AAUG Schedules Annual Convention Oct. 22-24 in White Plains, NY

By Betsy Barlow

The Association of Arab American University Graduates (AAUG) will hold its 32nd annual convention Oct. 22-24 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains, New York. The theme will be “The Arab World: Towards Rebirth and Renewal in the 21st Century.”

The program will start at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22 with a Round Table discussion on “Education, Culture and Democracy: Developing Minds to Meet Future Challenges,” with professors, students and writers on the panel. A second Round Table will take place from 5 to 6:30 on “the New Generation: Thinking About a Vision and Strategy for Arab World Rebirth and Renewal,” followed by a welcoming reception at the Moustache Restaurant in Manhattan.

Saturday’s first panel at 8:30 a.m. on “Arab Politics and Policies: International Pressures, Changing Leadership and Opposition Movements” will feature Professor Nubar Hovsepian, New York University, speaking on Palestine; journalist Lamis Andoni on Jordan; Dr. As’ad Abu-Khalil, California State University, on Syria and Lebanon; Dr. Abbas Alnasrawi, University of Vermont, on Iraq and the Gulf; and Dr. Mamoun Fandy, Georgetown University, on Egypt.

The second panel, starting at ll:00 a.m., will focus on “Arab Women’s Role and Right in Defining the Arab Future.” Speakers are Dr. Soheir Morsy, consultant, on Egyptian women, Dr. Rabab Abdul-Hadi, Yale University, on Palestinian women, Dr. Lamia Kilani-Werr on Iraqi women, and Dr. Nawal Ammar, Kent State University, on Arab-American women.

The topic of the luncheon program on Friday at 12:45 is “The European Union and the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict.” Dr. Miguel Meratinos, European Union special envoy to the Middle East peace process, is the speaker.

“Human Rights Violations and the Political Agenda” is the topic of Panel 3, scheduled for 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. Speakers are Attorney Shawqi Issa, executive director of LAW and a human rights fellow at Harvard Law School; Rania Masri, Iraq Action Coalition; Dr. Ashraf El-Bayoumi, Alexandria Association for Human Rights; Dr. As’ad Abu Khalil, California State University; and Joe Stork of Middle East Watch.

“Orality, Memory, and the Invention of Traditions in the Maghrib” is the theme for Panel 4, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Speakers are Dr. Abderrahman Ayoub, University of Tunis; Dr. Marnia Lazreg, Hunter College, NY; Dr. Ted Swedenburg, University of Arkansas; and Driss Maghraoui, Ph.D. candidate, University of California, Santa Cruz.

At the Saturday night banquet, Dr. Samir Amin, president of the Arab Research Center in Cairo, will speak on “The Status of Arab Economies: Continuing Issues of Development,” and Dr. Samih Farsoun of American University will address “U.S. Political and Economic Strategic Goals in the Arab World: Special Emphasis on the Gulf.” After the banquet, guests will enjoy classical Arabic music and entertainment.

Following a 9:30 a.m. Sunday brunch, a l0:30 panel will discuss “Palestine and Jordan, Iraq and the Gulf, Syria and Israel: Evolving Key Relationships in the Middle East.” Speakers (respectively) are Dr. Rashid Khalidi of the University of Chicago, British author Patrick Seale, and Dr. Raad Alkadiri.

The Web site at www.aaug.org should be checked for possible changes. To register for the conference, call AAUG at (202) 237-8312. To reserve a room at the hotel, contact the Crowne Plaza at 66 Hale Avenue, White Plains, NY, 10601; phone (914) 682-0050; fax (914) 682-0405.

Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Seminar (SERMEISS)

Faculty in the U.S. Southeast interested in the Middle East and in Islam are invited to attend the Fall 1999 meeting of SERMEISS Oct. 8 to 10 in the beautiful setting of Valle Crucis, NC. The program on Oct. 8 starts with dinner, a board meeting and a reception. On Saturday, Oct. 9, topics will be “Human Rights and Islam,” “Ibn Khaldun and the Nature of Historical Truth,” reports and analyses from Kerak, Jordan and Sijilmasa, Morocco, and a showing of new films. On Sunday, Oct. 10, the program will include “Muslims in China,” and a discussion of current events.

The cost is $91 for room and board and $10 for registration. For further information on the meeting or to join SERMEISS, contact John Parcels, executive director, SERMEISS, P.O. Box 8023, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460-8023.

Sabeel Conferences

Friends of Sabeel-North America, a support group for Sabeel, an ecumenical Christian center in Jerusalem working for peace with justice, announce two conferences. A program in Toronto entitled “Voices from Jerusalem” starts on Friday, Oct. 22, at 5:30 p.m. and continues into Sunday, Oct. 24. Featured speakers are The Rev. Naim Ateek, director of Sabeel in Jerusalem; Prof. Jim Reilly, Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto; and Ms. Jean Zaru, Sabeel Ecumenical Theology Center, Jersualem. The conference will be held at Emanuel College, 75 Queen’s Place Crescent in Toronto. The registration fee is $50 Canadian. For more information contact: Nenke Jongkind, phone (416) 483-6664; fax (416) 483-8586; e-mail: <CLEMEGL@interlog.com>.

A second conference in Pasadena, California from Nov. 1 to 3 has as its theme “The Future for Holy Land Christians.” Speakers are the Rev. Naim Ateek, director of Sabeel-Jerusalem; Dr. Rosemary Radford Ruether, Garrett-Evangelical Seminary; Father Emil Salayta, Latin Patriarchate priest, Birzeit; Ms. Jean Zaru, Sabeel Ecumenical Theology Center, Jerusalem; Dr. Marc Ellis, Baylor University; and Dr. Frederic Bush, Fuller Seminary. A concert by the Rev. Garth Hewitt, who has written songs about Palestine under occupation, is scheduled for the evening of Nov. 3. The program will take place at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 544 N. Oakland Avenue, Pasadena, CA. Reigstration is $75 with meals, or $50 without meals, or a daily fee of $25. For more information contact: Rev. Darrel Meyers, phone (818) 563-2475 or Vicki Tamoush, phone (818) 353-0306. Information about both conferences can also be obtained from Janet Lahr Lewis, phone (440) 896-8995; e-mail: <jlahrlewis@alltel.net>.

The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations’ Educators’ Forum will offer a series of programs this fall on religious fundamentalism around the world. The programs are designed for high school social studies and foreign-language teachers. For more information, please contact Sharon Houtkamp at (312) 726-3860 ext. 236 or <houtkamp@ ccfr.org>.

MESA Conference

The Middle East Studies Association will hold its annual meeting Nov. 20 through Monday, Nov. 22, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. The conference, which will include a film festival and an art exhibit, 120 panels and special sessions on varying aspects of Middle East studies, is expected to draw at least 1,600 participants. A major Book Exhibit will include the latest research, literature, textbooks, software and videos. President Barbara Stowasser, professor of Arabic at Georgetown University, will deliver the presidential address, entitled “A Time to Reap” on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 6:30. Prizes for the best dissertations and the best book on Middle Eastern studies will be awarded. Four Arab American poets, Lisa Suhair Majaj, Khaled Mattawa, Nathalie Handal, and Mohja Khaf, will read from their works on Sunday night, Nov. 21, as one of the special events. Some of the topics for special sessions are “The French in Egypt, 1798-1801: A Bicentenary Retrospective,” “Post-Revolutionary Iranian Cinema,” “Iraq: Assessing a Decade of Devastation,” and “The United States, Iraq, and the GCC: Challenges Ahead.”

There is a price break for registration for the conference before Oct. 22. Contact Nancy Dishaw at the MESA Secretariat, phone (520) 621-5850; e-mail: mesana@arizona.edu. The special convention rate of $126 a night for hotel rooms at the Marriott Wardman Park is valid until Oct. 18. Contact the hotel directly at (202) 328-2000.

Calliope

Magazine

The April 1999 issue of Calliope, the world history magazine designed for use in middle and high schools, is devoted to “Ibn Battuta: Muslim Scholar and Traveler.” Articles describe his journeys as well as the world of Islam during his lifetime; the rihla, or travel tale, as a genre of literature; and trade as a link to the world. This issue is well-illustrated, and has a map and timeline, as well as some appropriate activities.

Back issues, relevant to those with Middle Eastern and Islamic interests, are also available for sale. “Islam” was published in January/February of 1997, “The World of the Ottoman Ruler: Suleyman the Magnificent” was produced in January/February of 1996, and “Islamic Spain” appeared in November/December 1995. “The First Crusade” was the subject of the January/February 1995 magazine, and “Africa’s Carthage” the focus of the September/October 1992 issue. “Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul” was the topic of the November/December 1990 issue, and “Great Explorers to the East” appeared in September/October 1990. These back issues can be ordered from the publisher, Cobblestone Publishers. But with such excellent issues, nine per year, available, teachers may wish to ask for a one-year subscription for $26.95. Calliope can be reached c/o Cobblestone Publishing Company, 30 Grove Street, Suite C, Peterborough, NH 03458; phone (603) 924-7209.

National Center for History

New units are also available from the National Center for History in the Schools. “The Crusades from Muslim and Christian Perspectives,” written for Grade 6 and up, includes a unit on Richard the Lionhearted and Salah al-Din, as well as military tactics, technology, the warrior ethos, and the overall goals of both sides in the conflict. A variety of women’s accounts, which shed light on their experiences during the Crusades, are also included.

In “Coping With Catastrophe: The Black Death of the 14th Century,” students examine primary sources from both Europe and the Middle East. The spread and impact of the disease, and varying human responses to it, are related to the social and cultural conditions prevailing in the mid-14th century. Both units comprise 70 pages, and each is available for $12 from the Cobblestone Publishing address listed above, or at <www.cobblestonepub.com> on the Web.

Loan Kits for Grades K-4

Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies announces the creation of two copies of a curriculum kit designed for Grades K-4. The kits include clothing and artifacts, music, games, videos and other visuals, maps, books and curriculum material for students and teachers. The kits will be sent on loan to requesting schools for a period of one month. They are completely self-contained as a curriculum unit. The only charge to the school will be to return the kit by insured mail. To reserve a kit for your school, write or e-mail Teaching Resource Center, CMES, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, <shedd@fas.harvard.edu>. Carol Shedd asks that teachers indicate several choices for the month they would like to borrow the kit.

Harvard also tells us that while Unit One of the anthology, “Are You Listening? Voices from the Middle East,” is out of print, Unit Two, ”Different Voices: Different Lives,” is still available at a cost of $15 which includes postage. Contact Carol Shedd at the address above.

Opportunity for Young Scholars

The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, an endowed program established at Harvard in 1986, announces its latest competition for Academy Scholarships for younger scholars who combine excellence in a social science discipline and an in-depth grounding in area studies.

Each year the Academy makes four to six two-year appointments with generous stipends, research and travel funding, office space and administrative support at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. There are no nationality limitations. Applications are due by Oct. 15. For further information about the program or for details of application requirements, contact the Academy Scholars Program, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, 1737 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02138; or call Beth Hastie at (617) 495-2137 or e-mail <bhastie@cfia.harvard.edu>.

Betsy Barlow is the program coordinator for the University of Michigan’s Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies in Ann Arbor.