Arab
Education on Islam Varies Widely
Martha Woodall reports in the Lexington Herald-Leader on the varying amounts of knowledge American students have about Islam, the world's second largest religion, even two years after the September 11 attacks by Islamic extremists. After the attacks, educators moved to infuse curricula with more information about Islam; however, the way in which much of that information reaches students varies from school to school. Part of the problem is that teachers did not take classes on Islam while they were in college, and so are not prepared to teach about it effectively.
To read the complete article, visit:
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/living/religion/8555566.htm
Learn About the Muslim Religious Holiday Ramadan
[Source: WAECE-AMEI, Bulletin 201] Ramadan occurs in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. During this month Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset. It is believed this heightens spirituality and develops self-control. Each day a special effort is made to say five daily prayers. The end of Ramadan is a joyous occasion known as Eid-ul-Fitr typically lasting three days. It is known as the festival of ever-recurring happiness and is celebrated with special prayers, feasts, sweets and gift giving.
To learn more about the Muslim festivities, the food and traditions:
http://www.web-holidays.com/ramadan/index.asp
“Arab-American Teens Struggle With Rising Stress”
The Detroit News
October 22, 2004
Karen Bouffard reports on the increase in depression among Arab American teenagers. Experts say that more than 40 percent Arab-American teens suffer from depression. Many of these teens were uprooted from their homes and relocated to America, where they are keenly aware of the anti-Arab backlash that has followed September 11. Some have experienced or witnessed atrocities in their homelands or have heard gruesome tales of the torture and murder of their parents and grandparents. Most still have relatives who live in the Middle East, so they are touched more deeply than most by the news reports of continued suffering, violence and chaos in their native countries.
To read the entire article, go to:
http://www.detnews.com/2004/wayne/0410/22/b03-312178.htm
New Surge of Americans Studying in the Arab World
The Christian Science Monitor
November 10, 2004
Dan Murphy reports that a record number of Americans are studying Arabic and the Arab world. They are on the leading edge of an educational boom that has seen the initial shock and anger at the September 11, 2001, attacks feed a greater engagement with a region long neglected by US students and universities. This fall about 480 Americans are studying Arabic at the American University in Cairo (AUC), more than double the pre-9/11 enrollment. A Modern Language Association survey from fall 2002 found that 10,600 American students were studying Arabic, up from 5,500 in 1998. Educators say that number has continued to rise, with dozens of universities adding Arabic to their curricula.
To read the complete article, visit:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1110/p01s04-wome.html?s=hns
At Mecca, an Oasis of Open Debate
International Herald Tribune
January 20, 2005
Hassan M. Fattah reports on a presentation entitled "Mecca: The Cultural Capital of Islam," which, according to Mr. Fattah, was dry, but things got rolling in the question and answer session in a way quintessentially Meccan. One by one, audience members - a surprising number of them women - came to the microphone with questions that few others would dare ask publicly.
To read the entire article, visit:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/20/news/mecca.html