Upcoming Conferences Cover Islam, Outreach, Conflict Resolution

By Betsy Barlow

"Muslim-Christian Relations: Prospects for the 21st Century" will be examined at an April 5-6 conference sponsored by the Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding at Georgetown University. Topics include "Muslim-Christian Relations in Asia and Africa," "Muslim-Christian Relations in the West," and "Reforming Religion for the 21st Century."

The American Forum for Global Education will hold its annual meeting April 6-9 in New York in conjunction with the United Nations Association of the USA. The program commemorates the 50th anniversary of the United Nations and 25 years of Global Education. Among the themes for discussion are "Discovering Voices and Visions of Other Peoples and Cultures," "Educating for Sustainable Societies," and "Learning to Deal Constructively with Conflict." Speakers will include Madeleine Albright, U.S. representative to the United Nations, and former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, Atlanta Committee for the Olympics 1996. For further information, contact the American Forum for Global Education, 120 Wall Street, Suite 2600, New York, NY 10005; phone (212) 742-8752; e-mail: globed@IGC.ORG

A meeting for outreach directors and universities will be held April 9-11 in Washington, DC, sponsored by the Alliance for Education in Global and International Studies (AEGIS) and Stanford University, with a grant from the Center for International Education of the U.S. Department of Education. The program, "Becoming Better Partners: Building Educational Alliances for International Competence," encompasses sessions on outreach to K-12 educators, college and university, the media, business and the public. For questions or registration information, call (212) 742-8232, ext. 342; or e-mail: globed@IGC.ORG

On April 21-22 the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies will hold its 12th annual conference on "Islam and Minority Communities" at the Connelly Center at Villanova University. For questions or registration information, or to join ACSIS, contact Ms. Susan Hausman, 321 SAC, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085; phone (610) 519-4791.

The U.S. Institute of Peace is sponsoring a Summer Institute on "International Peace, Security, and Conflict Management" for secondary school social studies teachers Aug. 5-11 in Washington, DC. For further information, call Dr. Mary Soley (202) 429-3845; or e-mail: msoley@usip.org

New Materials

In a video entitled "Greetings from Iraq," Iraqi children and their families tell the largely unknown tragedies and difficulties caused by the Gulf war and the international embargo against Iraq. This half-hour video has received a number of awards, including the Juror's Choice Award in 1994 from the Charlotte Film and Video Festival, and a Golden Plaque Award from Intercom '94. It is available from the producer/director, Signe Taylor, 95 Avon Hill Street, Cambridge, MA 02140; phone and fax: (617) 547-4786.

A new video, "Tales from Arab Detroit" has been produced by ACCESS (the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) in Dearborn, Michigan. The video follows the visit of Egyptian storytellers who came to the Detroit area in September 1993 to give a series of recitations from the epic poem "Sirat Beni Hilal," the story of a tribe's migration from the Arabian peninsula to North Africa in medieval times. The 45-minute video, directed by Joan Mandell, follows the impact of the artists on the Detroit community. The VHS 1/2-inch video is available for $30 plus $5 shipping and handling from ACCESS, 2651 Saulino Ct., Dearborn, MI 48120.

Another new resource, also produced by ACCESS, is "Arab World Mosaic: A Curriculum Supplement for Elementary Teachers." This book, written by Lars Rodseth, Sally Howell and Andrew Shryock with suggestions from elementary teachers, follows the K-6 curriculum and fits in well with topics addressed at this level: family, home/neighborhood/community, plants and animals, holidays and celebrations, and folktales and stories.

The book is especially welcome because students' ideas of the "other" (Arab or Muslim or whatever) are formed in the early years. By presenting people and places from the Arab world in an interesting way, students learn the reality, and are less likely to be susceptible to false images. For purchase, contact ACCESS (address above). The price is $20 plus $5 for shipping and handling.

Starting in December 1995, ACCESS will display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC a photo exhibit of Arab-American families from the early 20th century to the present. The exhibit will open around Dec. 7, to coincide with the annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association, taking place this year in Washington, DC, December 6-10. The exhibit was developed in part as an outgrowth of ACCESS's National Endowment for the Humanities grant "Creating a New Arab World," which focused on the evolution of the Arab-American community in the Detroit area.

Betsy Barlow is outreach coordinator of the University of Michigan's Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies.