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AliJihad RacyExplores"MusicalEcstasyin the Arab Wo rld" atAnnual Distinguished Lecture r. Ali Jihad Racy, renowned performer, composer, and professor of ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles, was the featured speaker at CCAS's KareemaKhoury Annual DistinguishedLecture in Arab Studieson February26,2009. Dr. Racy exploredthe idea of tarab, or musical ecstasy,in Arab music. Thrab, accordingto Dr. Racy, can be experiencedby musicians as well as listeners,and can even allude to such phenomenaas a young person passionately pursuing a musical careerdespitehis or her parents'displeasure. Dr. Racy played a number of instrumentsand musical recordings to demonstratetraditionalArab music and some of the meansby which tarab is achieved. Dr. Racy noted that the emotionalpower of music is something that has historically concemed philosophers, scientists, and moralists,aswell asmusicians.He spokeofinstancesinArab history in which audienceswould go into a trance-like, transformative statewhile listening to music. "When singerschantedtheir poetry at medieval Abbasid courts in Baghdad," he said, "listeners, including the rulers, had strong reactions.They moved their feet, danced,sobbed,wept, and tore their garments." Today,suchtransformativeexperiencesare still in evidence.Dr. Racy notedthat duringhis own performances,particularlyforArab audiences,he hears certain listenersvoicing emotionally loaded expressionssuchasyasalaam.He might alsonoticemembersofthe audiencewho listen carefully and creatively."They really inspire the musician by their focus, their body language,"he said. "The musicianscantell who they are,evenif they're not demonstrative." These instancesdemonstratethe conceptof sammi'ah, in which tarab is experiencedby listeners. Dr. Racy then played a number of instruments to show traditional aspectsofArab music. He played the nay, or reedflute, to demonstratean omamentationsimilar to western vibrato but "more like a slow wave." He also played the oud to exhibit the "microtones" ofArab music-those notesin betweenthe notesof a westernscale."In westemculture,we think of them asbeing out of tune," he said, "but they're integral to many of the scalesthat peopleplay in othercultures." He then discussedspeciflc ways tarab is brought about, such as through heterophonyand improvisation, when musicians in an ensembleeach play the piece a little diflerently, and when a musician takes liberties in the middle of a song, becoming "liberated from the beat." Dr. Racy played an example from the
Rolling waves of melodyr Dr. Ali Jihad Racy plays the nay, or reed flute, to demonstrate traditional aspectsof Arab music.
: 202687 5793 Center for ContemporaryArab Studies i GeorgetownUniversiry . WashingtonDC 20057-1020 hnp://ccas-georgetown.edu
:CCAS Remembers
I920s and a song by Urnm Kulthum to exhibit theserespectiveconcepts. Dr. Racy concluded his lecture by addressinghow certain tarab genresbegan to disappearin the Arab world as westem i"rl;i:li.ii,it'it: instruments,teachingmethods,andattitudes became prevalent. However, in today's is sad to report the passing ;^ICAS globalized world, tarab has retained a I of Dr. Ibrahim Iskandar Ibrahim, certainniche inArab musical life. He cited University professorof \-/Georgetown performances frequent in Europe and the Arab studiesand director of the Centerfrom Americas, a growng number of Arab and 1990to 1993. non-Arab studentsstudying andperforming Dr. Ibrahim was born in Palestinelr;r1932. themusic,andtheincreasingaccessibilityof He was raisedin the village of Zeita, studied recordings on the Intemet as indications of in Jerusalem,and taught Palestinianrefugee tarab's survival and diffirsion. The Intemet. children for a UN humanitarian progrum he added,can thus be a "virtual community during andaftertheArab-Israeliwar of 1948. hr the 1950s,he lived in Kuwait, servingasa of sammi'ah."We say,yasalaaml.4i' teacherand educationofficer. Dr. Ibrahim then completedhis master's degree in political science and Islamic studies at the University of Heidelberg in Germanyn 1964andreceivedhis doctorate in Middle Eastem history and political science from Oxford University n 1967. His dissertationaddressedtwentieth-century intellectualtrendsin Egypt. His teaching career included a year in England and four years as an assistant professor at the American University of Beirut before coming to Georgetown in 1979.He also servedas a top advisorto the United Arab Emirates' foreigr minister in Dn Racy explains tarab'sonline presence.
Ibrahim Ibrahim
Dr. Ibrahimdirected CCASfromL990-93, the early 1970sfollowed by a two-year stint asa businessexecutivethere. Dr. Ibrahim was a valued and wellrespected presence at CCAS. Says Dr. Michael Hudson, current director of the Center: "Ibrahim Ibrahim was not only a crucial confibutor to CCAS from its very beginning;hewasalsoafine scholar.Hewas deeplyinfluencedby his Germanprofessors, andhefrequentlyinvokedthenameof Jiirgen Habermas in our ongoing debatesabout modemizationandtadition in Arab societies. Even though much of his later professional experience and teaching centered on the Arab Gulf states,asaPalestinianhisconcem for the Palestinian cause was unwavering. He was not only a fine scholar but a tue gentleman." Dr. Ibrahim retired from Georgetownin 1994. He is survived by his wife, Mary C. McDavid of Washington,and two brothers andtwo sisters.***
New Faces at CCASI Catherine Parker andJosephSassoon i\'{in:,iKtrk CAS is pleased to welcome Ms. CatherineParker as its new Grants Administrator. Ms. Parker comesto us after working as a programmanagerwith the Instituteoflntemational Educationandas an assistantlanguageteacherwith the Japan ExchangeandTeachingProgram.Ms.Parker holds a B.A. in history from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in Near and Middle Eastem studies from SOAS. where she focusedher researchon haqi land law during the late Ottoman period and the British Mandate. Ms. Parker will administer the Title VI grant,which includes coordinating the National ResourceCenteron the Middle East (NRC-ME) and the Foreign Langtage and Area Studies(FLAS) fellowships. She will also work with Ms. Zena Seikalv.
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CCAS Director of EducationalOufreach.on avartelyofprojects. Dr. Joseph Sassooq a visiting scholar at CCAS through the summer of 2009, completed his doctorate at St Antony's College, Oxford where he is now a Senior AssociateMember. His recent$ published boolg The lraqi Refugees:The Ncw Crisis in the Middle East Qalgrave Macmillan, 2009) deals with kaqi refugees after the 2003 invasion. His other publications rncludeEconomicPolicy in lraq, 1932-1950 (Frank Cass, 1987),as well as articleson haq andotherMiddle Eastemeconomies.Dr. Sassoonwill also be a visiting scholarfrom September2009 through the summer of 2010 at Georgetown'sInstitute for the Study of lrtemational Migration. 'ii,
Catherine Parkeb Grants Administrator
Joseph Sassoon, Visiting Scholar
CCAS News iiitApril 2OO9
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onU.S.Policy RenownedMusician Simon ShaheenI Course LeadsWorkshop on Arab Music lin the MjddleEast ZeinaAzzam seikaty
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n October 11, 2008, the Center's outreach program collaborated with the Kennedy Center's education departmentto offer a workshop for K-12 music teacherstitled "Rhythmic Modes and QuarterTones: An Introduction to Arab Music." Thitty teachers from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area attended,and many brought their musical instruments in order to participate in the hands-onpart of the program. Renowned performer, composer, and educatorSimon Shaheenled the day-long workshop. Mr. Shaheen is credited with playing a significant role in spreading awarenessof Arab music in the United States.His talents on the oud and violin were showcasedthroughout the day as he offered musical examplesto illustrate his lectures.Mr. Shaheenalso sang with the group and demonstrated rhythms on percussion instruments, thus making it an exciting experiencefor all the attendees. Startingwith an overview ofArab music, Mr. Shaheen focused on the musical heritage of the eastem Mediterranean countries.He said that historically, music orieinated in the Arabian peninsula and moved northward to Baghdad,which was a hub of culture and the arts in earlyArab civlhzation. Later, centersfor the study and performance of Arab music developed in Damascus and Aleppo, and the music moved westward to take root in Spain Mr. Shaheen explained,,,the concept of microtonalifi-in'Afab music; whereasWestbm musiclas 12 h al f-s t eps irir a given scale, anArab or
melodicmode,has24 tones-visually,he
Simon Shaheen demonstrates his talents on the oud for egrovp of K-LZ music teachers.
CCAS News * April 2009
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ao^lo.i-ot{ tl .i c io liLo i r {o - +i ff,i n n n n ',n * to * explained,this is like identiffing quarter i a note betweenthe white and black keys of a piano. The maqamrs paredwith an iqa', or rhythmic mode or cycle of beats,which canbe simple or complex. Using copious examples of different melodic and rhythmic modes, Shaheen worked hard to teach the music teachers to discem the quarter tones and clap or play the rhythms. Listening and playing exerciseswere the stuff of the workshop, and the participants expanded their musical horizons greatly. The speaker also introducedthe goup to Arab musical instruments found in classical and rural settings, such as the oud, qanun, fial, mijwiz, and durbakkah.He then explored Arab musical forms-both composed and improvised-and played several recordingsof Arab musiciansto illustrate particular characteristics,such as vocal styles, ornamentation, modulation, and meter. The flnal activity was learning a song, titled "Ana Tilmidh," with a lesson in Arabic languagediction. The participants received a packet of information about Arab music, including sheets with notations of commonly usedmaqams and iqa's. The Kennedy Center also gave each workshop attendee a copy of a CD by Simon Shaheenand his ensernble.*
tO LamPUS
uring the current spring semester, the Center's outreach program hasbeenrunning a free coursefor 35 educatorson U.S. policy in the Middle East. This is a new initiative funded by the Center's Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The audience includesteachersof U.S. govefirmentand U.S. history classesas well as educators who have an interest in the topic, such as those in world history and global affairs, and other currentK-12 teacherswho teach other subjectsbut would like to leam more aboutU.S. policy in the Middle East. The course examinesAmerican policy in the Middle East historically, begiruring in the early twentieth century and works up to the presentday. Each week a guest speaker, drawn from the university community and from a pool of local experts and scholars,explores significant historical periods and developmentsand analyzesspecific issues. These speakers addressIargerU.S. policy decisionsin the region as well key bilateral relationships. They cover sfructures and instruments of policy, such as diplomacy, foreign aid, intelligence,andmilitary activities;specific areasofconflict or tension,suchasIsraeland Palestine,kaq, and kan; and themessuchas oil politics and extremistmovements.The final classwill explorepolicy optionsforthe Obama administration. The attendeesare expectedto complete readings throughout the semester. A mid-semesterevaluationof the course has received largely positive feedback. "I've beenvery happy with the course,and it has really energized my knowledge of the Middle East," said a D.C. high school history teacher. Asked whether she is learning and obtaining information that she did not have accessto before, a Maryland social studiesteacheranswered, "Definitely.I ammore excitedtoreadnews about the Middle East. Cities, countries and political groups in the region have comealive to me." q*
CCAS OutreachProgram Celebrates2i Yearsin Style he Centerfor ContemporaryArab Studies outreach program, the Community Resource Service, celebratedits silver anniversary in the fall of 2008. It was 25 years ago, in 1983, that the Center started a K-12 educational outreach program, with a focus on educatingAmerican teachers about the Arab world and Islam and providing them with appropriate resources. To celebratethis important milestone, the Center hosted a reception on November 2I, 2008, with wine and hors d'oeuvres and a brief program that included live Arab music by local musicians Fuad Foty and Lena Seikaly. Present were CCAS faculty, students, staff, friends, and colleagueswho had traveled to Washington to attend the Middle East Studies Association's annual meeting. Most importantly, in attendance were a large number of educators from the D.C. metropolitan area who had participated in the outreach program's activities over the years. Director of Educational Outreach Zeina Seikaly spoke briefly about the history of the outreach program and its accomplishments, highlighting a milestone in 1997 when Georgetown received its first Title VI grant to establish a National Resource Center on the Middle East. She said that over 1,000 teachers from D.C., Maryland,
Educator Micki Suchenski speaks about her positive experienceswith the program.
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Lena Seikaly and Fuad Foty play traditional Arab music at the reception held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of CCAS's Communicy Resource Service.
and Virginia (and beyond) are now the Arab world, the Ottoman empire, on her e-mail list. In the last 25 yearc, law in Islam, the Crusades, Arabic the program has sponsored68 one-day literature in translation,the Abrahamic workshops or seminars and 10 week- faiths, A1-Andalus, water conflicts long summer workshops; the aggregate in the Middle East, refugees and migrants,and...how attendance at these "In the last 25 years,the to make hummos tn workshops is about the classroom! 3,500 teachers. The Ms. Seikaly invited programhasconducted the guests to look three trips to the at the colorful and first in region-the extensive collage on 1990 to Jordan, the the history of the Palestinian territories, program, outreach Israel, and Egypt; the her by created second in 2002 to daughter,Lena,which Turkey and Syria; and the third wasjust last summeEto Morocco. consisted of titles of all the outreach In addition, dozens of Georgetown activities, testimonials from teachers, graduatestudentshave visited schools photographs,and other mementosof the to do presentations for students in last25 years. ProfessorMichael Hudson, Director grades K-12, and a large number of faculty members have conducted of CCAS, made a brief speechabout trainings and given presentations to the program, followed by remarks teacher groups. Over the years, the by Ambassador Rocky Suddarth, outreach program has also enlisted chairman of the Center's Advisory the expertise of hundreds of outside Board. Several local educators and colleaguesthen spoke about their own professorsand scholarson the Middle East to give lectures at various experienceswith the Center's outreach workshops and teacher training activities and how the programs have programs on topics such as the Arab- helped them in their teaching and Israeli conflict, the conflict in Iraq, understanding of the Arab world and the oil industry, Islamic art, women in Islam. .';' CCAS News ti. April 2OO9
Workshop ExaminesIndian Oceanin World History i',**'i' |I i i.irur:*; L he annual Middle East Studies Association (MESA) conference, held in D.C. November22-25.2008. provided the occasionfor a workshop cosponsoredby the Centerfor Contemporary Arab Studies and the Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC), a national network of scholars and specialists in educational outreach on the Middle East. The workshop, ooTheIndian Ocean in History: Seafaring, Trade, and Global Encounters." was held on November 22 on the Georgetowncampus,and attendees were eligible to attend MESAs film festival as well as the first fuIl day of the conference.The audienceof 70 consisted of local educators as well as MEOC membersfrom acrossthe United States. Workshop speakers explored the longterm human activity in the Indian Ocean and exchanges among Asian, African, European, and Middle Eastern peoples. Assistant Professor of History Apama Vaidik and Education Consultant Susan Douglassof theAlwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding,both of Georgetown, were joined by Thomas McDow, Assistant Professor of History at George Mason University, Roxani Margariti, Associate Professorof Middle Easternand South Asian Studies at Emory University, and Joan Brodsky Schur, Social Studies Coordinator of the Village Community School in New York City.
CCAS Director of EducationalOutreach, Zeina Seikaly, and Jean Campbell, Presidentof MEOC, welcomedthe group. The first speaker,Dr. Vaidik, addressedthe topic, "Why is the Indian Oceana Relevant Framework for Studying History?" She spokeabout"oceanstudies"in generaland "Indian Oceanstudies"inparticular, noting that they include learning about the sheer size of the ocean and imagining a part of the world most studentshave never seen, including the human storiesattachedto it. This field, shecontinued,lendsitselfto the study of all kinds ofhistory including that of empires,tradeand commerce,shipping, diseases,labor, and gender.It also opens up connectionsbetween disciplines, such as archaeology (through underwater excavations), anthropology, literature, architecture, technology, religion, and environmentalscience. Dr. Margariti turnedthe focusto "Indian OceanPort Cities as Crossroads."Cities, shesaid,canbestudiedasproductsoftheir environment,sites of religious, political, and social life, and points of commerce and trade. She addressedthe period from the tenth to the sixteenth century CE, which is often referred to as the time of "Pax Islamicus," when the Indian Ocean world and trade cities were frequented by Muslim traders who collaborated with people of other languages,religions, and ethnicities. Dr. Mareariti showed
Attendees listen to a presentation at the "Indian Ocean in History" workshop, The Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC) co-sponsored the event with CCAS.
CCAS News ''*.April 2OO9
photographs and documents that demonstratedthe diversity of the people trading and traveling during that era. In his talk on "Connecting Africa and Arabia through the Indian Ocean," Dr. McDow discussed the different groups living off of the Indian Ocean in the nineteenthcentury focusing on the people caught between several worlds as they traveled that vast body of water. After discussingthe role of indigenous elites within the framework of imperialism, he highlighted the life of two individuals, including Sidi Mubarak Bombay, an African slave who was manumitted in Bombay when his owner died, and who decidedto journey back to North Africa. Shifting the focus from history to literature, Joan Brodsky Schur presented ways of "Using Sindbad the Sailor to Teach about the Eastward Journey of Islam." Sheprovided a variety of articles about and samplesof the Sindbad stories themselves,as well as teachingmaterials for examining various aspectsof Indian Ocean history that appear in these stories, such as an activity charting the merchandisethat Sindbadtraded and how it fits into larger trade routes of the time. SusanDouglassbrought a new resource to the table: the free online curriculum materials found at The Indian Ocean in World History website (http://www. indianoceanhistory.org).This site is made possible through the D.C.-based Sultan QaboosCultural Center,and was recently completedby Ms. Douglassand a team of writers and researchers.Shedemonstrated various aspects of the interactive site, which includes a set of maps based on satellite imaging of the Indian Ocean with seven content overlays representing major erasin world history. The website and other materials, including articles and curriculum ideas provided in a packet to workshop participants, offered diverse and substantial resources that will facilitate new approachesto incorporating Indian Oceanstudiesinto existingK-I2 curricula. The group enjoyed a Middle Eastern lunch while discussing the day's themes with colleaguesand speakers.*F
Rashid Khalidi Delivers Lecture Entitled "GazaandAfrerwards" h'tr*ri li."iri,r Cl peating to a tull Copley Hall on Dr. Khalidi said, was a referenceto U.S. 17, 2009, Rashid Khalidi, or intemational law. For example, if there \February Said Professor of Arab were other means to stop Hamas rocket L-fEdward Studiesat Columbia University, mappedout fire, as the evidence suggests,then U.S. his vision for the "bedrock of any attempt law forbidding the use of its weapons for to resolve the [Arab/Israeli] conflict:" the reasonsother than self-defensecomesinto recognitionof U.S. and intemationallaw. effect. The disproportion of the casualties Dr. Khalidi beganhislectureby describing (13 Israelis, including 10 soldiers,versus the two parallel universes in which the 1,300Palestinians,most of them civilians) 22-day war in Gaza took place. The first, also calls into question the lawful nature made up of the American media and U.S. of the conflict, "unless," Dr. Khalidi said, political discourse,regarded the conflict o.weare operatingaccordingto a systemof as a black and white caseof self-defense values whereby one Israeli life is somehow againstHamas, a terrorist organtzationthat worth 100Palestinianones." Further, Dr. Khalidi argued, though indiscrimin ately targetedcivilians. The other universe was composed of our recent election campaign focused on the rest of the world, in which the Israeli- international law regarding such activities generated narrative was available but astorture and interrogation,one can sample temperedby an altemative version, which the U.S. media for weeks or readreamsof argued that the war on Gaza had been offi cial U. S.govemmentstatementswithout planned for months---even before the leaming two particularly baneful elements cease-fire began-and which recognized of lawlessness vis d vis theMiddle East:that that Israel both broke the cease-fire on Israel is in the 42nd year of an occupation November 4 and never lifted the blockade of the Golan Heights,the West Bank, East onGazaduring the fruce aspromised. Jerusalem,and the Gaza St ip, and that alI Also largelyabsentinAmericandiscourse, Israeli settlementsin these territories also
A Commemoration of the Life and
Poetryof Mahmoud Darwish ;i -i i *'i l " : r i: n January27, 2009, an audience t^\ lconvened in the ICC auditorium to pay tribute to the life and work \-/ of renowned Palestinianpoet Mahmoud Darwish. CCAS's director Dr. Michael Hudson introduced the event as well as the speakers,including Elisa Dun, a junior in the School of Foreign Servicewho serves as co-chair of Georgetown'sStudentsfor Justicein Palestine.Ms. Dun presenteda thorough biographical sketch of Darwish, which was followed by an engagingtalk by Dr. Ibrahim Muhawi entitled "Contexts of Languagein Darwish." From Ramallah, Palestine,Dr. Muhawi has taught at universities in the U.S. and abroad,andin I 989,hepublished,lpeak,Bird, SpeakAgain : P alestinianArab Folkales. In -I
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1995,he franslatedDarwish's Memoryfor Forgetfulness.Dr. Muhawi's lecturefocused on threeelementsvis d vis Darwish's poetry. He first addressedthe poet's performative use of langaage, such as musicality and word formation, to embody the Palestinian
Drr al-Barghouti reads Darwish's poems.
Dn Khalidi stresses the need to recognize both U.S. and international law,
constitute violations of intemational law, specifically the Fourth GenevaConvention and many UN Security Council resolutions. "These two elementsare the bedrock of any attempt to resolve this conflict justly andpermanently,"saidDr. Khalidi,'khich necessarilyinvolvesusingintemationallaw." Endrng Israeli occupation and reversing the processof settlementand Palestinian land alienation in the West Bank thus can, accordingto Dr. Khalidi, prevent the future of an unjust and highly unstablestatusquo. A dynamic question and answer period followed, with query subjectsranging from the outcome of the Israeli elections to Dr. Khalidi's thoughtson Obama'scharacterto the role of Turkey in the conflict. ''i* homeland. He then spoke about reading Darwish as a resistancepoet, noting that while Darwish did not object to being the poetofPalestine,hewantedto be recognized for his work and not as a mouthpiece for the cause.Finally, Dr. Muhawi focused on Darwish's death, assertingthat by the end of his life, Darwish'swriting was his being. "He did not draw the line between himself and his work," Dr. Muhawi said. Dr. Tamim al-Barghouti, a renowned Palestinian poet himself and a visiting assistantprofessor at CCAS, then joined Dr. Carolyn Forch6, an accomplished poet and the Lannan Chair in Poetry and Professor of English at Georgetown, in pading a selection of Darwish's poems. Dr. al-Barghouti read in Arabic, while Dr. Forchdread in English.While someworks were presented in both languages,others were read in a single language.Selections included the powerful "Identity Card" as well as "On this Earth,"'Now in Exile," and "The Etemity of Cactus."',,;i' CCAS News . April200g
CCAS Co-SponsorsVideoconference with Libyan L eader Muammar Al-Qaddafi n January 21, 2009, a packed Intercultural Center auditorium listened as Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi explained via live, translated video feed his proposal for a one-statesolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Afterwards, al-Qaddafiresponded to questions on such subjects as the economic crisis and oil prices, the Obama administration,and Pan Am Flight 103. CCAS co-sponsoredthe event with the GeorgetownUniversity Lecture Fund and the Georgetown University International Relations Club, and the event was made possible by support from ExxonMobil. Dr. Michael Hudson, director of CCAS, introduced al-Qaddafi and acted as one of three moderators during the question and answerperiod. Two studentsfrom the Lecture Fund and International Relations Club also posed questionsto the Libyan leader. Al-Qaddafi's 17-page "White Book," which was distributed at the event, speaks at length about his vision for a nation called Isratine in which Israelis
Muammar al-Qaddafi looms large on a projection screen in the ICC auditorium. The Libyan leadet explained his one-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
a national home, but to get rid of them about the economic crisis, which he blamed on the capitalist system'suneven ffrom Europe]," he said. Another fundamental component of al- distribution of wealth. "If the wealth was Qaddafi'svision is the Palestinianright of evenly distributed," he said, "people return. In his January22 op-edinthe New would have had the purchasing power York Times, he writes: 'olt is an injustice to pay their loans." The Libyan leader that Jews who were not also said that the nationahzation of oil originally inhabitants of companiesis possibledue to the crisis and Palestine, nor were their the drastic reduction in the price of oil. ancestors,canmoveinfrom Yet, despite the crisis, al-Qaddafi abroad while Palestinians has hope for the United States and who were its new administration. "There is a displacedonly new America, an America of change," flames," he said. a relatively he said, "and an America which we "We've seen rivers of blood, shorttime ago hope will not be an imperial America, war, and the maximum use of shouldnot be an America of aggression." He cited force. The solution is in the so permitted." new initiatives such as the closing of White Book." The Libyan GuantanamoBay prison and the review The White Book's argument leader argued of American military presence in Iraq rests on the idea that no one that Isratine as positive signs. can exclusively claim Palestine."It has in a way already exists, as, for instance, The question of the bombing of Pan been a transition area and a conflict area," Arabs and Jews live together in the West Am 103 was also raised, about which he noted. "Whoever says, 'This is my Bank. What's needed,he says, is for the al-Qaddafi refused to speak. "This file land' is wrong." Al-Qaddafi also pointed Jewsto acceptthe Palestinians. has been closed." he said. "There is no out that Arabs and Jews historically Though Dr. Hudson raised the sense in gravedigging." After the event, lived together in peaceuntil 1948,when question of whether the White Book's parents of two victims of Pan Am 103, "extremist Jewish movements" claimed approach sufficiently recognizes the whose other children are Georgetown that Palestinebelongedto them. He also depth of hostility between Israelis and alumni, gave a short statement noting arguedthat until recently, it was the west Palestinians,al-Qaddafi remained firm in that a Libyan terrorist, Abdelbaset Ali who was the enemy of the Jews. "The his belief that his plan will work. Mohmed al-Megrahi, is serving a prison Balfour declarationwasn't to sive them Al-Qaddafi also answered questions sentencein Scotland for the bombing. 'i CCAS News ':;:;r [p1il 2009
More Events Reflections on U.S.-Saudi Relations November 19, 2008 His Royal Highness Prince Turki al-Faisalspoke about the past,present, and future of U.S.-Saudi relations. In 1973 the prince was appointed an advisor in the royal court, and from 1977-2001 he served as the Director General of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID). The prince also served as the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United Statesfrom 2005 to 2 007. Perspectiveson Economic Development in Oman January 29, 2009 Dr. Charles Olsen, Professor of A trumpeter's trip through historyr Amir ElSaffardescribeshis Tho RiversProject,which utilizesjazz Humanities at Midwestern State andIraqi instruments,asan emotionaljourneythroughIraq'sgloriousandtragichistory. University, lectured on the Omani Renaissance, the transformation of the Sultan has made the integration of Amir Elsaffar TWo Rivers Jazz Project Oman's traditional desert culture women an integral component of his February 7, 2009 into a modern urban society, which program. CCAS and the Embassy of CCAS co-sponsoreda performanceby he argues began in 1970. Between the Sultanate of Oman co-sponsored Iraqi-American trumpeter and maqam February and May of 2007, Dr. the event. singer Amir ElSaffar at the Freer and traveled through Oman Olsen Sackler Galleries of the Smithsonian Institution. Amir ElSaffar describes conducting interviews on the topic Gazats Next Generation of the Renaissance. In the lecture January 2S-February 5, 2009 his Two Rivers Project as an emotional he highlighted specific interviews CCAS and the Friends of UNRWA journey through Iraq's glorious and tragic and discussed the importance of oral Association co-sponsored a photo history. The compositions utrlize jazz history in preserving the testimony of exhibit in the ICC Galleria titled and Iraqi instruments, and are based on "Gaza's Next Generation." The exhibit melodies of the classical klqi maqams the interviewees. Dr. Linda Funsch, a professor of showcased photographs of Gazan (or melodic modes), each believed to Middle Eastern culture and Islamic children in their daily lives, and it have a spiritual essenceand to contain an history at Hood College and at highlighted the challenges they face aspect of Iraqi culture. ElSaffar has set Frederick Community College in as Palestinians. thesemodes to innovative grooves,freeMaryland, addressed the question ensemble playing, and multi-layered sound textures. of women in development. Oman's The Future of Gaza's Children paradigm for national development is February 4, 2009 This discussion explored the Halim Barakat Book Signing unique in many ways, she said, and future of UNRWA in the Gaza Strip February 12, 2009 and the Agency's role in the human Renowned author and retired CCAS development of Palestinian refugees, professor Dr. Halim B ar akatr eadexcerpts with a special focus on Gaza's from his novel, The Crane (AUC Press, children. Panelists included Dr. 2008), which was recentlytranslatedinto Michael C. Hudson, Director, CCAS; English. The event was co-sponsored Andrew Whitley, Director, UNRWA with the Jerusalem Fund for Education Representative Office, New York; and Community Development. Amjad Atallah, Director, Middle East Task Force, New America Foundation; Gaza and International Law: Reportand Nadia Hijab, Senior Fellow, Back Institute for Palestine Studies. The February 18,2009 event was co-sponsoredby CCAS and Noura Erakat gavea report following the Friends Association. her fact-finding mission to the Gaza of UNRWA PrinceTurki d-Faisal speaksaboutthepast,present, Strip with the National Lawyers Guild. andfutureof US.-Saudirelations.
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CCAS News 'i* April 2OO9
fellow at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Qataq addressed the political relationship between Sunnis and Shiites in Bahrain. Dr. Niethammer completedher Ph.D. in Islamic Studiesat the Free Universitv of Berlin in2007.
A AIOSf fiil A{rteNC $lSVgL f,sdiqt*bd t", ft.qsa+ F'aer3*trrarr! arBr A bdl
* Tbe Crone,by retked CCAS professor Halim Barakat,was recently translated into English.
Continuedfrom page B Ms. Erakat earned her J.D. from UC Berkeley'sBoalt Hall Schooloflaw. She is currently a committee member of the Arab Movement of Women Arising for Justice (AMWAJ), the National Lawyers Guild, BADIL's Legal SupportNetwork, and the International Coordinatins Network on Palestine.
Volatile: Petrodollars, Financial Markets, and Middle Eastern Geopolitics February 20, 2009 Dr. Mahmoud Amin El-Gamal, Professorof Economicsand Statisticsat Rice University, lectured on the global business cycle in the Middle East and its interaction with the closely-related energy-price,financial, and geopolitical cycles. Dr. El-Gamal has published extensively on finance, econometrics, decision science, economics of the Middle East. and Islamic transactions law. His recent books are Islamic Finance: Law, Economics, and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2006) and Financial Transactions in Islamic Jurisprudence(Dar Al-Fikr, 2003).
JewsoArabs, and Government Officials: Power Relations Inside Israel Todav February 25, 2009 Dr. David A. Wesley, author of State Practices and Zionist Images: Shaping Economic Development in Arab Towns in Israel (Berghahn Books, 2006), addressedthe interplay between Arab Myths and Truths Regarding Islamic local authorities and their Jewish Education neighbors as well national government February 19, 2009 agencies in regard to developing local Dr. Helen Boyle, Director of the Center and regional industrial areas.Born in the for Middle East and FrancophoneAfrica United States,Dr. Wesley went to Israel Programsat the EducationDevelopment asayoung adultandreceivedhisPh.D.in Center, spoke about the role of Quranic/ anthropology at Tel Aviv University. He Islamic schools in communities and has closely followed events connected national educational systemsthroughout with Arab economic development in the Arab world and Islamic countries. Israel sincethe beginning of the 1990s. She holds a Ph.D. in international and development education from the Research Opportunities in the Gulf: University of Pittsburgh. Her book, A Micro-Study of Inflation Using Quranic Schools:Agents of Preservation Barcode Data and the Design of the and Change, was published in 2004 by Qatar Longitudinal Study Routledge. March 2, 2009 Dr. Alexis Antoniades, Visiting Shiite Democrats and SunniAutocrats? Assistant Professor at Georgetown Political Reform and Confessional University's School of Foreign Service Identities in Bahrain in Qatar, outlined three of his research February 19, 2009 proposals currently under review by Katja Niethammer, post-doctoral the Qatar National ResearchFund: one CCAS News ,,i'April 2OO9
on using barcode data to study inflation, one on trends among Qatari youth, and one on obesity among Qatari children. Dr. Antoniades received a B.A. in mathematics and economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University. An Artist Voice for Peace:Presentation by Chawky Frenn March 18.2009 Painter Chawky Frenn spoke about the subject matter of his art vis-d-vis his experience as a Lebanese citizen witnessing the civil war from abroad. Mr. Frenn moved to the United States in 1981 and receiveda B.F.A. from the MassachusettsCollege of Art in Boston and an M.F.A. from the Tyler School of Art of Temple University in Philadelphia. He is currently an assistantprofessor at George Mason University. The event was co-sponsored by CCAS and the Georgetown International Relations Club. The Iraqi Refugees:The New Crisis in the Middle East March 24, 2009 CCAS Visiting Scholar Dr. Joseph Sassoon spoke about the topic of his new book on Iraqi refugees after the 2003 invasion, The lraqi Refugees: The New Crisis in the Middle East (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009). Dr. Sassoon completed his D.Phil at St Antony's College, Oxford, where he is now a SeniorAssociateMember.';+
Ka{a Niethammer fiscusses Sunni/Shi'a political relations in Bahrain.
MAAS SnrdentCo-foundsProjecton Middle East Democracy n 2005 and2006, a group of MAAS students began to meet regularly outside of class becausethev were "frustrated with the tone of the debate about U.S. democracypromotion in the Middle East," current MAAS student David DeBartolo said. "We shared a belief that democracy could work in the Middle East, and that the U.S. could have a positive impact on the development of it there. But we were unhappy that the Iraq war had come to stand for U.S. efforts to promote democracyin the region, rather than peaceful means," he said. According to DeBartolo, the group of graduate students agreed with some of the Bush administration's rhetoric"that the U.S. legacy of supporting authoritarian regimes had brought neither stability nor democracy,andthat genuinely and consistently supporting democratic reform in the Middle East was both consistent with America's values and in America's long-term national in1e1ss1"-fut it fundamentally disagreed with the methods the administration had used to achieve
thoseends. Rather than remain unsatisfied, the students channeled their frustration into positive action, organizing panel discussions on Georgetown's campus with experts such as Michele Dunne, Tarik Yousef, Samer Shehata,and John Esposito. "We to wanted scrutinize America's actual impact on political reform- in the region, listen to Middle Easterners'views about that impact, and search for ways to change America's impact on reform for the better." DeBartolosaid. The students soon expandedtheirprogramofdialogue,holding panels at other D.C.-areauniversitiesand eventually hosting three conferences in Rabat, Cairo, and Amman in the spring of 2007. These conferencesbrought together youngAmericansandMiddle Eastemersto discusstheU.S.role in democraticreform in the region and to deviserecommendations
Current MAAS student David DeBartolo, alongwith MAAS alum Shadi Hamid, founded the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) in2007.
10
for the U.S. government to improve the nation'simpact. And thus the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) was born. Thanks to the work of DeBartoto,2006 MAAS alum (and POMED Director of Research)ShadiHamid, ExecutiveDirector Andrew Albertson. Advocacv Director Mclnemey, Stephen andmany of POMED's staff mernbers, the nonpartisan, nonproflt organization was able to start an advocacy programon Capitol Hill as well as a research programfocusingonthe impact of U.S. policies in the Middle East, in addition to expanding its dialogueprogams. Having graduated from Harvard in 2003, DeBartolo is currently pursuing a joint J.D./MAAS at Georgetown University.He citesthe MAAS program as integral to his understanding of the issuesthat confront the Middle East. "MAAS has fundamentally shaped my perspective towards the Middle East. so much so that I cannot even contemplate how I would view the region in the absenceof my immensely valuable experiencein the program," he said. "The intimate, warm, and collegial atmospherebetween MAAS professors and studentsis unique in my educational experience and fosters an incredibly vibrant climate of intellectual curiosity and exploration." In only a few years, POMED has made great strides in promoting dialogue on U.S. policy in the Middle East and in building allianceson Capitol Hill. However. DeBartolo seesroom for growth. "In the future, I hope that we succeed in building a powerful advocacy organization that can influence a wide rangeofU.S. policiestowardstheMiddle East to make them more supportive of democraticreform." he said. * CCAS News *;:rApril 2OO9
FaculqNews
stations; and briefed the chairman and senior staff of the Gulf ResearchCenter in Dubai. In December, Dr. Anthony Fida Adely published anarticle chaired and delivered introductory in the February 2009 issue of the remarks at the "Conversation with HRH International Journal of Middle East Prince Turki al-Faisal" at the Ronald Studies (IJMES) titled "Educating Reagan Building; delivered a briefing Women for Development: The Arab on "Challengesfor U.S.-Arab Relations Human Development Report 2005 and in a Barack Obama Administration" the Problem with Women's Choices." to the Center for Naval Analyses; She also presentedthe paper, "Teacher, lecturedto 20 defenseattaches,security Text, and Television: Making Proper assistanceofficers, and representatives Faith in a Girls' School" at the Gender of the U.S. Central Command at and Power in the Muslim World the Defense Institute for Security conferenceat SarahLawrence College, Assistance Management at WrightMarc h 6and7. PattersonAir Base in Ohio; served on the board of examinersfor a graduating student in CCAS's Master of Arts in undertook a number of speaking Arab Studies program; chaired and engagements during the past several delivered introductory remarks at the months. In November, he addressed "Conversation with the Ambassadorof a delegation of American leaders Iraq to the United States" at the Ronald with the Center for the National ReaganBuilding, which was broadcast Interest en route to Egypt, Jordan, live by C-SPAN; and served as one of Israel, and Syria; spoke on "Possible two American observers at the annual American Policies Towards the Arab ministerial and heads of state summit World Under the Administration of of the Gulf Cooperation Council in President-ElectBarack Obama" at the Muscat. In January, he briefed the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies public affairs outreach director of the and Research in Abu Dhabi; chaired "Arabesque" festival aI the Kennedy and made introductory remarks for a Center. In February, he again lectured lecture by HRH Prince Turki al-Faisal to two dozen defenseattaches,security on "Saudi Arabia and Regional Crises" assistanceofficers, and representatives to students at Georgetown University of the U.S. Central Command at enrolled in the course, "Politics of the Defense Institute for Security the Arabian Peninsula"; addressed Assistance Management at Wrightthe Washington, D.C. film premiere Patterson Air Base in Ohio; chaired of HOME-The Aramco Brats Story; and delivered introductory remarks lectured on o'AmericanForeign Policy at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Towards the Middle East" to 35 Relations' (hereafterNational Council) students in the Washington Semester event. "Islamic Financeand the Global Program of the American University; Economic Crisis." Dr. Anthony also briefed armed forces officers in the servedasthe advisorand examinerfrom Middle East Directorate in the Office September2008 throughFebruary2009 of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs for a Georgetown University graduate of Staff at the Pentagon; delivered a student writing his thesis on "The briefing on "The United Arab Emirates" Transformation of Corporate Culture in for congressionalstaff of U.S. Senator the United Arab Emirates." In March, Max Baucus (Democrat-Montana) en he delivered the keynote address, route to the UAE; addressedthe topic "Changes in American Interests in the of "The UAE: A Pioneer in Political Middle East: Implications for U.S. Engineerifig" at the 40th anniversary Policies," and the presentation,"IJ.S.celebration of the UAE Ministry Iran Relations and the Implications for of Presidential Affairs' Center for the Gulf Cooperation Council," at the Documentation and Research, which conferenceon "New Avenues for U.S.was airedlive by severalUAE television Middle East Policy" at the University
John
Duke
Anthony
CCAS News ,.,April 2OO9
of Montana at Missoula. In that month, he also delivered a lecture on "Oman: Past and Present" to the pre-departure orientation program for officers selectedby General David Petraeusto participate in the National Council's annual Oman Cultural Immersion Program. l,/T
f
T
f
.tVlanal JAmAn presenteda paper titled "Globalization, Migration and Tiered-Citizenship in the UAE" at the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) conference in November 2008. She also participated in a thematic conversation, "Conducting Research in the Gulf: Assessment, Challenges and Future Directions." Dr. Jamal gave two media interviews recently, one with Al Jazeera English in January on humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, and one with UPI in early February about Israel's policies undermining Palestinian academic institutions.
Sylvia
Onder
servedon a
roundtable at the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) conference in November 2008 titled "New Demands, New Approaches:Changing Dynamics in the Middle Eastern Language Classroom." Joining her in the roundtablewereGeorgetowncolleagues Dr. Hana Zabarah and Dr. Hanaa Kilany (Arabic), Dr. Yoel Wachtel (Hebrew), and Ms. Farima Mostowfi (Persian). Dr. Onder also presented a number of papers this spring semester, including "Metaphorical and Literal Gesturesin Turkish Music Videos" at the University of Texas at Austin on January 29 and "American Influences on the Turkish Black Sea Coast: From Corn and Beansthrough Cold War and Peace Corps," at the Istanbul Bilgi University conferencein honor of Faruk Tabak entitled "History from a Global Perspective." She also participated in the Nevruz K-12 Workshop on March 28 and the Title VI workshop (with the Georgetown University Program for Jewish Clilization) on Sephardic culturein Ottomancities onApril2. She gave a brown bag presentation in the Arabic and Islamic Studies department
Continuedfrom page 11 on March 30 entitled "Global Campaigns, Local Culture: Medical Anthropology in a Time of War." On May 22, Dr. Onder will participate in a workshop for Turkish language teachersin Seattle,Washington.
Greg
Otfalea
gave a presentation at the Arab
American Women conference at Kansas State University March I2-I5 on o'Roseand the Four Sistersof Fate," about the four childless aunts on his father's side. Mr. Orfalea's book, Angeleno Days: An Arab American Writer on Family, Place, and Politics was published in February 2009 by the University of Arizona Pressand was showcasedby the Press at the Associated Writing Programs convention in Chicago on February 14. Mr. Orfalea has book signings this spring at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington,D.C. and at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena,California. He was invited to speak at a conference at the Sorbonne in Paris in March, but was unable to attend. He was also on a panel at Yvonne Haddad's Faculty Workshop on Arab Literature March 23, and spoke on "The Arab American Novel Post 9/11." Mr. Orfalea's collection of short stories, The Man Who Guarded the Bomb, will now appearin2010 from SyracuseUniversity Press.
Jean-Ffangois
at the SeZnec wasa discussant
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace regarding David Ottaway's book, The King's Messenger: Prince Bandar bin Sultan and America's Tangled Relationship With Saudi Arabia, on November 72,2008. In late January of this year, he spoke about "How the Persian Gulf States Will Survive the Economic Crisis" to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and he addressedindustrialization in the Gulf at the U.S. Naval Academy. In February he lectured on oil investments in the Gulf at Chatham House in London, and he gave a presentation on what to expect from the Obama administration to the Global Strategy Group Middle East in Kuwait. Dr. Seznechelped the GeorgetownBusiness School organrze its Dubai Global Residency class, which sent 100 MBA and IEMBA studentsto Dubai and Abu Dhabi in February and March. He has recently been elected to the Board of Directors of the Stimson Center, a think tank in Washington,D.C., and he hasalso given numerousinterviews to such news outfits as Bloomberg, Reuters,the Associated Press, T6l6Argent in Canada, Radio Canada, and the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Seznecwas taped for a new documentary on Saudi Arabia for the A&E cable channel as well. *