Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October/November 1998, pages 78-80, 122

Education

Creative Computer-Driven Educational Units

By Betsy Barlow

An increasing number of educational resources are appearing on compact disks or on videos. Two companies that have produced excellent material are Sindibad, based in London with a U.S. outlet, and Astrolabe, based in Herndon, Virginia.

Two of Sindibad’s biggest hits are the “Garden of Numbers” and the “Garden of Letters,” which seek to teach basic math and the Arabic alphabet. Both of these units were very popular with the children who tested them for me.

While they are designed for children about five years old, both younger and older children also found much to enjoy in the units. Singing, games and math jokes appear at the end of each CD.

When the unit was used at my test family, typically one child would be at the computer, another singing the songs, and a third dancing. The program is very rich, and can be used again and again, and would be much appreciated by families attempting to teach Arabic to children. Sindibad also produced “Soudan,” describing ancient history and archeology, which is suitable for junior high and high school students and adults.

To order the “Garden of Letters” in the U.S., contact Ammar Saadar, Noor for Islamic Art, 6868 Jonathan Street, Dearborn, MI, 48126; phone (313) 581-4510. Other Sindibad material is handled by Hani al-Qattan, 8566 Katy Freeway, Suite 125, Houston, Texas 77024; phone: (713) 468-6888; fax: (713) 468-6889.

Readers in Europe should contact the headquarters address: 5 Prince’s Gate, London SW7 1QJ; e-mail: sindibad@lineone.net or Web site: www.sindibad.co.uk or phone: 0171 823 7488; fax: 0171 823 9137.

Astrolabe has a wealth of resources. The “Arabic Playhouse” was loved by the children and parents. It would be perfect for 9 to 14 year olds. The Qur’anic sayings were spoken by a real Qur’anic reader, and the sounds were very clear. Questions and comments were in the voice of a young girl, which makes it easier for young people to relate to the program. The arrangement in stages made it easy for young people to follow.

Astrolabe also produces “Alif Asad,” designed to teach 5- to 10-year-olds how to form letters. The accompanying songs make the program enjoyable. A series of stories, including “Kalila wa Dimna” and four cartoons, are also available from Astrolabe.

The “Muslim Scouts” shows travel around the Muslim world with a sense of humor. The program teaches young people about scouting and Islam. These items should be highly prized resources for teaching children about Islam and also for increasing interest in learning Arabic and understanding Arab culture. Astrolabe can be reached at 585 Grove Street, Suite 300, Herndon, Virginia 20170; phone: (800) 39-ASTRO or (703) 318-1477.

Hats off to both companies! I was very pleased to see this material, and look forward to sharing information about other items in their catalogs. Families with children or teachers may want to request their listings now, and to use these products for birthday or other appropriate times for gifts. After years of apologizing for poor resources, this is exciting.

2nd Edition of Arab World Notebook

Another really up-beat note this month occurred when I opened Audrey Shabbas’s successor to the Arab World Notebook, now called the Arab World Studies Notebook. It is a joint publication of Arab World and Islamic Resources and School Services (AWAIR) and the Middle East Policy Council. Ellen Fairbanks-Bodman has contributed annotated film suggestions for each of the topics mentioned.

The topics covered have been expanded to cover Art and Architecture, al-Andalus, the U.S. and the Arab World, the Gulf War, and a section on Qur’anic readings has been added to the part on Islam. Each topic consists of a core reading, related reading(s), a lesson plan, and film/video suggestions. The topics addressed are those which a teacher needs to understand and which fit easily into typical middle school through high school classes. A section of country profiles is also included, with labeled and blank maps.

Teachers and students alike will find the Arab World Studies Notebook’s organization very user-friendly, and the addition of lesson plans a great help to teachers not very familiar with the Middle East. Common misconceptions are noted, enabling the teacher and student to read their own texts more critically. The tone of the work will make it fun for students to learn, and even experienced teachers will learn something new. This book is something that secondary-level teachers will want to own and to put into their school libraries. Congratulations are due to veteran educator Audrey Shabbas and her colleagues. Audrey gives workshops around the country, where she will demonstrate how to use this excellent resource. The notebook is available from AWAIR, 1400 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 7-53, Berkeley, CA 94709; phone/fax (510) 704-0517; e-mail: awair@ igc.apc.org; Web site: www.dnai.com/~gui/awairproductinfo.html

New Video on West Bank

Marty Rosenbluth, the director of the video “Jerusalem: An Occupation Set in Stone?” is working on a new video which will help to answer some of the questions raised when he traveled the country showing the earlier video. “Stranger in a Strange Land” will examine Marty’s personal experience in living in the West Bank for over seven years as an American Jew working for Palestinian human rights and trade union groups.

In addition to reflecting on what it was like to be Jewish, living and working with Palestinians during the intifada, the video will also explore how Marty changed from a teenager actively supporting Israel and totally uncritical of Israel’s policies to actively questioning Zionism and working for Palestinian human rights. Through re-examining his process of political change, and the personal stories of Palestinians, Israelis and others who were involved in that transformation, this new documentary will address the core issues involved in the conflict.

One segment will contrast how Israelis and Palestinians see even apparently simple things very differently. For example, the “hip” restaurant and caf’ district in Israeli West Jerusalem is built around the walls of the Old Russian Church Compound. To Israelis and tourists it is a place to go for a few beers or to listen to jazz music.

To Palestinians, however, it has a very different meaning. Part of the old church compound has been converted by the Israelis into the major detention and interrogation center for Palestinian political detainees. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Palestinians have been detained and tortured while listening to the sounds of Israelis and tourists partying in nearby bars.

Rosenbluth intends to interview Palestinians who have been detained and tortured in the “Moscobiyya,” as the area is known in Arabic, as well as Israelis and tourists to see if they know what is happening on the other side of the wall.

The video has already received grants from the North Carolina Arts Council, the South Carolina Arts Council, and the Puffin Foundation. The program has also been chosen by IMAGE Media Center for its fiscal sponsorship program, which means that people who want this video to be produced can make tax-deductible contributions to the Image Foundation earmarked for “Stranger in a Strange Land,” and can mail them to Marty Rosenbluth at 1323 Palmer’s Grove Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Those who contribute $75 or more will get a free copy of the finished video.

Resources for Community Education on the Closure and Future of Jerusalem

The North American Coordinating Council on the Question of Palestine (NACC) called for a week of action Sept. 13-19 protesting the closure which is preventing Palestinians from reaching hospitals, schools, work, religious sites, and family members, and having a devastating effect on the Palestinian economy. In describing the current situation, B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, states that “Since the beginning of the occupation of the Occupied Territories in 1967, Israel had not imposed such sweeping and lengthy restriction on the right of movement of all Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories.”

The NACC objective for this week of action was to inform the public and to get media coverage of this policy and its devastating effects. People were invited to write letters to the editor, op-ed pieces, phone news editors, perform street theater, or contact the president, the secretary of state, and congresspersons.

October will be the month of another campaign, organized by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), in cooperation with other NGOs, to protest the continued land confiscation, house demolitions, and the proposed changed status of Jerusalem. The organizers are arranging tours for persons with intimate knowledge of these issues to visit several cities across the U.S. Communities are urged to contact the organizers about the possibility of a speaker or for recommendation of videos or other activities, or at least to report their plans.

For more information, contact Kathy Bergen, AFSC, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102; e-mail: kbergen@ afsc.org or Marvin Wingfield, ADC, 4201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 10008; e-mail: marvinw@adc.org. Resources suggested for the NACC campaign but also suitable for the October protest events are:

•…The United Nations Office of the Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories publishes very interesting and helpful quarterly reports on economic and social conditions in the West Bank and Gaza. UNSCO and the World Bank also produced a fact sheet entitled Closure on the West Bank and Gaza: August-September 1997. You can get these reports from http:// www.arts.mcgill.ca/mepp/mepp.html UNSCO can be reached at P.O. Box 490, Government House, Jerusalem 91004; phone 972 7 822-746; fax 972 7 820-966; e-mail: throne-holst@un.org.

•…B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories has published at least two reports which deal with the issue of the closure. (1) The Closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip: Human Rights Violations against Residents of the Occupied Territories (April 1993), and (2) Divide and Rule: Prohibition on Passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (March 1998). B’Tselem can be reached at 43 Emek Refaim Street, Jerusalem 93141, Israel; phone 972 2 561-7271; fax 972 2 561-0756; e-mail: mail@btselem.org; Web site; http://www.btselem.org.

•…The Palestinian Center for Human Rights published a report entitled The Israeli Policy of Closure: Legal, Political and Humanitarian Evaluation. The PCHR also published regular “Closure Updates” in 1996 and 1997. Their address is: Qadada Building, P.O. Box 1204, Omar Al Mukhtar Street, Gaza City, Gaza. Phone 972 7 824-776; fax 972 7 825-893; e-mail: pchr@ trendline.co.il.

•…Amira Hass, an Israeli journalist for the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, frequently writes about the closure. You can find some of her articles, translated into English, on Ha’aretz’s Web site, which has a search engine (use the world “closure”): http://www.haaretzdaily.com

•…The World Bank has some interesting information on the West Bank and Gaza Strip economy on its Web site: http://www. worldbank.org or http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/offrep/mena/wb&g.htm.

•…For educators, a focus in the campaign against closures might be the difficulty faced by Gazan students registered to attend universities in the West Bank who are refused transit to their universities, and/or arrested if found in the West Bank. Information about the students’ plight is on the Birzeit Web site at http://www.birzeit.edu/aff. A Gaza Students Action Day is planned for Nov. 18, 1998.

Mideast Semester in Tennessee

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville has planned a Middle East Semester for Fall 1998. Roselind Gwynne, Department of Religious Studies, UTK, gave the kick-off lecture on Sept. 9 on “The Middle East: One God, Two Worlds, Three Books.” Ellen Fairbanks-Bodman, film consultant at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, was scheduled to speak on “Is Seeing Believing?: Cinema From and About the Middle East” on Sept. 22.

On Sept. 29 Michael Gunter, from Tennessee Technical University, will speak on “Kurds in the Modern Middle East.” Anne Rassmussen, College of William and Mary, will give a lecture demonstration on “Music of the Middle East” on Oct. 6, and Kenneth Seeskin, Northwestern University, will speak on “Maimonides: Jewish Philosopher” on Nov. 12. Film nights are planned for Oct. 1, 8, 22, 29 and Nov. 5. Ten different units at the university are sponsoring the semester-long program. For further information, contact the Web site for the program: http://web.utk.edu/~globe/mes.html If you don’t know how to access a Web site, ask any 10-year-old in your neighborhood.

Lectures and Conferences

The Detroit Chapter of ADC will hold its annual banquet and Hafleh on Sept. 26 at the Novi Hilton in Novi, just west of Detroit. The speaker will be the Reverend Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP. Live music and dancing will follow the dinner and talk. Tickets cost $45. For further information, contact the Detroit ADC office at (248) 932-9212.

The General Assembly of the PEACE program (Palestine/European/American Cooperation in Education) will hold its fourth session in Paris Oct. 3-4, 1998. The PEACE program is supported by UNESCO and the European Commission and has 81 member universities. It has emerged as an active inter-university network, which by promoting cooperation with Palestinian universities also enables the international academic community to promote real peace in the Middle East. For further information, contact Dumitru Chitoran, PEACE Program Office at UNESCO, 1 Rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, France; phone: 33 1 45 68 41 72; email: d.chitoran@unesco.org.

Georgetown’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies will hold a workshop on the Crusades for K-12 teachers on Nov. 11 and 12. For further information, contact Zeina Seikaly, Outreach Coordinator, phone: (202) 687-6176; e-mail: seikalyz@gunet.georgetown.edu.

Georgetown’s Center for Muslim-Christian Relations will present a conference on “Religious Freedom, Christian-Muslim Relations, and the Future of Jerusalem” on Nov. 5, 1998 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm on the 7th floor of the Intercultural Center at Georgetown.

The first speaker, Canon Naim Ateek, the former canon of Saint George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem and the founder and director of Sabeel Liberation Theology Center, will speak on “Religious Persecution or Political Agenda?” The next speaker is Mr. Gabriel Habib, consultant on international affairs to the general secretary of the National Council of Churches and the former general secretary of the Middle East Christian Council of Churches, who will address “Religious Freedom in the Middle East.”

Donald Wagner, professor of religion and director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, North Park University, Chicago, and national director of Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding, will speak on “Reagan and Begin—Bibi and Jerry: Theo-Political Aspects of the Likud Relationship with American Christians.”

The final speaker, Bishop Kenneth Cragg, formerly assistant bishop of the Anglican Jurisdiction in Jerusalem and a prolific writer, will speak on “Sharing Holiness: The Anomalies in Jerusalem’s Custody.” For further information about the afternoon conference or to register for it, call the Georgetown Center for Muslim-Christian Relations at (202) 687-8375. The program is open to the public, but because seating is limited, reservations are required.

The speakers at the Georgetown conference will also be participating in a conference on “Religious Freedom and the Future of Christianity in the Middle East” at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington starting the evening of Nov. 5 and lasting through Saturday Nov. 7. That conference is sponsored by the Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding, the National Presbyterian Church, the Overseas Ministries Studies Center and Friends of Sabeel-North America. For further information about this conference, contact Don Wagner (773) 244-5786; fax: (773) 583-0858; e-mail: dwagner@northpark.edu.

Another conference on “Truth and Reconciliation: Voices for Peace in the Holy Land” will take place Nov. 8-10 at the Citadel Hotel and Conference Center in Ottawa. The Rev. Naim Ateek and Gabriel Habib will be joined by Marc Ellis, professor at Baylor University, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Garrett Evangelical Seminary in Evanston, John Sigler, professor of political science at Carleton University, and others. This event is sponsored by the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and Friends of Sabeel-North America. For further information or to register, contact The Registrar, Fos-na conference, c/o Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, 71 Bronson Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 6G6.

Chicago University Conference

The organizers of a conference on Palestine and Palestinians, to be held at the University of Chicago on Feb. 18-20, 1999, have issued a call for papers. Graduate students interested in presenting a paper during the first day’s workshops should submit a one- to two-page abstract by Oct. 1, 1998. Issues that conference papers might address include, but are not limited to:

•…The processes by which a state is legitimized and ways in which the Palestinian Authority garners its authority. What roles do rhetoric, political pageantry, censorship, and other devices play? What narratives are being written as part of the process of authorization? What is the role of media in the creation of a national community?

•…How, under conditions of geographical and social dispersal, will a coherent Palestinian citizenry emerge? Who might be the citizens of Palestine and how do they recognize (or reject) and portray (or hide) their “Palestinian-ness”?

•…How can the present conditions of Palestinians and Israelis, and their relationships to the “West,” be illuminated through an understanding of the colonial pasts and presents of Europe, the United States, Zionists, Israelis and Arabs? What are the forms of domination and resistance practiced by all parties?

In addition to the first day’s graduate workshops, two days of talks will be presented by a distinguished group of international researchers. These panels will address state formation, cities, exile, violence and colonialism/post/coloniality. Edward Said, University Professor of Comparative Literature at Columbia, will deliver the key-note address, and noted historians of Palestine Beshara Doumani, Rashid Khalidi, and Zachary Lockman will lead a round-table discussion at the culmination of the conference. The conference is intended to be an open, creative environment which encourages the cross-fertilization of ideas among disciplines, generations, and nations. The goal of the conference is to produce a network of scholars which will serve as a foundation for continued conversation about research on Palestine, and about the politics of conducting that research.

Submissions or questions should be emailed to the conference organizers: Lori A. Allen laa3@midway.uchicago.edu and Nadya Engler nengler@midway.uchicago.edu, or sent to them c/o The University of Chicago, Department of Anthropology, 1126 East 59th Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60637. Sponsors of the conference include the Chicago Humanities Institute, the Council for Advanced Studies in Peace and International Cooperation, and the Norman Wait Harris Lecture Fund.

The University of Utah’s Middle East Outreach Program is sponsoring a program on Oct. 23 and 24 with the Utah Museum of Fine Arts called “Egypt: All Wrapped Up.” Through a cooperation agreement with the Utah State Department of Education, inservice credit will be available for teachers.

The workshop will start with a Friday evening session for teachers and interested adults, and will follow with a day-long session on Saturday, Oct. 24 for middle school and high school students, their teachers and parents. Held in the Utah Museum in Salt Lake City, the program will include several small breakout sessions on “Art From the Crypt,” “Walk Like an Egyptian...Music and Dance,” “Archaeology: Can You Dig It?” and “Art Solutions: Conflict Resolution and Problem Solving.” The workshop is supported by the Utah Humanities Council.

The Utah Outreach Program also publishes the Utah “Outreach Notes” for 650 local teachers once each quarter, and also the Middle East Outreach Council’s Newsletter, which appears three times a year. To enroll in the workshop, or to receive either or both newsletters, contact Linda Adams, e-mail: Linda.Adams@ m.cc.utah.edu or phone: (801) 581-6181; fax (801) 581-6183.

The University of Arizona’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies is sponsoring a four-Saturday K-12 Teachers’ Workshop entitled “Egypt: from the Pyramids to the Present.” The course, which is offered for credit on four consecutive Saturdays, Oct. 24, 31, Nov. 7 and 14, will cover the ancient civilization and focus on current topics such as women’s issues, health care, politics, environmental problems and solutions, art, and of course, food. Materials for teaching will also be included. For further information, or to enroll, contact Karen Galindo galindok@pop.u.arizona.edu, phone: (520) 621-8079; fax: (520) 621-9257.

The Third Annual Workshop on Central Asian Studies will be held in Madison, Wisconsin on Oct. 8-11. For more information, contact the sponsor, the Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia, 210 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706-1397; phone (608) 262-3379; fax (608) 265-3062.

“Landscape Perspectives on Palestine: An International Conference” is planned for Nov. 12-15 in the occupied West Bank. For further information, contact the chair of the Landscape Conference, Faculty of Arts, Birzeit University, PO Box 14, Birzeit, Palestine (via Israel); e-mail: land@arts.birzeit.edu; http://www.birzeit. edu/conferences/landscape/ or fax: 972 2 995 7656.

The 75th Anniversary of the Turkish Republic

A new book by Paul B. Henze, Turkey and Ataturk’s Legacy: Turkey’s Political Evolution, U.S. Relations and Prospects for the 21st Century, has been published in time for the 75th anniversary (on Oct. 29) of the founding of the Turkish Republic. The book begins with an account of how the Turkish Republic came into being, and continues with the evolution of the multi-party system, relations with the U.S., the 1970s military governments, and the Ozal era. The book, which contains a foreword by Zbigniew Brzezinski, is available from the publisher, SOTA, Post Box 9642, 2003 LP, Haarlem, the Netherlands, phone and fax number: 31 23 529 2883.

“The Whirling Dervishes of Turkey” will tour 18 North American cities during September and October. For 700 years the Mevlevi, or Whirling Dervishes, have performed one of the world’s most beautiful spiritual ceremonies in which the dervishes are accompanied by mystical music consisting of flutes, strings, chorus, and percussion. Interest in the Mevlevis, founded by Jalaluddin Rumi (1207-1273), continues to grow. For details of the schedule, contact the sponsors, The Threshold Society, 139 Main Street, Room 701, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301; e-mail: threshld@ sover.net; phone: (802) 254-8300; fax (802) 257-2779.

The Social Science Research Council and the American Council of Learned Societies announce a deadline of Nov. 18, 1998 for receipt of applications for their International Dissertation Field Research Program, which provides support for social scientists and humanists to conduct dissertation field research in all areas and regions of the world.

Appproximately 50 fellowships will be awarded in 1999, with funds provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Successful applicants will receive support for 9-12 months of field research and related expenses within the period July 1999-December 2000. For further information and application materials, contact the International Dissertation Field Research Fellowship Program (IDRF), Social Science Research Council, 810 Seventh Ave., 31st Floor, New York, NY 10019; phone: (212) 377-2700; fax: (212) 377-2727; e-mail: idrf@ssrc.org

The American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS) announces an application deadline of Nov. 15, 1998 for fellowships to conduct research or study Arabic in Yemen. This will be the only application deadline for the 1998-99 academic year. Grants to study Arabic are intended for persons who expect to do research in Yemen.

Eligibility for the grants for U.S. scholars is limited to U.S. citizens who are post-doctoral researchers or full-time graduate students enrolled in a recognized degree program. The fellowship program is described on the AIYS Web site at http:// mec.sas.upenn.edu/aiys. For further information and for application forms contact Dr. Maria Ellis, executive director of AIYS, PO Box 311, Ardmore PA 19003-0311; email: mellis@sas.upenn.edu; phone: (610) 896-5412; fax: (610) 896-9049.

Oxford-Cambridge-Bosphorus University Boat Race

Oxford University won the eighth annual Oxford-Cambridge-Bosphorus University Boat Race on Saturday, Aug. 29 in Istanbul. While Oxford and Cambridge have competed in rowing races for almost 200 years, the competition with Bosphorus University dates from 1986, when it was held at the Golden Horn. Because of pollution, the race was moved to Kucukcekmece Lake, later to the Istanbul Bosphorus Straits, and then to Buyukcekmece Lake. With the successful cleaning efforts at the Golden Horn, however, the competition returned there this year. After a 500-meter sprint race from the Halic Fener to the Balat dock, the long-distance race between the Unkapani Ataturk Bridge and the Balat dock took place.

In the past races at Istanbul, Oxford University placed first three times, while Cambridge and Bosphorus Universities each won twice.