 49th annual meeting, celebrating ARCE's 50th anniversary, in Los Angeles April 24-26, 1998. The host, the University of California at Los Angeles, asks prospective participants to send abstracts by Jan. 9, 1998. Pre-organized sessions and individual papers are welcome.

Papers should be related to the history of ARCE in relation to the history of Egyptology, or to the general theme "Egypt and the Other," where the "other" can be broadly understood to encompass archeological, geographic, religious, or cultural historical evidence.

Abstracts of papers on ancient Egyptian topics should be sent to Dr. Daniel Polz, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, 396 Kinsey Hall, UCLA, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024-1511.

Abstracts of papers on Islamic or modern Egyptian topics should be sent to Irene Bierman, UCLA Gustave von Gruneman Center, 10286 Bunch Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095. For more information, call Elaine Schapker at the ARCE office in New York at (212) 529-6661.

LAWE, the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, will sponsor a conference June 18-20, 1998 in Ramallah on "Fifty Years of Human Rights Violations: Palestine Dispossessed." The conference will be divided into two parts, "Palestine Dispossessed" and "Palestine Today."

The first will look at the continuing pattern of Israeli human rights violations in all areas of social, political and economic life since 1948. The second will examine strategies to address these violations, especially in connection with the approaching 50th anniversary on Dec. 10, 1998 of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights..

LAW will publish a book of the conference proceedings in both Arabic and English and will hold follow-up meetings in the region to discuss the recommendations with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The conference will also involve a public meeting in a refugee camp and optional tours of Jerusalem and the Old City, the West Bank, Gaza Strip, settlements and destroyed villages inside Israel.

Contact LAWE for more information and for registration procedure: LAW, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem, via Israel; phone 972-2- 581-2364, fax 972-2-581-1072; e-mail: lawe@netvision.net.