Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY Spring 2011
Volume 2, Issue 2
"Jew, Zionist, Israeli: Tuning and Honing the Definitions" A.B. Yehoshua “Jew, Zionist,
Israeli: Tuning and Honing the Definitions”
World renowned Israeli author A.B. Yehoshua delivered a thought provoking lecture on March 29th dealing with
the complex and multiple layers of Jewish, Zionist and Israeli identity. The issue of ethnic, religious and political identity is a fundamental debate driving societal issues around the globe. Prof. Yeshoshua used this underpinning to make the argument that there are core differences between the above three identities that have to be taken into account by Jew, non-Jew, Israelis, or Jews who live in the Diaspora. Midshipmen and the Annapolis community at large were provided with a feast of ideas and viewpoints that are applicable to other communities around the world. The lecture hall was full and Prof. Yehoshua’s remarks were well-received by the midshipmen and fac-
ulty present. Earlier in the day Prof. Yehoshua and his wife met with Rabbi Seth Phillips of the Jewish chapel along with members of the Jewish Midshipmen Club. They were treated to a tour of the Uriah P. Levy Center and discussed Jewish culture at the Academy. This visit provided for a unique and fruitful exchange with a world-renowned Israeli author and literary critic. Prof. Yehoshua was gracious enough to extend an invitation for a future visit to Haifa.
Lectures delivered include: • • •
Mark Reese. Afghan Cultures and Customs Thomas Barfield. Afghanistan Nancy Lubin. Central Asia
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LEONARD GREENSPOON “FROM THE BIBLE TO BATTLE”
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ADM OLSON- SOCOM “SOCOM PERSPECTIVES ON LANGUAGE”
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A.B. YEHOSHUA “JEW, ZIONIST, AND ISRAELI: TUNING AND HONIING THE DEFINITIONS”
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H.E. HUSAIN HAQQANI “THE ROLE OF PAKISTAN AND US IN TACKLING CONFLICTS IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN”
Inside this issue: A.B YEHOSHUA
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CRITICAL CULTURES
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CDR ABOUL-ENEIN
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LEONARD GREENSPOON
Critical Cultures Seminar: Central and South Asia In an effort to expand midshipmen knowledge of areas enhancing their normal curriculum, the Center has developed a short seminar series delivered during midday break. The first of these seminars, held this semester, focused on Central and South Asia.
Kylan Jones-Huffman Memorial Lectures
Traditionally Central and South Asia have been divided into separate regions due mainly to modern, artificial boundaries created during British and Russian colonial periods.
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JOHN CALVERT
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JOHN BROWN
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INTERNET IN MIDDLE EAST
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DAVID FARIS
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EVENTS IN EGYPT
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UAE MIDSHIPMEN TRIP
5
SUFISM SEMINAR
6-7
ADM ERIC OLSON
6-7
CLASS OF 1955
8
H.E. AMB HAQQANI
8
SAUDI SUPERINTENDENT
8
SUMMER TRAVEL
9
AFFILIATED FACULTY
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Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies Guest Lecture: "Militant Islamist Ideology, Islamist Political Theory and Islam."
Militant Islamist Ideology, Islamist Political Theory and Islam by CDR Aboul-Enein.
On March 7th, CDR Youssef H. Aboul-Enein visited the Academy to discuss Militant ideology, Islamist political theory, and Islam. Both during his visit to Prof. Ermin Sinanovic's class on “Islam and Politics” and during the lunchtime lecture, CDR Aboul-Enein explained to midshipmen how often the polemics surrounding the nature of Islam as a "faith of war or a faith of
total peace" represent a false dichotomy oversimplifying a more complex subject. CDR Aboul-Enein took an historical view of Islam in his analysis as a tool to offset violent extremist ideology that tends to gloss over inconvenient sections of Islamic history. He stressed that we all come from a common Abrahamic heritage that often promotes similarities and
not differences. CDR AboulEnein argued that violent extremists frequently boil down classical Islamic sources to a small number of verses supporting their own positions in their ideological battle with other groups. CDR Aboul-Enein’s recent book was published in 2010 by the Naval Institute Press.
KJH Lecture: Dr. Leonard Greenspoon “From Bible to Battle” As part of the Center’s spring semester Kylan JonesHuffman Memorial Lecture series Prof. Leonard Greenspoon, who holds the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University, delivered a lecture on the nature of warfare in the Bible. Prof. Greenspoon's presentation focused on how biblical warfare converges and diverges with modern concepts of "just war theory" with par“ ticular emphasis on questions surrounding civilian casualties and torture. Additionally, Prof. Greenspoon made the poignant observation that during the biblical period a group's sense of “polity” and its collective identity depended upon tangible, physical boundaries such as city walls, temples and other constructs. A ruler's legitimacy
before the people, and even God, then depended on his ability to maintain and defend those structures against that group's enemies. A breach in a wall meant a breach with God and the destruction of a people. The subsequent discussion generated a number of questions from the audience focusing on issues of relevance to the problems plaguing the Middle East today. On Creighton’s faculty since 1995, Prof. Greenspoon is a Professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies and of Theology. He is an expert on the history of Jewish Bible translations and is a translator himself.
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Volume 2, Issue 2 John Calvert: The Life of Sayyid Qutb Dr. John Calvert, Associate Professor of History at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, delivered a lecture to midshipmen on “Sayyid Qutb” and the repercussions of his thought on present day Islamist groups. Most of Prof. Calvert’s presentation focused on Sayyid
Qutb's personal background and his place within Egyptian politics. Prof. Calvert traced the origins of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and how Sayyid Qutb's philosophy contributed immensely not only to that organization but became the basis of Islamist thought throughout the world.
and Politics.” Additionally, Prof. Calvert served as an external reviewer for a midshipman's honor's thesis in History that dealt with the thought of Sayyid Qutb.
During his visit Prof. Calvert also spoke to Prof. Ermin Sinanovic's course on "Islam
John Brown of Georgetown University Prof. John Brown, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, visited the Academy on January 24th.
in the growth of the Hadith literature in the 9th and 10th centuries.
His visit was co-sponsored by the Center and the Department of Political Science.
His lecture was well received by the midshipmen. A number of the midshipmen present remarked that they learned a great deal on the subject.
Prof. Brown gave a lecture in an “Islam and Politics” course where he talked about the development of Sunni Islamic political theory as evidenced
Prof. Brown synthesized the material in an accessible way, making it easier for them to understand the subject matter.
Prof. Brown also gave a faculty seminar, where he addressed the issue of the historical criticism by Muslim scholars.
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Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies Deborah Wheeler: The Middle East and the Internet Deborah Wheeler, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Academy and Center affiliate brought years of field research and academic publications to bear on recent events in the Middle East by commenting on both C-Span and CBS. Her appearances dealt with how the Internet can be used by governments, filtering information, increasing political awareness, and the issue of defending against cyber attacks.
“THE “APRIL 6TH MOVEMENT” AND “WE ARE ALL KHALID SAID” REDEFINED THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AS A MEANS OF PROTEST.”
Taking into account the ethnographic environment in which local populations utilize different media for social and political means, Prof. Wheeler spoke both to media outlets and KJH visiting lecturer ADM Eric T. Olson on her areas of specialization and provided insight into an often ignored aspect of political mobilization. Through the Center’s faculty development grants Prof. Wheeler has been able to
continue conducting her ongoing field research, allowing her to make her observations in the classroom and in publications up-to-date and relevant to the current milieu of seismic changes currently underway in the Middle East and North Africa. Prof. Wheeler was also one of seven global specialists at a meeting of the Economic Intelligence Unit in its development of a Cyber Power Index.
David Faris of Roosevelt University comments on Egypt
On February 17th, Prof. David Faris of Roosevelt University provided an overview of the recent upheavals in Egypt by focusing on the relationship between social media and regime change in the country. Prof. Faris gave a lunchtime lecture in which he provided a timeline spanning from 2003 to the present, showing how media activism utilizing blogs and social networking developed in tandem with increasing regime repression. Prof. Faris explained how, beginning in 2006, an activist group named “Misr Digital” set the precedent for digital activism by posting police abuse videos on their Internet webpage. During subsequent years similar organizations such as the “April 6th Youth Movement” and “We Are All Khaled Said” redefined the use of digital technology as a means of protest. One of the more notable observations made by Prof. Faris was that the recent popular uprisings in Egypt were fueled primarily by youth populations utilizing digital resources to spread information throughout Egypt. By garnering support from the Egyptian Labor Unions, these popular youth movements were able to paralyze the government through work stoppages and the traumatic effects to Egypt’s tourism trade. Prof. Faris is an Assistant Professor of Political Science who focuses on Middle East politics, democracy, and digital activism. He has worked on the Meta-Activism Project. Prof. Faris has spent considerable time studying the political and social impact of social media and information technology in the Arab world and in Egypt in particular. He has just completed a multi-year research project on digital activism in Egypt.
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Volume 2, Issue 2 CMEIS Faculty Hold Evening Event: “What’s Happening in Egypt: A Faculty-Led Discussion.” On February 8th, faculty affiliated with the Center from the departments of History, Language and Culture Studies, and Political Science led a two-hour event providing deeper insight into regime transition, public protest, and the strategic implications of recent unrest in North Africa and the Middle East. Faculty contributors included CDR Jeff Macris, Prof. Ermin Sinanovic, Prof. Clarissa Burt and Ambassador John Limbert the Class of 1955 Chair of Middle East Studies. Each of them provided opening remarks which then transitioned to questions and discussion. The event was hugely successful among midshipmen from all future warfare communities and was well-received in reviews after the event. Until recently, midshipmen have been able to study Arabic in Egypt during study abroad, language immersion and faculty-led cultural immersion trips. Recent political changes in the Middle East have had significant effects on these programs.
United Arab Emirates Cultural Immersion Trip Prof. Deborah Wheeler and Maj (USMC) Aaron Axe traveled with 10 midshipmen to the United Arab Emirates in late December and early January for nearly two weeks. They were hosted by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and met with flag officers in the UAE armed forces, visited the UAE Naval Academy, and were briefed by US Embassy staff including the US Attache to the UAE and the US Ambassador. The Emirates Center organized visits for the midshipmen with leaders in the oil and gas, media, and commerce sectors of the UAE. Meetings were balanced with cultural events. The culmination of the trip was a one-day conference on the strategic relationship between the UAE and the US hosted by the Emirates Center and featuring UAE professors and visiting researchers at the Emirates Center. The midshipmen learned a great deal about regional security in the Gulf, the importance of the UAE-US strategic partnership, and about the rapid and impressive socio-economic development of the UAE. The National Council on US-Arab Relations arranged and helped to facilitate the visit. Dr John Duke Anthony, President and CEO of the NCUSAR, accompanied the delegation from the Academy to the UAE.
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Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies KJH Lecture: SOCOM Perspective on Culture and Language SOCOM commander ADM Eric T. Olson (Class of 1973) visited the Academy on March 22nd for a day-long schedule of meetings with midshipmen and faculty members, and to deliver a lecture as part of the Center’s Kylan JonesHuffman Memorial Lecture series. ADM Olson was generous with his time and advice to midshipmen, especially those who intend to pursue career paths in the Naval Special Warfare community.
The over-arching theme throughout the day was that midshipmen are more prepared than ever before to serve their country. Midshipmen have received more training in preparation for service and are more aware of the environments in which they will be deployed than any other generation of war fighters. Along with midshipmen, ADM Olson engaged the Center’s affiliated faculty to discuss language, regional, and cultural studies initiatives at the
Academy. Contributors included the International Programs Office, regional specialists, language instructors, and representatives from the Academy’s burgeoning cyber security program. ADM Olson’s KJH lecture was a memorable experience attended by more than 500 midshipmen. Navy SEAL’s serving “Bull Frog” outlined for the midshipmen a paradigm where he
Sufism Seminar On February 11th, the Center hosted a one-day Sufism seminar for midshipmen and faculty on Islamic mysticism and its social manifestations. In total the seminar registered 300 attendees with 250 midshipmen and 50 faculty and guests from other government agencies and nearby educational institutions participating. The event featured some of the field’s foremost specialists who provided insight into an often misunderstood aspect of Islam. The speakers included: Carl Ernst. William R. Kenan, Jr., Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations. He is the author of numerous books, including the awarding-winning Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World (2003), Sufi Martyrs of Love: Chisti Sufism in South Asia and Beyond (2002), Teachings of Sufism (1999), The Unveiling of Secrets: Diary of a Sufi Master by Ruzbihan Baqli (1997), and Guide to Sufism (1997).
“SUFISM IS A TERM FROM THE ENLIGHTENMENT USED BY EUROPEANS TO DESCRIBE A SYSTEM OF MYSTICAL ISLAM”
Jamal Elias. Chair of the department of Religious Studies and the Class of 1965 Term Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He is author of The Throne Carrier of God: the Life and Thought of Ala ad-Dawla as-Simani (1995) and Death Before Dying: The Sufi Poems of Sultan Bahu (1998). Prof. Elias is also one of the world’s foremost authorities on Pakistani truck art, and has done extensive research in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. Alan Godlas. Associate Professor of Religion at the University of Georgia, director of the Virtual Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Islamic World, and Co-Director of the Arabic major and Morocco study-abroad program at the University of Georgia. He has conducted years of field research in Uzbekistan, Iran, Egypt, and Turkey, and has traveled extensively in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Prof. Godlas is well-known for his websites on the study of Islam and Sufism. Prof. Godlas is author of numerous publications and is currently at work on a 3000-page translation of Ruzbihan al-Baqli’s encyclopedic esoteric Sufi Quran commentary.
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Volume 2, Issue 2 reversed the conventional wisdom of ‘shoot first’ to ‘understand first’ with violence of effort becoming the lowest priority in operational methodology. ADM Olson argued that this ‘outside the box’ thinking, the crux of ‘understand first’ – regardless of a naval officer’s discipline- demands a knowledge of language, culture and regional knowledge.
midshipmen and faculty were that “irregular warfare” has become the new “regular” warfare. One of ADM Olson’s CAG officers observed that the quality of the questions asked by midshipmen were far more advanced than what would be anticipated from most field grade officers.
Other pieces of wisdom offered by ADM Olson to both
“LANGUAGE Anna Gade. Associate Professor of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her areas of research include religious and social change in modern Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, Cambodia and Malaysia. She is author of The Quran: An Introduction (2010) and Perfection Makes Practice: Learning, Emotion and the Recited Quran in Indonesia (2004). She is currently working on popular Muslim religious expression in Southeast Asia. Devin Deweese. Professor of Central Eurasian Studies, Religious Studies, and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University in Bloomington. He is the author of Islamization and Native Religion: Baba Tukles and Conversion to Islam in Historical and Epic Tradition (2004) and a number of articles devoted to Sufism in Central Asia. He teaches courses on Islam in the Soviet Union and its successor states, religion and power in Islamic Central Asia, and the Islamic hagiography of Central Asia. Art Buehler. Senior Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington is a scholar of trans-regional Sufi networks and the transmission of Islamic revivalist ideas, and is senior editor of the Journal of the History of Sufism. He began his career teaching Arabic in Yemen for the British Council. After five years in the Arab world he entered the History of Religions Program at Harvard University specializing in South Asian Islam under the tutelage of the late Annemarie Schimmel. His subsequent two books, including Sufi Heirs of the Prophet: The Indian Naqshbandiyya and the Rise of the Mediating Sufi Shaykh (1998) and Analytical Indexes for the Collected Letters of Ahmad Sirhindi [in Persian] (2001) are the result of four years of fieldwork in Indo-Pakistan. M i
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The Center is planning future seminars to focus on other themes and issues of significance to the study of the Middle East and cultures historically related to the region.
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AND CULTURE ARE WEAPON SYSTEMS AS VITAL TO THE WARFIGHTER AS ANY TECHNOLOGY.”
Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies Class of 1955 Chair of Middle East Studies Ambassador John Limbert Ambassador John Limbert, current holder of the Class of 1955 Chair of Middle East Studies, continues to bring resources to the Academy and contribute his experiences and expertise to international and national forums. Ambassador Limbert attended a conference at the United Nations featuring a dinner hosted by President Ahmadinejad of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Ambassador Limbert also gave a talk on Iran at the U.S. Central Command Headquarters in Florida. The guest speakers hosted by Ambassador Limbert at the Academy include: Dr. Touraj Daryaee of the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Bernard Hourcade of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US H.E. Husain Haqqani
“THE ROLE OF PAKISTAN AND THE UNITED STATES
For the final Kylan JonesHuffman Memorial lecture for this academic year the Center was honored to host H.E. Husain Haqqani, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United States.
His visit was facilitated through Rear Admiral Joe Rixey, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Director of International Programs.
Ambassador Haqqani has led a long and distinguished career as a regional and international diplomat, scholar, and intellectual.
Ambassador Haqqani examined the vital and positive partnership shared by the U.S. and Pakistan in solving regional issues.
IN TACKLING CONFLICTS IN AFGHANISTAN
The Ambassador was greeted and esAND PAKISTAN” corted by the Pakistani midshipmen who are currently studying in Annapolis.
Ambassador Haqqani published Between Mosque and Military at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 2005.
Saudi Naval Academy Superintendent visits US Naval Academy On April 26th, Rear Admiral Ibrahim al-Maghlouth, Superintendent of the King Fahd Naval Academy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia visiting the U.S. Naval Academy with an official party. This visit was to review opportunities for exchange between the two academies and navies. An official party led by Prof. Brannon Wheeler and CDR Jeff Macris visited the King Fahd Naval Academy in 2010. RADM Maghlouth met with VADM Miller, various representatives from the senior leadership in Annapolis, and both faculty and midshipmen. This provided the Saudis with an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the role of Middle East studies and other regional studies in the Naval Academy curriculum. With the Saudi visit, a number of midshipmen had the opportunity to practice their Arabic and make new international connections for future dialogue. Page 8
Volume 2, Issue 2 Faculty Affiliated with CMEIS ۞Dr.
Hayden Bellenoit, History
South Asia
۞Dr.
Hezi Brosh, Language Studies
Arabic and Hebrew Language
۞Dr.
Thomas Burgess, History
Africa
۞Dr.
Clarissa Burt, Language Studies
Arabic Language and Literature
۞Dr.
Salwa Elgebaly, Language Studies
Arabic Language
۞CAPT
Mark Hagerott, History
South Asia
۞Dr.
Wayne Hsieh, History
Military History
۞Dr.
Gabriel N. Karpouzian, Aerospace Eng
Contemporary Middle East
۞Dr.
Elizabeth Knutson, Language Studies
Franco-Arab Studies
۞Amb. ۞CDR
John Limbert, CMEIS
Iran and Middle East
Jeff Macris, USN, History
Gulf and Middle East
۞Ms.
Jocelyne Owens, Language Studies
Arabic Language
۞Dr.
Helen Purkitt, Political Science
Africa Studies
۞Mr.
Mark Reese, DepDir, CMEIS
Central Asia
۞Dr.
Sanaa Sadek, Language Studies
Arabic Language
۞Dr.
Thomas Sanders, History
Russia and Central Asia
۞Dr.
Ermin Sinanovic, Political Science
Southeast Asia and Islam
۞Dr.
Joseph Thomas, Leadership
Military Ethics
۞Dr.
Ernest Tucker, History
Islamic Civilization and History
۞Mr.
Steve Ward, Leadership
Contemporary Middle East
۞Dr.
Brannon Wheeler, Director, CMEIS
Islam and History of Religions
۞Dr.
Deborah Wheeler, Political Science
Contemporary Middle East
CMEIS Affiliated Faculty Summer travel Summer 2011 will see a number of faculty engaged in ongoing research that has been funded through the Center. Ermin Sinanovic plans to travel to Malaysia and Indonesia to research the changing dynamics of both country’s political systems.
Profs. Brannon and Deborah Wheeler plan to travel to Kuwait where they are to teach courses at the American University of Kuwait. Prof. Helen Purkitt is conducting interviews in Africa for her ongoing research in the region. Prof. Hezi Brosh is proceeding to the next stage of his research on linguistic changes in Palestinian Arabic in Israel.
Ambassador Limbert plans to travel to Europe, the United Arab Emirates and Armenia to deliver papers on his research. Mr. Mark Reese is scheduled to lead a group of midshipmen on a cultural immersion trip to Tajikistan.
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Prof. Ernie Tucker and Prof. Tom Sanders are preparing papers for presentation at a conference on world history in China. Their papers will focus on the experience of teaching world history courses at the Academy.
Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY 106 Maryland Avenue Annapolis, MD 21402 Phone 410-293-2993 Fax 410-293-2994 Email: cmeis@usna.edu
In its fifth year the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies continues to enhance the educa‐ tional opportunities of midshipmen through supporting international and regional study, cur‐ ricular innovation, fleet activities, and as a center for resources on all aspects of the Middle East and the cultures historically related to the region. Since its inception, the Center has hosted close to 100 lectures reaching an estimated 14,000 midshipmen. Faculty affiliated with the Center has grown to more than 20, from five academic departments, who have developed more than 30 new courses and traveled to dozens of countries in the region and around the world in support of their teaching.
Upcoming Special Events Affiliated faculty are engaged in a number of summer research projects from Africa and Armenia to Tajikistan and Turkey. We can promise a rich array of interesting and engaging trip reports in fall semester 2011. Fall semester will offer Midshipmen, faculty and the broader USNA community a range of activities ranging from writer Sebastian Junger who will deliver a KJH Lecture to proposed seminars on Islamic Law and speakers on art, popular culture, and current events in the Middle East.
Critical Cultures Seminar, continued from first page CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST AND ISLAMIC STUDIES Director Brannon Wheeler 410-293-6307 bwheeler@usna.edu Deputy Director Mark Reese 410-293-2990 reese@usna.edu Administrative Manager Kecia Blackwell 410-293-2993 blackwel@usna.edu
www.usna.edu/MiddleEast
Local populations, however, share common cultural, religious and linguistics affiliations that transcend western concepts of borders. Mark Reese, the Center’s Deputy Director developed with midshipmen an Afghan Studies Group that attempted to outline the “Turco-Perso-Indo” world that encompasses a land mass ranging from southern Kazakhstan to northern India, and from western China to present day Turkey. In fact it was Admiral Mahan and Halford Mackinder that popularized the concept that Central Asia represents the “Spoke in the Wheel” of the continent of Asia with Europe, Africa, and India being pe-
ripheral entities to the “heart of Asia.” The strategic implications of this analytical model are currently dominating headlines with overseas operations underway in Afghanistan, diplomatic wrangling with Pakistan, and the newly developed Northern Distribution Network that supplies our troops through the former Soviet republics. Mr. Reese focused on cultural themes that transcend borders in the region such as the structure of clan systems, the differences between the Pashtunwali and the Shariah, ethnic identity and historical timelines relevant to a future Naval officer’s deployment to Af-
ghanistan. Once macro ideas were established, the seminars focused upon tactical considerations that will be most valuable to Midshipmen– most notably the Afghan Tazkera system used to identify local nationals. By far the highlight of the seminars were guest speakers Dr. Nancy Lubin on Central Asia, and Dr. Thomas Barfield who is currently advising military units deployed in Afghanistan. Dr. Lubin holds the distinction as being the first westerner permitted to work in Central Asia during the Soviet period.