event archives july 2017 - august 2018 › files › 2018 › 07 › event-archives...event archives...

July 9, 2017 Persian Art Center in Carolina presents: A Night of Persian Poetry and Live Music Performance

Time 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location The Club House, 400 Oak Tree Drive

Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Categories Lecture

Description

Join the Persian Art Center in Carolina for an analysis of poetry of two great contemporary

Persian poets, Fereydoon Moshiri and Ahmad Shamloo. Speakers will include Dr. Amir Rezvani

and Mr. Yousef Amiri. The program will begin with a social from 4-4:30, followed by a welcome

and introduction by Dr. Amir Rezvani. From 4:45-6:00, there will be presentations by Rezvani

and Amiri, followed by an open forum and discussion. From 6:45-7:45 there will be live Persian

music and poetry readings from your favorite poets.

This event is free and open to public. *Please note that the this event will be in Persian. The

Persian Poetry Group in Chapel Hill honors, respects and promotes freedom of speech and

expression. For more information, please contact 919-259-0959.

Sponsors Persian Art Center in Carolina

August 19, 2017 Presentation: History of Durham’s Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center

Time 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location Durham County Library – Stanford L. Warren Branch Library, 1201 Fayetteville St.

Durham, NC

Categories Presentation, Lecture

Description

Join the Museum of Durham History for a look back at the rich history of this local institution.

Started in the 1950s, the Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center, formally Muhammad’s Mosque #34, is one of

the oldest Muslim communities in North Carolina. Naomi Feste, Community Curator, and Katie

Spencer, Curator, Museum of Durham History, will introduce this ongoing research project, and

welcome stories about its development from the local community.

SponsorsSponsored by the Durham County Library. Co-sponsored by the Museum of Durham History. For

more information, call 919-560-0268.

August 19, 2017 Pakistan’s 70th Independence Day Celebration

Time 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm

Location Cary Arts Center

101 Dry Ave, Cary, NC 27511

Categories Cultural Event

Description

The North Carolina Pakistani American Anjuman invites you to Pakistan’s 70th Independence

Day Celebration featuring the amazing band, Kaarma Nation at the Cary Arts Center. For more

information and tickets, contact 919-274-9373.

Sponsors North Carolina Pakistani American Anjuman, Media partner: Geet Bazaar Radio.

August 20, 2017 Week of Welcome: A Taste of Asia and the Middle East

Time 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Location New West

UNC Chapel Hill

Event Archives July 2017 - August 2018Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

Events at Duke, Events at UNC, Events in the Triangle


Description

Come to New West, home to UNC’s Department of Asian Studies, to try some Asian and Middle

Eastern delicacies, engage in cultural activities, and learn about courses and programs of study

focused on the largest and most populous continent in the world. For more information, please

contact Hanna Sprintzik at [email protected].

Sponsors UNC Department of Asian Studies

August 23, 2017 Cries from Syria Documentary Screening and Discussion

Time 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Location Haven Medical

121 S Estes Dr Ste 205, Chapel Hill, 27514

Categories Film/Documentary Screening

Description

Please join us for a screening of the documentary “Cries From Syria” by award winning

filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky. The film will be introduced by Duke professor of Political Science

Dr. Abdeslam Maghraoui. After the film, Mr. Afineevsky will skype in live from L.A. for a

questions. This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited: please register

at 919.969.1414. The film contains some mature content. It should not be viewed by children

under the age of 14 without adult supervision.

Sponsors Haven Medical

August 27, 2017 The International Block Party

Time 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location Raleigh City Plaza

400 Fayetteville St. Raleigh, NC 27601

Categories Multi-Cultural Event

Description

Held at City Plaza, the heart of downtown Raleigh, this free event offers a comprehensive

experience that allows participants to interact with multicultural arts in a fun and safe

atmosphere through visual arts, dance, music, cuisine, and traditional expression from around

the world. Food, Desserts, Bazaars, Dances and Live Bands from around the world in downtown

Raleigh! Come see a vibrant and affluent downtown! Travel the world without flying or driving …

Just walking!

Sponsors International Focus NC

August 28, 2018 Memorial Service for Rula Quawas 1960-2017

Time 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location FedEx Global Education Center, room 4003

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Memorial

Description

Please join us for a memorial service for Dr. Rula Quawas, professor of American Literature in

the Department of English at the University of Jordan. Dr. Quawas, an accomplished scholar and

champion for women’s rights in the Arab World, maintained close ties with UNC Chapel Hill

where she mentored students and collaborated with faculty on a number of projects. Friends,

colleagues, and former students of Dr. Quawas are encouraged to join us in remembering this

exceptional scholar and human being.

Sponsors UNC Chapel Hill

September 1, 2017Turkey Today: “Affective geopolitics: Entanglements of geopolitical lives of Syrian refugees in

Turkey”

Time 12:15 pm - 1:45 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

The war in Syria is transforming bodies and territories well beyond the sites of the fighting.

Today, there are over 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey and very few of these refugees live in

camps while most live in cities. For Turkey, the war has reconfigured (geo)political and spatial

imaginaries in ways that both express and exceed the real conditions of the crisis. In this talk, Dr.

Banu Gökarıksel will address the embodied, affective geopolitics of the Syrian war from the

perspective of ordinary Turkish nationals (in Istanbul, Konya, and Malatya, focus group research

conducted in 2014-2016) in relation to their encounters both with Syrian refugees and the

discourses that frame or contest Turkey’s official ‘open door’ policy.

Dr. Banu Gökarıksel is Associate Professor of Geography at UNC-CH and the co-editor of the

Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies (2014-2018). Her work engages feminist geography and

geopolitics with a focus on gender, bodies and public space.

SponsorsCenter for European Studies and TransAtlantic Masters Program, Duke Middle East Studies

Center, Carolina MidEast Center, Duke-UNC Consortium for MidEast Studies, Duke Center for

Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Duke History Department, European Union

September 4, 2017 "The Ethics of Stories in Contested Terrain" with Ben Ehrenreich

Time 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Location Ahmadieh Family Conference Room (101) West Duke Building on East Campus

Duke University

Categories Book Discussion

Description

On Sept. 4, journalist and novelist Ben Ehrenreich will discuss his most recent book, The Way to

the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine , which the New York Times calls, “Both heartbreaking

and eye-opening.” As a writer who works across genres, he will also discuss he broader

challenges of expressing truth when few agree on the basic terms of a debate. In his reporting

for the book, Ehrenreich traveled to and lived in the West Bank, staying with Palestinian families

in its largest cities and its smallest villages.

Sponsors Kenan Institute for Ethics

September 5, 2017Discussion: How Do We Approach the Problem? Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the

Complexities of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion Today

Time 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Location Stone Center Theater

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Book Discussion

Description

How do experts from different fields approach important problems facing us today? Author

Moustafa Bayoumi and UNC professors from across campus will discuss the complex issues

raised by Bayoumi’s book, How Does it Feel to be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America .

Faculty from the sciences and the humanities will join Bayoumi for a dynamic conversation of

these issues and questions raised by the audience.

Sponsors UNC Integrated Curricula Program, 2017 Carolina Summer Reading Program

September 6, 2017 New Gaza Short Films: The Student Eye (Discussant: Ahmed Mansour)

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location Ahmadieh Family Conference Hall, Room 240 John Hope Franklin Center

Duke University

Categories Film Screening

Description

A program introduced by Center for Documentary Studies instructor Nancy Kalow of six recent

short films by university students residing in Gaza, using a variety of forms from documentary to

experimental. The films are a uniquely vital commentary on today’s closed Gaza; kinetic

performance footage of parkour, for example, is contrasted with expressive reflections on daily

challenges. Films were made by students at Al Aqsa University, Al Azhar University, and Birzeit

University. A NYU documentary graduate student from Gaza, Ahmed Mansour, will be the

discussant and lead a Q&A.

Sponsors John Hope Franklin Center, Duke International and Global Studies Center

September 6, 2017Presentation: Moustafa Bayoumi, author of How Does it Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young

and Arab in America & Book Signing

Time 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Memorial Hall

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Presentation, Book Signing

Description

Join Moustafa Bayoumi, author of the 2017 Carolina Summer Reading selection, How Does it

Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America, for insight into the book and where the

characters are today. Hear his stories of what living in America post-September 11th was like

and often still is for many Arab-Americans today. Information about tickets for this event will be

posted in mid-August. Get your copy of How Does it Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and

Arab in America autographed by the author after his speaking engagement.

Sponsors 2017 Carolina Summer Reading Program

September 6, 2017 Film: Docunight #41: Out of Focus / Promised Land

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location 1304 Campus Dr, Durham, NC, Room 209

Duke University


Description

Out of Focus profiles the artist Afshin Naghouni. Born and raised in Iran, he suffered a

catastrophic spinal cord injury during a birthday party in Tehran when he fell from the seventh

floor of a building while trying to escape from Iranian police. He was able to move to Great

Britain seventeen years ago for treatment and has rebuilt his life, getting married and now

working as an artist from his wheelchair.

Sponsors Graduate Student Association of Iranians at Duke

September 7, 2017 UNC Study Abroad Fair

Time 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location Great Hall, Student Union

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

The Study Abroad Fair has representatives from all over the world, study abroad staff, and past

study abroad students are available to answer your questions about studying almost anywhere

in the world! Come and see how you can join the #Heelsabroad network! Please come prepared

with questions.

Sponsors UNC Study Abroad Program

September 8, 2017Turkey Today | Public Talk: Authoritarian Backlash: An Interregional Comparison of Turkey

and Venezuela

Time 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Location Old Chem

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

In this public talk, former US Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson and Former US Ambassador

to Venezuela Patrick Duddy will provide a comparative analysis of authoritarian government,

civil society, and political crisis.

Sponsors

Forum for Scholars and Publics, Duke University Middle East Studies Center, Center for Latin

American & Caribbean Studies, and the Department of Political Science. Turkey Today is

cosponsored by the Duke Middle East Studies Center, the Carolina Center for the Study of the

Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, the

Duke Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Duke History Department; and is

supported by funding from the European Union

September 8, 2017 Film Screening: Changing the World, One Wall at a Time

Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location FedEx Global Education Center

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

As the largest religious minority in Iran, The Baha’is have been persecuted by the government

since the Revolution in 1979; Baha’i students are systematically barred from attaining higher

education. Join us for a film screening about one of the largest street art campaigns that

emerged as part of a larger movement to call attention to these human rights violations and call

for a change in the conditions of the Baha’is in Iran.

SponsorsUNC Baha’i Club, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, and

Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

September 9, 2017 Free Documentary Screening: The Eye of Istanbul

Time 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location 122 E Chatham St, Cary, NC 27511

The Cary Theater


Description

THE EYE OF ISTANBUL tells the story of Ara Güler, the legendary Armenian-Turkish

photographer, through the culmination of his retrospective exhibition in Istanbul. At 87 years

old, Ara is a complex and unforgettable character; he is still sharp, irreverent, funny and

philosophical. Although he is mostly recognized for his black and white photographs of Istanbul,

he has enjoyed an international career, which has spanned over sixty years and has generated

more than 1 million photographs.

Sponsors American-Turkish Association of North Carolina

September 9, 2017 A Night for Palestine

Time 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Location 5400 S Miami Bvd Ste 138. Durham, NC 27703

Baba Ghannouj Mediterranean


Description

Come hear from diverse speakers who have recently visited the West Bank and/or Gaza Strip. A

buffet dinner will be served at 6pm. Honored speakers include Matthew Hoh, Atrayus Goode,

and Serene Alsous, followed by a performance by Palestinian-American artist Sijal Nasralla and

the Baladna Dabkeh group. We will be paying tribute to Palestinian culture with music and

dance performances.

Sponsors Coalition for Peace and Justice

September 9, 2017 Eid Banquet

Time 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Penn Pavilion

Duke University


Description

Join the Duke Muslim Students’ Association in celebrating Eid-al-Adha with the annual Eid

Baquet! Come for free food catered from Flame Kabob and local Durham bakers, stay for

individual and group performances, dancing and fun!

Sponsors Duke Muslim Student Association

September 10, 2017 Persian Art Center in Carolina: Iranian Poetry and Music

Time 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Location 400 Oak Tree Drive (The Club House)



Description

Join the Persian Art Center in Carolina for an evening of poetry and music featuring Hayla

Siddiqui. The program will begin with a welcome and introduction by Dr. Amir Rezvani, 4:30-

4:45pm. From 4:45-6:00pm, there will be a presentation by Mr. Shahram Mazhari. From 6:45-

7:45pm, there will be live Persian music and poetry readings.


September 13, 2017 Lecture: Muslims in South Asia with Ali Mian, Ph.D.

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm


Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Professor Mian will speak on the emergence, expansion and contemporary condition of Muslims

in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Ali Altaf Mian is assistant professor of Islamic studies in the

Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Seattle University. He completed his Ph.D. in

religious studies in 2015 from Duke University. His research interests include: Islam in South

Asia; Islamic law and ethics; gender and sexuality; feminist theory and practice; Sufism and

comparative mysticism; continental philosophy; comparative religion; theory and method in the

study of religion. Currently, he is working on two manuscripts: Muslims in South Asia

(contracted with Edinburgh University Press, forthcoming in 2019) and Surviving Modernity:

Ashraf ‘Ali Thanvi (1863-1943) and the Politics of Muslim Orthodoxy in Colonial India. His

publications have appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Islamic Studies, Muslim World,

and Journal of Shi‘a Islamic Studies.

Sponsors John Hope Franklin Center and Duke’s Islamic Studies Center

September 14, 2017 Visiting Lebanese Scholars: Reception and Presentation

Time 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location 1911 Building (NCSU), Seminar Room 125

North Carolina State University

Categories Presentation

DescriptionThe Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies invites you to join us September 14th for a

reception and presentation of the research of 7 visiting Lebanese scholars.

Sponsors Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies

September 14, 2017 Turkey Today | Film: Middle East Film Festival: Kedi

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location East Duke, Room 209

Duke University


Description

Witness the ancient city of Instanbul through, not the eyes of humans, but through the eyes of

cats and kittens. This film highlights the daily lives of seven stray cats that have roamed the

streets freely, enriching the lives of people that they come into contact with.

Sponsors Duke University Middle East Studies Center

September 14, 2017 &

October 1, 2017 Performance: Closer Than They Appear and Panel Discussions

Time 9/14: 8:00 pm & 10/1: 4:00 pm

Location Swain Hall, Studio 6

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Performance

Description

Closer Than They Appear tells the colliding stories of Michael, an African American veteran

undergoing virtual reality therapy for PTSD, and Zaynab, a teenager from Fallujah blogging

during the Iraq war. It explores the haunted human lives—both American and Iraqi—that

shadow the digital surfaces through which we wage, view, and recover from war. The play

blends scripted live performance with projections developed from the animated landscapes of

Virtual Iraq, a virtual-reality program based on video-game graphics and developed as a therapy

tool for US veterans suffering from PTSD. Featuring Elisabeth Lewis Corley, Trevor Johnson,

and Smita Misra. Join the Process Series for two panel discussions, one focused on virtual reality

in education at the Morehead Planetarium, September 15th, and one focused on veterans and

civilian casualties following the matinee on Sunday, September 24th. There will also be a talk

back with the audience and the creative team following the preview on September 15th. See

website for more information and to purchase tickets.

Sponsors A collaboration of The Process Series, StreetSigns, and Playwrights Welcome.

September 18, 2017 Hajj: Legacy of Abraham - An Epic Journey through History

Time 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location Islamic Association of Raleigh

808 Atwater Street, Raleigh, NC


Description

The Islamic Association of Raleigh would like to open its doors and invite you as guests as we

explore the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajj, and the Legacy of Prophet

Abraham through an Islamic perspective in an effort to better inform ourselves about the

shared roots of the Semitic religions. We hope you will our enjoy our presentation about the

pilgrimage and how it honors the legacy of Prophet Abraham and his family, booths that

showcase Muslim life throughout the world, and delectable treats.

Sponsors Islamic Association of Raleigh

September 18, 2017 Panel Discussion: DACA in Crisis

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Panel

Description

On Monday, September 18, there will be a panel discussion and information session titled

“DACA in Crisis,” which brings together five panelists working on various aspects of DACA and

undocumented issues on campus and in the community. The purpose of this panel is to provide

information about the current status of DACA, its impending repeal, and related undocumented

student concerns on campus. Being undocumented comes with its own obstacles and this

requires special attention from university faculty, staff, and students. This session will discuss

how the UNC-CH community can better understand these issues and support fellow students,

colleagues, and coworkers.

Sponsors UNC Chapel Hill

September 20, 2017 Reception and Talk: Meet Minister Gebran Bassil

Time 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location Triangle Lebanese Center

241 Horizon Dr, Raleigh, NC 27615

Categories Presentation / Speaker

Description A reception for Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Mr. Gebran Bassil.

Sponsors Triangle Lebanese Center, Embassy of Lebanon, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs

September 22, 2017 Meet the Author: Zeynep Tufekci

Time 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Location Chapel Hill Public Library

100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Categories Presentation, Book talk

Description

The Friends of Chapel Hill Public Library welcome in authors and literary figures on a regular

basis to read from their works, speak with members of the audience, and share refreshments.

Join us for a book talk by author Zeynep Tufecki on Friday, September 22. Her new book, Twitter

and Tear Gas; The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest, examines political movements and

how governments have responded to the rise of digital tools with their own methods.

Sponsors Chapel Hill Public Library

September 22, 2017 Urdu Majlis: The life and works of Akhtar Sheerani (1905-1948)

Time 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join the Triangle’s Urdu Literary Forum for a conversation on the life and works of Akhtar

Sheerani (1905-1948). Akhtar Sheerani is considered to be one of the leading romantic poets of

Urdu language.

Sponsors Carolina Asia Center and the South Asia Section of the UNC Dept. of Asian Studies

September 25, 2017 -

November 3, 2017 Art Exhibit: Annenberg Space for Photography’s REFUGEE

Time

Location The Friday Center

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Gallery/Exhibit

Description

According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the number of displaced people has reached over

65 million globally. Through images created by five internationally acclaimed artists, REFUGEE is

a multimedia art exhibit exploring the lives of refugees from a host of diverse populations

dispersed and displaced throughout the world. The exhibit features photographs taken in

Bangladesh, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Mexico, Myanmar, Serbia,

Slovenia, and the United States. This timely exhibition of 125 portrait photographs, stories, and

accompanying film allows audiences to engage with aspects of the plight of refugees not

previously encountered, and to reflect on a full range of refugee experiences through singular

images that offer visitors insight into the plight of refugees, including their efforts to survive,

their needs, their dreams and their hopes for a better future.

Sponsors Friday Center

September 25th, 2017

Turkey Today | Lecture: The Formation of Turkish Republicanism with Professor Banu

Turnaoğlu, University of Cambridge

Time 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Location DeBerry Boardroom 3009, FedEx Global Education Center

UNC-Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description This event is part of the Turkey Today Fall 2017 series.

Sponsors

Duke Middle East Studies Center, the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and

Muslim Civilizations, the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, the Duke Center for

Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Duke History Department

September 27, 2017 The Middle East and Islam in Global History: Three New Books

Time 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Location Rubenstein Library Holsti-Anderson Family Assembly Room 153

Duke University

Categories Book launch

Description

Book launch event with three authors: Cemil Aydin (UNC), The Idea of the Muslim World

(Harvard UP, 2017), Will Hanley (FSU), Identifying with Nationality (Columbia UP, 2017), Adam

Mestyan (Duke), Arab Patriotism (Princeton UP, 2017)

SponsorsDepartment of History, Duke Islamic Studies Center, and Duke University Middle East Studies

Center

September 27, 2017 Reclaiming and Retelling our Stories Featuring Mark Gonzales

Time 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location The Landing, Bryan Center

Duke University


Description

Join the Center for Muslim life for Reclaiming and Retelling our Stories. In today’s world, it is

more important than ever that we are able to vocalize our own narratives. But what does it

mean when the narratives/stories that were given to you either no longer fit your reality. Or

they are not the ones you choose to accept or pass on. Join us as we explore what it means to

recreate your narrative. After the conversation, we will be physically manifesting our new

narratives through multiple art mediums like painting, etc. Select art work will be featured in the

Brown Gallery. Our speaker for the evening will be none other than Mark Gonzales: Mark

Gonzales is a storyteller, professor, father, and a futurist of social possibility. He specializes in

creative potential, engagement strategies, and the unique role stories play in the human

operating system. For over 20 years, he has worked with the private and the public sector to

synthesize the best practices and fabulous failures of civilizations into strategic visions for the

next stage of human power and potential.

SponsorsCenter for Muslim Life, The Center for Multicultural Affairs, UCAE, Mi Gente, DUU Visual Arts

and The Campus Center

September 28, 2017“50 Years of Occupation, 1967-2017: Israel/Palestine, Histories and Futures” | The

Anthropologist and the Settler: Updates From the Field in Israel/Palestine, Joyce Dalsheim

Time 11:45 am - 1:45 pm

Location 011 Old Chem

Duke University


Description

Who are Israeli settlers? What is the Israeli settlement project? Is settlement synonomous with

occupation? Having recently returned from fieldwork in Israel/Palestine, anthropologist Joyce

Dalsheim will share insights from the field. She will discuss the case of religiously motivated

Jewish settlers, the question of what constitutes Israeli Occupation, and Israeli opposition to

ongoing settlement in post-1967 Israeli occupied territories. Her talk will raise questions about

how perceived social, religious, and political divisions among Israeli Jews may disguise

fundamental similarities and work toward promoting a political project many claim to oppose. A

light lunch will be served.

SponsorsDuke Center for Jewish Studies, the Forum for Scholars and Publics, the Franklin Humanities

Institute, and the Duke University Middle East Studies Center

September 28, 2017Public Talk: Before Kaepernick: Dissent, Human Rights, and the Black Muslim Athlete – A talk

with Zareena Grewal

Time 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Location West Duke 101, East Campus

Duke University


Description

Zareena Grewal is a historical anthropologist and a documentary filmmaker at Yale University

whose research focuses on race, gender, religion, nationalism, and transnationalism across a

wide spectrum of American Muslim communities. Her first book, Islam is a Foreign Country:

American Muslims and the Global Crisis of Authority (NYU 2013), is an ethnography of

transnational Muslim networks that link US mosques to Islamic movements in the post-colonial

Middle East through debates about the reform of Islam. Her first film, By the Dawn’s Early Light:

Chris Jackson’s Journey to Islam (Cinema Guild 2004), examines the racialization of Islam and

the scrutiny of American Muslims’ patriotism long before September 11 2001. Her forthcoming

book, titled Is the Quran a Good Book?, combines ethnographic and cultural studies analyses

with historical research to trace the place of the Islamic scripture in the American imagination,

particularly in relation to national debates about tolerance. She has received awards for her

writing and research grants from the Fulbright, Wenner-Gren and Luce Foundations.

Sponsors The Kenan Institute for Ethics and Duke Islamic Studies Center

September 28, 2017 Reception and Talk: Lebanese Artist Joumana Medlej

Time 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Crafts Center, 210 Jensen Dr, Raleigh, NC 27606

NC State University

Categories Gallery/Exhibit and Presentation

Description

As part of its Artist-in- Residence program, the Khayrallah Center is hosting Ms. Joumana

Medlej. Please join us for the opening of an exhibition of her work and a talk titled Art in Times

of Crisis .

Sponsors Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies & Arts NC State

September 28, 2017 How Did Humans Come to be on Planet Earth and Where to Next – Dr. Firouz Naderi

Time 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location Fitzpatrick Schiciano Auditorium

Duke University


Description

The Graduate Student Association of Iranians at Duke proudly presents a public speech by Dr.

Firouz Naderi that “traces humans’ cosmic roots to present and discusses where we, or our

robotic emissaries, will be headed next and the exponential technology that will disrupt our

future, for better and worse”. Dr. Naderi was a member of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

since 1979 until 2016 and served as NASA’s Program Manager for Mars exploration between

2000-2012.


September 28, 2017 Film Screening: Ahlaam (Dreams, 2006)

Time 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location East Duke – 209

Duke University


Description

Baghdad 2003, two days before the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Three people are trying to

survive amidst the bombed-out ruins and have found temporary refuge in a psychiatric hospital.

Through their memories we discover something about their past. The student Ahlaam was just

about to get married when she was stunned by the arrest of her fiancé, a soldier. Medhi is an

idealist, a natural outcome of his role in the medical profession. Ali is a patient at the hospital, a

former soldier who desired nothing else but to loyally serve his country. After American bombs

destroy his unit, he becomes a traumatized wreck. The feature-length debut by Mohamed Al-

Daradji, inspired by real events, through the eyes of ordinary people.

Sponsors Duke University

September 29, 2017 Symposium: The Corpse Exhibition : Iraqi Literature after 2003

Time 1:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Location East Duke- Pink Parlor

Duke University

Categories Symposium

Description

The American occupation of Iraq produced a boom in dystopian novels and short stories.

Trauma from two preceding wars, sanctions, and draconian censorship by the Ba’athist regime

flood these works. This symposium brings together writers and scholars to discuss the role of

cultural production in reflecting upon the symposium in Iraq after the 2003 US invasion.

SponsorsDuke University Middle East Studies Center, Novel Project at Duke, AMES Presents, the Franklin

Humanities Institute, and the Program in Literature

September 30, 2017 In Memoriam: Remembering the Life of Dr. Ali Paydarfar

Time 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location Nelson Mandela Auditorium, FedEx Global Education Center

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Memorial

Description

This event is a memorial for Dr. Ali Paydarfar, a sociologist who was for many years associated

with social science research at UNC, and who is also well known for his pioneering demographic

research in Iran. It will be an opportunity for family and friends to share memories of a much

admired personality.

SponsorsUNC Persian Studies, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

October 1, 2017 Paper Presentation: “Performing Hostility: the Wagah Border Soundscape”

Time 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Location Person Hall

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

John Caldwell will be presenting a paper on “Performing Hostility: the Wagah Border

Soundscape” Friday, Sept. 29 at 5:00 pm on the UNC Campus as part of the Annual Conference

of the South Central Graduate Music Consortium (UNC, Duke, and UVA).

Sponsors

Graduate School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fine Arts & Humanities in

UNC College of Arts & Sciences, UNC Music Department, Duke Music Department, UVA Music

Department

October 2, 2017Networked Revolutions: Understanding Protest Mobilization in Middle East and North African

Regimes

Time 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location 271 Hamilton Hall

UNC-Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture/Presentation

DescriptionLecture: Ashley Anderson, Carolina Postdoctoral Fellow, UNC-Chapel Hill, “Networked

Revolutions: Understanding Protest Mobilization in Middle East and North African Regimes.”

Sponsors Department of Political Science, UNC-Chapel Hill

October 2, 2017“50 Years of Occupation, 1967-2017: Israel/Palestine, Histories and Futures” | Still Life:

Experiences of a Palestinian Exile, Diana Allan

Time 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location Duke University Smith Warehouse, Bay 4, Ahmadieh Family Lecture Hall

114 S. Buchanan Blvd. Durham, NC


Description

The importance of place and memory in preserving a people’s history are crucial to Diana Allan’s

illuminating documentary. Still Life examines the role that a series of personal photos that

survived the 1948 displacement play in the life of Said Ismael Otruk, an elderly Palestinian from

Acre now living in exile in Lebanon. These images play a central role as Said recalls his childhood

and the halcyon days of his youth. His memories are not always accurate, so he relies on the

photographs he managed to take with him. They are images of young boys, of the port, of

fishing boats and the sea. Allan will also be showing clips from a work in progress.

SponsorsDuke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute, Co-sponsored by the Program in

the Arts and the Moving Image, Duke Screen Society, Humanities Futures, the Human Rights

Archive, The Center for Jewish Studies, and the Trent Foundation, AMES Present.

October 4, 2017 Cyber Sufism: Lessons from the Landscape of American Digital Islam with Dr. Rob Rozehal

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm


Duke University


Description

Within the hybrid, multicultural landscape of American religious life, Cyberspace offers tech-

savvy Muslims an alternative platform for narratives and networking, piety and performance.

Since the adoption of the printing press, Sufis have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adopt

and adapt to emerging media technologies. Even so, the expanding use of the Internet by global

Sufi communities remains largely unexplored by academic scholarship. What is ‘new’ about new

media, and what is the future of digital religion? Drawing on new research, this talk spotlights

key patterns, tropes and trajectories in Cyber Sufism by exploring how several contemporary

American Sufi orders employ the Internet as a mediascape for the refashioning of authority,

identity and ritual practice.

Sponsors John Hope Franklin Center, and the Duke Islamic Studies Center

October 4, 2017 Photography Exhibition Opening Reception: Garmsir Marines

Time 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Location Forest Theater

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Exhibit

DescriptionJoin Arts Everywhere and Click! Photography Festival for lunch and Q&A with photographer

Louie Palu. The Garmsir Marines Photography Exhibition is an outdoor exhibition of large format

portraits of U.S. Marines taken on the front line in Afghanistan.

Sponsors Arts Everywhere and Click! Photography Festival

October 4, 2017Lecture: Hanuman’s Tunnel: Space, Geography and the Unseen in the Indian Ocean before

European Colonialism, Prof. Scott Reese (Northern Arizona University)

Time 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location 4003 FedEx Global Education Center

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Scott Reese (PhD in African and Islamic History, University of Pennsylvania, 1996; MA in African

Studies, Ohio University, 1990) is a historian of Islam in Africa and the western Indian Ocean.

Reese focuses specifically on comparative history aimed at breaking down many of the regional

and geographic categories currently in use across the academy. His main research interests are

comparative Sufism, modern Muslim discourses of reform, and the construction of world

systems both in fact and imagination since 1500. He currently explores the role of Muslim

religious discourse in mediating the social consequences of empire. Focusing on the British

Settlement of Aden, located in present-day Yemen, this new project explores how Muslims from

across Britain’s empire use the commonality of their faith to fashion a new community within

the spaces created by imperial rule. Reese has published numerous scholarly articles as well as

two book length collections. He is currently the Senior Editor of the journal Islamic Africa.

SponsorsCarolina Asia Center, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations,

Carolina Seminar on Transnational and Modern Global History, Erasmus +/European Union, UNC-

CH Center for European Studies, and US Department of Education

October 4, 2017Lecture: Subduing the Saints: State Control over Sufi Lodges in Late Ottoman and Modern

Turkey

Time 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Location West Duke 101 – Ahmadieh Family Conference Room

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

A lecture by Prof. Brett Wilson (CEU). Increasing state control over religious institutions has

played a pivotal role in modernization projects in Turkey dating back to the early nineteenth

century. In 1925, the Turkish state abolished Sufi orders (mystical brotherhoods) and shuttered

their lodges in what was, for the 1920s, among the most radical interventions by a state in the

everyday practice of Islam. This act marked the culmination of a century religious reforms in the

late Ottoman Empire and set the stage for the development of underground Islamic networks

that formed both pious social movements as well as Islamic politics in modern Turkey. Brett

Wilson is Associate Professor of History at Central European University. He received his PhD at

Duke University in 2009 and is the author of Translating the Qur’an in an Age of Nationalism:

Print Culture and Modern Islam in Turkey (Oxford University Press, 2014)

Sponsors Duke History Department and the Duke University Middle East Studies Center

October 4, 2017 Film Screening and Discussion: The Syrian Conflict and its Everyday Heroes

Time 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Carolina Union Auditorium

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

You read Rasha’s story of emigrating from Syria in How Does it Feel to Be a Problem? and often

hear about Syria in the news today. Join the Carolina Summer Reading Program and Student Life

& Leadership to learn more about the current Syrian war and the civilians who risk their lives to

help others. Professor Navid Bapat from Political Science will provide groundwork for a viewing

of the Netflix Original Documentary The White Helmets .

Sponsors Carolina Summer Reading Program

October 5-7, 2017 Annual Meeting of the Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism Network

Time

Location Bingham

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Conference

Description

The Annual Meeting of the Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism Network is an interdisciplinary

conference involving an international group of scholars dedicated to the study of the Nag

Hammadi Codices as well as significant related Coptic and early Christian and late ancient

literature. Each year the NHGN meets on a different university campus (Yale 2011; Princeton

2012; Laval 2014; Harvard, 2015; Austin, 2016) to connect doctoral students with junior and

senior scholars working on this material. The conference is organized around the presentation of

pre-circulated working papers and a keynote address. This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr.

David Brakke from the History Department at The Ohio State University. His address is entitled,

“The Gnostic Origins of Christian Biblical Interpretation: From Gospel to Commentary,” and will

be given on Friday, October 6th at 4pm in 103 Bingham Hall.

Sponsors

UNC College of Arts and Sciences, UNC Department of Classics, UNC Department of Religious

Studies, The Center for Late Ancient Studies, UNC Department of History, Duke University:

Classical Studies Department, Duke University: Department of Religious Studies, Carolina Center

for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East

Studies

October 5, 2017 Film Screening: My name is Khan

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location 103 Bingham Hall

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Film Screeining

Description

Join us for the next film in the Fall South Asia Film Series. “My Name is Khan” tells the story of

Rizwan Khan (played by Shah Rukh Khan) whose family struggles with Islamophobia and racism

in America. In Hindi-Urdu with English subtitles – free admission.

SponsorsCarolina Asia Center, the Carolina Union, and the South Asia Section of the UNC Dept. of Asian

Studies

October 6-7, 2017 Translating Islam: A Conference in Honor of Carl Ernst

Time

Location Hampton Inn & Suites, Downtown Chapel Hill/Carrboro

370 E. Main Street, Carrboro, NC 27510


Description

Carl Ernst has devoted his academic life to translating Islam, linguistically and culturally. From his

first book, Words of Ecstasy in Sufism (1985), to his most recent book, co-edited with Fabrizio

Speziale, Perso-Indica: An Analytical Survey of Persian Works on Indian Learned

Traditions (2017), he has focused on how Islamic concepts have traveled across time and space.

This conference, organized around themes in Islamic studies that Ernst’s work has addressed,

evokes and expands on the major contributions of this fertile, creative translator of texts, ideas,

and traditions within the orb of Islam.

SponsorsDepartment of Religious Studies, Global Education Fund/College of Arts & Sciences, Chancellor’s

Global Education Fund, Institute of Arts & Humanities, Carolina Center for the Study of the

Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

October 6, 2017 Concert: An Evening of Persian Music, Rohab Ensemble with vocalist Sepideh Raissadat

Time 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location Stone Center Auditorium

UNC-Chapel Hill

Categories Concert, Performance

Description

As part of the event, “Translating Islam: A Conference in Honor of Carl Ernst,” join us for an

evening of Persian Classical Music. The Rohab Ensemble brings three acclaimed maestros from

the celebrated Dastan Ensemble – Hossein Behroozinia (barbat – lute), Saeed Farajpoori

(kamancheh – spike fiddle), and Behnam Samani (tombak – goblet drum), together with Hamid

Behrouzinia (tar – lute). The Rohab Ensemble is accompanied by the entrancing, lilting voice of

Sepideh Raissadat. Together, they offer a repertoire of classical Iranian music, featuring

romantic, and joyous pieces with lyrics that include poems from the vast treasury of classical

Persian poetry.

Sponsors

Iranian Cultural Society of NC (ICSNC), The Arts@TheCore initiative at Carolina Performing Arts,

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Persian Studies Program at UNC Chapel Hill, Graduate

Student Association of Iranians at Duke University (GSAID), and the Carolina Center for the

Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

October 8, 2017 Tribute to Forough Farrokhzad with Dr. Farzaneh Milani

Time 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location Duke University West Campus, Divinity School, Room 152

Duke University


Description

The celebration will include a speech by Professor Farzaneh Milani of the University of Virginia

followed by a Persian classical music by Syavoosh Pourfazli (tar) and Shahram Mazhari (santoor,

tonbak and vocal). Farzaneh Milani completed her graduate studies in Comparative Literature in

1979 at the University of California in Los Angeles. Her dissertation, “Forugh Farrokhzad: A

Feminist Perspective” was a critical study of the poetry of a pioneering Iranian poet. A past

president of the Association of Middle Eastern Women Studies in America, Milani was the

recipient of All University Teaching Award in 1998 and nominated for Virginia Faculty of the Year

in 1999.

SponsorsPersian Art Center in Carolina and the Persian Students Association at Duke in collaboration with

Iranian Students Association at NCSU

October 9, 2017 Film Screening: Dalya’s Other Country

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location 201 Parks Shops, 101 Current Dr, Raleigh, NC 27607

NC State University


Description

The Khayrallah Center invites you to attend the premiere screening in North Carolina of Dalya’s

Other Country, and to a conversation with the co-producer Moustafa Zeno. In 2012 Dalya and

her mother Rudayna fled Aleppo for Los Angeles as war took over. Months before, Rudayna

learns a secret that destroys her marriage, leaving her single at midlife. Arriving in LA, Dalya

enrolls as the only Muslim at Holy Family Catholic High School. Can mother and daughter

remake themselves while holding on to their Islamic traditions?


October 11, 2017 Policing Muslim Identity During the Time of Trump – A talk with Khaled Beydoun

Time 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Location West Duke 101, Ahmadieh Family Conference Room

Duke University


Description

The Duke Human Rights Center at the Kenan Institute for Ethics, along with the Duke Islamic

Studies Center, host its second event Oct. 11 as part of the “American Muslims, Civil and Human

Rights” series, which examines the current human rights crisis for Muslims in the U.S. Khaled

Beydoun, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, will

present the talk, “Policing Muslim Identity During the Time of Trump” from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the

Ahmadieh Family Conference Room (101) in the West Duke Building on East Campus.

Sponsors Duke Human Rights Center at the Kenan Institute for Ethics

October 11, 2017 Presentation: Raising Moderate Voices: A Conversation with Obada Shtaya

Time 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Student Union Room 3411

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join OneVoice at UNC as we hear from Obada Shtaya, a Palestinian working for the OneVoice

Movement in Washington, D.C. He will provide a brief introduction to the Israeli-Palestinian

conflict, share his personal experiences as an activist, and discuss what OneVoice is doing to

promote grassroots efforts in the region.

Sponsors OneVoice at UNC

October 12, 2017 Lunch Discussion with Ambassador Cofer Black

Time 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location Hamilton Hall, room 569

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lunch

Description

Ambassador Cofer Black is an internationally recognized authority on counterterrorism, cyber

security, national security, and foreign affairs, with private sector experience and expertise in

international business development and strategy, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. In a

government career spanning thirty years and serving at the highest levels of the CIA and the

State Department, Ambassador Black conceived and executed highly effective programs of

international significance. Ambassador Black received the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the

CIA’s highest award for achievement.

Sponsors Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense

October 12, 2017 Webinar: The Art of Revolution: Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria

Time 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Webinar

Description

This seminar explores the historical contexts leading to the eruption of the uprisings known as

the Arab Spring in early 2011. After a brief introduction to politics in Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria,

we turn to the flowering of music, art, graffiti, poetry, film, and digital media that gave

expression to the revolutionary unrest. We focus on the influence of religion, religious parties,

and religious movements in Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria—in the post-uprising elections,

governments, and constitutions. Although the 2011 uprisings initially seemed to be lit by the

same spark, they had very different outcomes in these different cases. The Humanities in Class

Webinars from the National Humanities Center are live, interactive professional development

webinars on compelling topics by leading scholars for humanities educators and advocates of all

levels.

SponsorsNational Humanities Center, the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim

Civilizations, and the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

October 12, 2017 Refugees: A Global Crisis: Refugee Protection Today: Conflict and Potential

Time 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location Friday Center

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Niklaus Steiner is the director of the Center for Global Initiatives at the University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a native of Thun, Switzerland, who moved to Chapel Hill with his

family when his father became a professor at Carolina. Nicklaus has had the good fortune of

moving between cultures his whole life, so he is deeply committed to providing global

opportunities to all Carolina students. He earned a bachelor’s degree with highest honors in

international studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in political science at Northwestern

University. Because of his own movement across borders and cultures, his research and

teaching interests are immigration, refugees, nationalism and citizenship.


October 14, 2017 Cultural Event: “Celebrating Resistance Bonfire”

Time 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location 2505 Simpkins Rd, Raleigh, NC 27603-4433

Categories Cultural event

Description

The “Celebrating Resistance Bonfire” by Muslim Women For will feature various performances

embracing culture and history, such as hip hop performances, step teams, Palestinian Dapka,

spoken word, etc. There will also be prominent members from our community who will speak

and ground our space, which will be shared with various community organizations and

nonprofits. This will also be a kid-friendly event with social justice story time for children of all

ages.

Sponsors Muslim Women For.

October 17, 2017 Lecture and Book Signing with Dr. Trita Parsi: “Why Diplomacy Succeeded with Iran”

Time 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Nelson Mandela Auditorium, FedEx Global Education Center

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

The Iran Nuclear deal prevented both a war with Iran and an Iranian nuclear weapons option.

The road to this historic achievement was long and arduous. Today, the current administration

has threatened to kill the deal, bringing the US and Iran once again to the brink of war. Trita

Parsi, who advised the Obama administration on the talks, tells the story of how diplomacy

succeeded in his new book – as well as what is at stake if the administration kills the deal. This

talk will be followed by a book signing featuring Trita Parsi’s new book, “Losing an Enemy:

Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy” (Yale University Press, 2017) from 7:40-8:00pm.

Sponsors UNC Persian Studies, Duke Islamic Studies Center, the Carolina Center for the Study of the

Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies.

October 17, 2017 Lecture: Frederick Fleitz, “The Growing National Threat from Iran”

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location The Event Center, 200 S. Elliot Rd., Chapel Hill, NC, 27514

Categories Lecture

Description

Fred Fleitz is Senior Vice President of the Center for Security Policy, a non-profit Washington,

D.C.-based nonpartisan national security think tank, where he focuses on the Iranian and North

Korean nuclear programs, nonproliferation, the Middle East, terrorism, and intelligence reform.

Fleitz served in U.S. national security positions for 25 years with CIA, DIA, the Department of

State and the House Intelligence Committee staff. During the administration of President

George W. Bush, Fleitz was chief of staff to John Bolton, then Under Secretary of State for Arms

Control and International Security.

Sponsors Icon Lecture Series

October 18, 2017 Panel Discussion: The US, Iran & the Nuclear Issue: Sanctions versus Diplomacy

Time 4:30 pm - 6:15 pm

Location Duke University Perkins Library, 217

Duke University

Categories Panel

Description

Join Trita Parsi, Omid Safi, and Bruce Jentleson as they discuss the US, Iran & the nuclear issue:

sanctions versus diplomacy. Free and open to the public. Trita Parsi’s newest book “Losing an

Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy” will be available for purchase and signing.

SponsorsUNC Persian Studies, Duke Islamic Studies Center, the Carolina Center for the Study of the

Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

October 18, 2017Lecture: An Italian Jesuit in Canton and the War on the Chinese: ‘Orientalism,’ Conquest, and

the Eastern Indian Ocean in the 16th Century

Time 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Lilly Library

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Why Did Matteo Ricci of the Society of Jesus lie about the Muslims of China? This talk presents

and discusses a passage in one of Matteo Ricci’s earliest reports on China in which he describes

the Muslims of the city of Canton. I will analyze the passage against the broader context of the

Portuguese and Ming China in the late 16th century explaining how Ricci addresses keys issues

such the “problem” of Islam and Muslims in the Indian Ocean and their presence in China on the

one hand, and plan to attack China on the other.

Sponsors Center for Jewish Studies, Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies

(AMES), Duke University Middle East Studies Center (DUMESC), and Religious Studies

October 19, 2017Lecture: An Arab Jew in Rome: “Zionism” and “Islamophobia” in the 16th century and Now –

Zvi Ben-Dor Benite (NYU)

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location Ahmadieh Family Lecture Hall – C105, Bay 4 (South) – Smith Warehouse

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

This talk revisits the story of David Ha-Reuveni, an impostor that showed in early 16th century

Rome with grandiose plans to defeat Islam, and the Ottoman Empire for the small fee of a large

navy and Palestine for the Jews. Against a line of interpretation that situated David within the

contours of Jewish history and Jewish mysticism, this talk situates the story within the broader

context of a global 16th Century “Theater of Operation” that brings together Europe, the Middle

East, and the Western Indian Ocean during the very early age of sail.

SponsorsDuke Center for Jewish Studies, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, Duke Middle

East Studies Center, Duke Islamic Studies Center

October 19, 2017 Refugees: A Global Crisis: Refugees: Pathways, Experiences, and Resettlement

Time 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Scott’s presentation: Refugees welcomed to the United States come from all over the world,

represent a variety of religions, and are invariably hard-working individuals. This session will

explore and examine the realities facing refugees resettling in the US, in particular North

Carolina; as well as provide updates on current political contexts, such as the travel ban. The

session will provide an overview of the refugee issue at the local level with an exploration of the

resettlement process, examining both theory as well as practical aspects, through a discussion

of local resettlement efforts. The session will also highlight means and methods for community

engagement. | Josh’s presentation: Research shows that refugees experience

disproportionately high rates of chronic health and mental health issues, including anxiety,

depression, substance abuse, and other stress-related disorders. Refugees also face a multitude

of barriers to accessing healthcare services, including lack of culturally appropriate treatment

and limited access to interpretation services. This session will focus on the refugee experience in

North Carolina, and explore the ethical obligations of healthcare professionals to participate in

their care. The session will also provide information and resources on best practices for working

with refugees in North Carolina.


October 19, 2017 Film Screening: “Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory”

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Richard White Auditorium (Duke East Campus)

Duke University


Description

Mohanad Yaqubi’s “Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory” will be shown at 7 pm at the

Richard White Auditorium (Duke East Campus). The Q&A will be led by Professor Nadia Yaqub of

UNC-CH. The trailer is here: http://idiomsfilm.com/movies/off-frame/. This documentary film

beautifully edits together rare footage from the Palestine Film Unit’s films made from 1968 to

1982.

Sponsors UNC-Duke

October 20-27, 2017 The 32nd Annual International Festival of Raleigh

Time

Location Raleigh Convention Center, 500 S Salisbury St.

Raleigh, NC 27601


Description

The International Festival of Raleigh provides a comprehensive platform for local ethnic

communities and multicultural artists to present international art in downtown Raleigh. Our

yearly, three-day event serves over 25,000 attendees annually and is a key component of the

City’s arts tradition. The Festival’s artists are both professional and amateur, and represent

Raleigh’s diverse population. More than 71 ethnic groups participate to present a variety of high-

quality arts through dance and musical performances, ethnic cuisines, dance, and global cooking

workshops, visual art, calligraphy, textile design, and cultural expression from across the globe.

Sponsors International Festival of Raleigh

October 20-21, 2017 Conference: Against the Use of Drones in Warfare

Time

Location Trinity United Methodist Church and Duke Divinity School

Duke University


Description

This conference will feature speakers from different areas of expertise on the problems with

and the ramifications of the use of drones in warfare. In other words, this is not a conference to

debate the use of drones in warfare, but a conference to encourage students, scholars, and

citizens to be informed about problems related to the use of drones in warfare.

Sponsors Sponsored by the Board of Church and Society, the North Carolina Conference of the United

Methodist Church, and the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute.

October 20, 2017“50 Years of Occupation, 1967-2017: Israel/Palestine, Histories and Futures” | International

Law and Fifty Years of Occupation, Lisa Hajjar

Time 11:45 am - 1:45 pm


Duke University

Categories Presentation/Discussion

Description

The Israeli government’s approach to controlling the West Bank and Gaza and changes in the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the past fifty years involve evolving official reinterpretations of

international humanitarian law (IHL) as well as human rights laws. These einterpretations, while

intellectually sophisticated, deviate significantly from international consensus about the status

of the occupied territories and the rights and duties of an occupying state. The reinterpretive

project has been undertaken in order to, first, assert that the territories are not “occupied” and

then “legalize” state practices toward Palestinians that violate customary legal norms and

bedrock rules of IHL, including torture, targeted killing, and the use of massive force against

civilians. Israel’s continuing occupation provides a unique testing ground to debate the

interpretation, applicability, and enforceability of IHL. This talk addresses the reinterpretative

project and its consequences. A light lunch will be served.

SponsorsForum for Scholars and Publics, the Franklin Humanities Institute, and the Duke University

Middle East Studies Center

October 22, 2017 Talk: Pilgrimage to Peace program

Time 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location St. Francis UMC

2965 Kildaire Farm Rd, Cary NC 27518


Description

Join Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace

(www.cmep.org) and Daoud Nassar from Tent of Nations Farm near Bethlehem as they discuss

peace and reconciliation efforts in Israel-Palestine.

Sponsors Coalition for Peace with Justice

October 24, 2017Public Talk | Amir Soltani: “Religious Freedom and Hypocrisy in Iran: An Activist’s Guide to

Changing the World”

Time 6:00 am - 7:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

What is religious persecution? What forms does a modern inquisition take? Who enforces it and

how? What is the role of language? What does it mean to be changed as a heretic, to spread

corruption on earth, or to wage war against God? How do you resist? These are some of the

questions Amir Soltani will consider through prism of the struggle for religious freedom in Iran.

Amir Soltani is an Iranian-American writer, journalist and human rights activist who has worked

in business, media, nonprofits and philanthropy.

SponsorsUNC Persian Studies, Department of Asian Studies, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle

East and Muslim Civilizations, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, Center for Global

Initiatives, Department of Religious Studies, Institute for the Arts and Humanities

October 25, 2017A TISS Dinner-Seminar: “Google, ISIS, and anti-Muslim Sentiment” featuring Christopher Bail,

Duke University

Time 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Seminar

Description

Chris Bail is the Douglas and Ellen Lowey Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at

Duke. His research examines how non-profit organizations and other political actors shape

public discourse by analyzing large groups of texts from newspapers, television, public opinion

surveys, and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. His research has been published

by Princeton University Press, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the

American Sociological Review, and other leading publications. In 2017, he was one of 30

academics recognized worldwide by a prestigious Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. His work has

also been recognized by awards from the American Sociological Association, the Association for

Research on Non-Profit Organizations and Voluntary Action, the Society for the Scientific Study

of Religion, and the Society for Study of Social Problems, and supported by the National Science

Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Russell Sage Foundation. His

research has also been covered by major media outlets such as NBC News , National Public

Radio , and the Washington Post . Dr. Bail is currently studying the community-level predictors

of violent extremism using Google search data, and how social networks influence political

polarization on Twitter.

Sponsors Triangle Institute for Security Studies

October 26-27, 2017 K-12 World View Symposium: Human Rights and Social Justice

Time October 26, 2017 | 8:00 am - October 27, 2017 | 5:00 pm

Location Friday Center, UNC Chapel Hill

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Education Symposium

Description

This global education symposium for K-12 educators will feature short plenary talks and sessions

on human rights issues to increase awareness of human rights and social justice issues, and to

provide pedagogical strategies and resources for integrating human rights and social justice

issues into teaching. Omid Safi will give a keynote presentation, “Need for Social Justice and

Finding Peace.” Omid Safi is a professor of Asian and Middle Eastern studies at Duke University,

where he is the director of the Duke Islamic Studies Center. He is the current chair for Islamic

Mysticism Group at the American Academy of Religion, and he blogs at On Being.

Sponsors UNC World View

October 26, 2017“50 Years of Occupation, 1967-2017: Israel/Palestine, Histories and Futures” | Posting While

Palestinian: Shifting Bounds for Expression in the West Bank and Israel, Amahl Bishara

Time 11:45 am - 1:45 pm


Duke University


Description

The Internet and social media once seemed to hold the promise of liberation and free

expression for all those who accessed it. For Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank, the

Internet is a critical field of expression and organizing, especially because Palestinians are

geographically fragmented, largely due to Israeli policies. However, the Internet is by no means

free of dangers. This talk looks at what recent campaigns against Palestinian expression online

can tell us about publics, politics, and borders today. A light lunch wil be served.

SponsorsForum for Scholars and Publics, the Franklin Humanities Institute, and the Duke University

Middle East Studies Center

October 26, 2017Book Talk by Larry Wolff (NYU): “The Singing Turk – Ottoman Power and Operatic Emotions on

the European Stage from the Siege of Vienna to the Age of Napoleon”

Time 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location Biddle 1, Biddle Music Building

Duke University

Categories Book discussion

Description

This talk takes place in the Music Library Seminar Room, Biddle Music Building, East Campus.

Prof. Wolff discusses his new book “The Singing Turk” (Stanford UP, 2016) about the image of

the Turks in 18th century operas. Larry Wolff is Professor of History and Director of the Center

for European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University. He is the author of “Paolina’s

Innocence: Child Abuse in Casanova’s Venice,” “The Idea of Galicia: History and Fantasy in

Habsburg Political Culture,” “Venice and the Slavs: The Discovery of Dalmatia in the Age of

Enlightenment,” and “Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the Mind of the

Enlightenment” -all published by Stanford University Press.

SponsorsDepartment of History; Archives of Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean program; and DUCIGS

October 26, 2017 Refugees: A Global Crisis: Film Screening, Salam Neighbor

Time 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join us for a film screening of Salam Neighbor, a 2016 award-winning feature documentary that

shares stories of the heartbreak and hope of refugee life, as told through the experiences of two

American filmmakers. Zach Ingrasci and Chris Temple were the first allowed by the United

Nations to set up a tent and live among 85,000 Syrians in Jordan’s refugee camp. The session

will include a discussion led by Dilshad Jaff, MD, MPH, UNC Gillings School of Global Public

Health. Dr. Jaff (himself a refugee now living here) will share his experience from the field

working in refugee and Internally Displaced Peoples’ (IDPs) camps, and will provide updates,

current challenges and issues related to the refugee crisis.


October 26, 2017 Film Screening: “Broken: A Work in Progress”

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Richard White Auditorium (Duke East Campus)

Duke University

Categories Film screening

Description

Mohammed Alatar’s documentary about the Wall, “Broken: A Work in Progress,” will be at the

Richard White Auditorium, also at 7 pm. The Q&A will be led by Professor Amahl Bishara of Tufts

University. When the International Court of Justice elevated the Israeli-Palestine conflict to a

new level of visibility in 2004, many saw it as turning point in the history both of Palestine and of

International Law. But will history turn? BROKEN is a filmmaker’s journey across three

continents, attempting to find answers.

Sponsors

Presented with the Duke University Middle Eastern Studies Center (DUMESC).Our series is

coordinated with See / Think / Act, which examines how visual culture interacts with human

rights.Co-sponsored by the Program in Arts of the Moving Image, Duke Screen Society,

Humanities Futures, the Human Rights Archive, the Center for Jewish Studies, and the Trent

Foundation, AMES Present.

October 27, 2017 Banquet Presentation | MSA Live: Ibithaj Muhammad

Time 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Location Great Hall, Frank Porter Graham Student Union

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join the UNC Muslim Students Association for the second annual MSA Live Banquet. With us for

the night is the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while competing for the United

States in the Olympics and the first female Muslim American athlete to win a medal, Ibtihaj

Muhammad. Also joining us for the event is award-winning journalist Sean Maroney, who

served as the Voice of America’s correspondent in Pakistan and Afghanistan before returning to

Raleigh to serve as a news anchor.

Sponsors UNC Muslim Students Association

October 28, 2017 Festival of New Student Films from Palestine

Time 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location Center for Documentary Studies Auditorium

Duke University


Description

Join us for a Festival of New Student Films from Palestine, presented by AMES 204FS. This

screening of 18 films will be in two blocks, at 11 am and 1 pm. Lunch will be served in between

the screening blocks. The event is at the Center for Documentary Studies auditorium, 1317 W.

Pettigrew St, Durham.

Sponsors Sponsored by the Duke Center for Documentary Studies.

October 28, 2017 Cultural Event: Urdu Majlis

Time 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Location Room 219, New West, 175 E. Cameron Ave

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Please join us Saturday, October 28, 2017 for the next monthly meeting of Urdu Majlis, the

Triangle’s Urdu Literary Forum. This Urdu Majlis will concentrate on the life and works of Iftikhar

Arif (b. 1943), an Urdu poet, scholar and littérateur from Pakistan. Please plan to arrive

promptly at 2:30 PM as a courtesy to the other participants who arrive on time. Participants are

invited to bring refreshments to share.


November 1, 2017 -

March 12, 2018Exhibit: Yasak/Banned: Political Cartoons from Late Ottoman and Republican Turkey

Time November 1, 2017 | 8:00 am - March 12, 2018 | 5:00 pm

Location Mary Duke Biddle Room, Perkins Library

Duke University

Categories Exhibit

Description

“Yasak/Banned: Political Cartoons from Late Ottoman and Republican Turkey” details the

extensive collections held by Duke University Library. The Library’s Turkish satirical journals and

cartoons span from the late 19th century to the present. The exhibition highlights three themes:

Historical change, Political Satire, and Gender. Each of these themes is detailed by the different

cartoonists and satirists interpretations of events current to their time. Each epoch or simply

decade provides an array of differing opinions, voices, dissent and contestation. Exploring these

subtle differences during the over 100 year history, one gets a detailed overview and taste of

the changes taking shape and the differing opinions of the effects of modernity.

Sponsors Duke University Libraries, Duke University Middle East Studies Center

November 1-2, 2017 Film Screening: HUMAN FLOW: WHEN THERE IS NOWHERE TO GO, NOWHERE IS HOME.

Time November 1, 2017 | 4:00 pm - November 2, 2017 | 9:00 pm

Location The Carolina Theater of Durham

309 West Morgan Street, Durham NC 27701


Description

Over 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine,

climate change and war in the greatest human displacement since World War II. Human Flow ,

an epic film journey led by the internationally renowned artist Ai Weiwei, gives a powerful

visual expression to this massive human migration. The documentary elucidates both the

staggering scale of the refugee crisis and its profoundly personal human impact. Captured over

the course of an eventful year in 23 countries, the film follows a chain of urgent human stories

that stretches across the globe in countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, France, Greece,

Germany, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and Turkey. Human Flow is a witness to its subjects

and their desperate search for safety, shelter and justice: from teeming refugee camps to

perilous ocean crossings to barbed-wire borders; from dislocation and disillusionment to

courage, endurance and adaptation; from the haunting lure of lives left behind to the unknown

potential of the future. Human Flow comes at a crucial time when tolerance, compassion and

trust are needed more than ever. This visceral work of cinema is a testament to the

unassailable human spirit and poses one of the questions that will define this century: Will our

global society emerge from fear, isolation, and self-interest and choose a path of openness,

freedom, and respect for humanity?

Sponsors Carolina Theater of Durham

November 1, 2017 Film Screening: Docunight #43 [Durham]: Boys With Broken Ears

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm


Duke University


Description

BOYS WITH BROKEN EARS is an intimate look at the hopes and struggles of a handful of young

Iranian wrestlers as they prepare for the biggest event of their lives; the world championship in

Europe. It’s a social tale set against the qualms of committing one’s life to a dream at a young

age. With unprecedented access to the national youth team, the film follows five characters

from impoverished background as they journey through the most challenging year of the lives,

examining their beliefs and aspirations along the way.


November 2-3, 2017Turkey Today | Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies Annual Conference:

Yasak/Banned: Print Media and Cultural Spaces from Abdülhamit to Erdoğan

Time November 2, 2017 | 9:00 am - November 3, 2017 | 5:00 pm

Location Holtsi-Anderson Room, Rubenstein Library, Room 153 (West Duke)

Duke University


Description

The Yasak /Banned Duke-UNC Middle East Studies Consortium Conference examines socio-

political transformation and cultural representation in late Ottoman and Republican Turkey with

an interdisciplinary focus on print media and cultural spaces. The conference begins Thursday,

Nov. 2 at 5:30 PM with a Vernissage of the related Duke libraries exhibit: Yasak/Banned: Political

Cartoons from late Ottoman and Republican Turkey (The Mary Duke Biddle Room). At 6:30 PM,

Professor Edhem Eldem (Boğaziçi University, History) will present a Keynote entitled, Sultan

Abdülhamid II: Founding Father of the Turkish State? in the Bostock Library Holsti-Anderson

Room. On Friday, Nov. 3 we will host three conference panels in Holsti-Anderson with local and

guest experts: Gender and Media (9 AM), Cultural Spaces from Empire to Republic (11 AM) and

Censorship and Political Satire (2:30 PM). The conference will conclude with a Roundtable (4:30

PM).

Sponsors Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

November 2, 2017 Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies Conference Keynote Speaker: Edhem Eldem

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Holsti-Anderson Room, Rubenstein Library, Room 153 (West Campus)

Duke University


Description

Edhem Eldem teaches at the Department of History of Boğaziçi University and holds the

international chair of Turkish and Ottoman History at the Collège de France. He has taught as

visiting professor at Berkeley, Harvard, Columbia, at the EHESS, EPHE, ENS, and has been a

fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. Among his fields of interest are the Levant trade,

Ottoman funerary epigraphy, the development of Istanbul, the Imperial Ottoman Bank, the

history of archaeology and of photography in the Ottoman Empire, and late-nineteenth-century

Ottoman first-person narratives and biographies.

Sponsors Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

November 2, 2017Refugees: A Global Crisis: In Our Backyard: The Realities of Post-Resettlement Life and

Community-Based Approaches to Rebuilding Home

Time 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Real-life stories – beyond the facts/figures, de-bugging some of the myths. What are the

realities of daily life as a refugee? What are the barriers to refugee support efforts, how do we

make them sustainable, what are the benefits and challenges of academic/community

partnerships, and what solutions can we provide within the local community, to integrate

refugees and respond to the need? Join us as we engage with refugee community leaders, share

their stories, celebrate successes, and learn ways the community can get involved.


November 2, 2017 Presentation: Beyond Borders: Environmental Cooperation in Israel

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join us for a presentation by The Arava Institute, a leading environmental and academic

institution in the Middle East that tries to advance cross-border environmental cooperation in

the face of political conflict. Their program brings students from Israel, Palestine, Jordan and

around the world to collaborate on environmental studies. Two speakers (Israeli and Jordanian

program alums) will present their stories, speak about their interest in the institute work, and

how joint environmental projects can help solving conflicts in the Middle East.

SponsorsUNC Hillel, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, Hebrew

program at UNC, JStreet U, and OneVoice at UNC

November 2, 2017 Rights!Camera!Action! Film Screening: Fire at Sea

Time 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location Ahmadieh Family Lecture Hall, Smith Warehouse Bay 4 (map)

Duke Univeristy


Description

Gianfranco Rosi is an Italian documentarian whose previous work has taken him to the Ganges

River, the California desert and inside the Mexican drug trade. Fire at Sea is the fruit of an

extended sojourn on Lampedusa, an island that, while part of Italy, is closer to Tunisia than to

Sicily. Recently, it has become the landing spot for boatloads of refugees and other migrants

from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. This is a hard, empathetic look at reality, which contains

wonders as well as horrors.

SponsorsDuke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute with the Duke University Middle

Eastern Studies Center

November 4, 2017 The Balfour Declaration Forum

Time 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Location Fellowship Hall, Binkley Baptist Church

1712 Willow Drive, Chapel Hill


DescriptionLearn the story of this fateful historical decision made in 1917, the consequences we have

witnessed, and future implications.

SponsorsAbrahamic Initiative on the Middle East, Coalition for Peace with Justice and Triangle NC, and

Jewish Voice for Peace

Novermber 5, 2017 Persian Art Center in Carolina: Dr. Erami

Time 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm




Description

Join the Persian Art Center in Carolina for a presentation by Dr. Erami. The program will begin

with a welcome and introduction by Dr. Amir Rezvani, 4:30-4:45pm. From 4:45-6:00pm, there

will be a presentation by Dr. Erami. From 6:45-7:30pm, there will be live Persian music and

poetry readings by the audience.


Novermber 7, 2017 Public Lecture | David Schanzer, “Counterterrorism in the Age of Trump”

Time 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Location Flyleaf Books, 752 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd


Categories Lecture

Description

Join David Schanzer, Director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, on

November 7th at 4:30 pm at Flyleaf Books for a lecture on Counterterrorism in the Age of

Trump. Presidential administrations may change, but many of the national security concerns

facing the United States and its allies remain. Chief among these is the threat of terrorist attacks

from ISIS and their affiliates and other groups intent on disrupting the global order. The lecture

will analyze continuities and challenges particular to the Trump administration as it attempts to

keep America and the world safe from terrorism.

Sponsors Carolina Public Humanities

Novermber 7, 2017 Public Talk: The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: A Movement Under Attack

Time 7:00 PM

Location Gardner Hall, 105

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join UNC Students for Justice in Palestine in welcoming attorney Rahul Saksena from Palestine

Legal, an independent organization dedicated to protecting the rights of those who speak out

for Palestinian freedom. Mr. Saksena will discuss the legal challenges as they pertain to recent

bills proposed and passed by a number of states (including North Carolina) and the federal

government forbidding state-contracted companies from boycotting Israel.

Sponsors UNC-CH Students for Justice in Palestine

Novermber 8, 2017Wednesdays at the Center: “Law, Dynasty, and Islam in Arab Monarchies, 1860s-1930s” (Dr.

Adam Mestyan)

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm


Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

This talk focuses on the legal codification of dynasties in Arab monarchies between the 1860s

and 1930s. In a sweeping survey, it compares how the succession order and the members of the

ruling family were defined in laws, decrees, and constitutions in the new national kingdoms of

Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia with comparisons to older monarchies, equally impacted

by European imperialism, such as Morocco and Oman. The argument I would advance is that

constitutionalism prompted dynastic codification which rulers hastened to achieve before and

within the writing of basic laws. This feature also meant that certain re-invented Islamic

principles of power, such as the preference for male and sane Muslim rulers, were also codified.

Thus the new and old dynasties themselves embodied a fictional core of Muslim

constitutionalism in the early twentieth century.

SponsorsJohn Hope Franklin Center and Duke University’s International and Global Studies Center

Novermber 8, 2017 Public Talk by Professor Céline Regnard: Marseille and Arab Immigration (1890-1910)

Time 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Location Room 331, Withers Hall

North Carolina State University

Categories Lecture

DescriptionJoin the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies for a talk by Professor Céline Regnard,

Aix-Marseille Université on “Marseille and Arab Immigration (1890-1910).


Novermber 9, 2017“50 Years of Occupation, 1967-2017: Israel/Palestine, Histories and Futures” | Human Rights

on Camera in the Palestinian West Bank, Helen Yanovsky

Time 11:45 am - 1:45 pm


Duke University


Description

In 2007, the Israeli NGO B’Tselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the

Occupied Territories) launched its camera project, distributing video cameras and providing

camera training to Palestinians living in areas of the West Bank, where tensions run high and

clashes are commonplace. Israeli filmmaker Helen Yanovosky, a core member of the B’Tselem

video project, will discuss the history of the project and the importance of cameras and

filmmaking to Palestinians living under occupation. A light lunch will be served.



Novermber 9, 2017 Rights!Camera!Action! Film Screening: The Boy from H2

Time 11:45 am - 1:15 pm

Location Old Chem 011, Duke West Campus

Duke University


Description

The Boy from H2 follows 12-year-old Muhammad Burqan, who lives in Area H2 of Hebron, a

section of the city under full Israeli control. Israel imposes severe restrictions on the movement

– by pedestrians and by car – of some 43,000 Palestinians living there. In Area H2, soldiers

routinely detain children on suspicion of stone-throwing. Muhammad, who has nine siblings, is

one of those children. His life revolves around his crowded home and the street, where he must

deal with the constant presence of Israeli security forces and settlers. Panelist Helen Yanovsky is

a film-maker and works for human rights organization B’Tselem. This film was created in

collaboration with B’Tselem’s field researchers and Camera Project volunteers in Hebron, and

produced by B’Tselem’s video department

Sponsors

Presented by the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute. Our series is

coordinated with See/Think/Act which examines how visual culture intersects with human

rights. Co-sponsored by the Program in the Arts and the Moving Image, Duke Screen Society,

Humanities Futures, the Human Rights Archive, The Center for Jewish Studies, and the Trent

Foundation, AMES Present.

November 9-10, 2017International Conference: TRANSNATIONAL TERRORISM TODAY: How do the Transatlantic

Allies deal with Terrorism?


Location Global FedEx Center, Room 4003

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

This conference considers the manifold challenges involved when dealing with transnational

terrorism. It will commence with a keynote address by distinguished terrorism expert Prof.

Bruce Hoffman of Georgetown University on Thursday, November 9th, at 4:30 pm (UNC Chapel

Hill, Wilson Library, Pleasants Family Assembly Room). The conference takes place on Friday,

November 10th from 8:30am to 7:30pm, consisting of 3 panels with 12 talks in total, followed

by a concluding panel discussion.

Sponsors UNC Center for European Studies

November 9, 2017 Cultural Event: “1001 Nights”

Time 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Location Great Hall, Student Union

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

This annual event will give UNC students the opportunity to immerse themselves within Middle

Eastern culture, music, poetry, and food. The event will feature an array of student dance and

musical performances as well as cultural booths with cultural tokens, light food, and

refreshments. The PCS cultural booth will have Persian cultural items and a Persian calligrapher

to demonstrate Persian calligraphy to attendees.

SponsorsPersian Cultural Society, the Arab Student Organization, Hillel, the Association of Iranian at Duke

and the Iranian Association of NC State

November 9, 2017 Film Screening: Letters from Baghdad

Time 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location Richard White Auditorium, East Campus

Duke University


Description

Letters from Baghdad is the story of a true original—Gertrude Bell—sometimes called the

“female” Lawrence of Arabia. Voiced and executive produced by Academy award winning actor

Tilda Swinton, the documentary tells the dramatic story of this British spy, explorer and political

powerhouse. Bell traveled widely in Arabia before being recruited by British military intelligence

to help draw the borders of Iraq after WWI. Using never-seen-before footage of the region, the

film chronicles Bell’s extraordinary journey into both the uncharted Arabian desert and the inner

sanctum of British male colonial power. With unique access to documents from the Iraq

National Library and Archive and Gertrude Bell’s own 1600 letters, the story is told entirely in

the words of the players of the day, excerpted verbatim from intimate letters, private diaries

and secret communiqués. It is a unique look at both a remarkable woman and the tangled

history of Iraq. The film takes us into a past that is eerily current.

SponsorsProgram in Arts of the Moving Image (AMI), Asian & Middle Eastern Studies (AMES), Duke

University Middle East Studies Center, and Focus Program

November 13, 2017 Lecture: Sebastian Gorka on US-Israel relations and Middle Eastern affairs

Time 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Genome, room 100

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Sebastian Gorka, former Deputy Assistant to President Trump, will be speaking at UNC on

Monday, November 13th. Join us for a riveting conversation on US-Israel relations and Middle

Eastern affairs under the Trump administration.

SponsorsChristians United for Israel, UNC College Republicans, Turning Point USA & the Carolina Review

November 14, 2017 Industry Night: International Careers

Time 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Atrium, Fed Ex Global Education Center

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Career night

Description

Connect with professionals that have experience working internationally. Learn about

international career opportunities. Gain information to help with your career decision-making

journey.

Sponsors University Career Services

November 14, 2017 Documentary Screening: Open Bethlehem

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Dey Hall, room 307

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join One Voice at UNC as we screen Open Bethlehem, a documentary by Leila Sansour. In the

words of the filmmakers: “Open Bethlehem is a story of a homecoming to the world’s most

famous little town. The film spans seven momentous years in the life of Bethlehem, revealing a

city of astonishing beauty and political strife under occupation. While telling a personal story,

the film charts the creation of a campaign to compel international action to bring peace to the

Middle East.”

Sponsors One Voice at UNC

November 16, 2017“50 Years of Occupation, 1967-2017: Israel/Palestine, Histories and Futures” | Jerusalem Fifty

Years On: United or Occupied?, Daniel Seidemann

Time 11:45 am - 1:45 pm


Duke University


Description

Fifty years since 1967, and the dissonance between official Israel and much of the rest of the

world is stark. With the former celebrating the jubilee of “a united Jerusalem,” other

stakeholders are commemorating fifty years of the occupation of East Jerusalem. What is the

state of play in Jerusalem? Is it undivided, occupied – or perhaps both? What is the current

trajectory of the conflict in the city, and how does it interface with the broader geopolitical

dynamics between Israelis and Palestinians? A light lunch will be served.



November 18, 2017 Urdu Majlis: The Life and Works of Akhlaq Mohammad Khan ‘Shahryar’ (1936-2012)

Time 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Location Room 219, New West

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Please join us on Saturday November 18, 2017 for the next monthly meeting of Urdu Majlis, the

Triangle’s Literary Forum. This Urdu Majlis will concentrate on the life and works of Akhlaq

Mohammad Khan ‘Shahryar’ (1936-2012) the famous poet who penned the ghazals in the

1981 film “Umrao Jaan”. Khan was an Indian academician, and a leader of Urdu poetry in India.

Participants are invited to bring refreshments to share.


November 20-21, 2017Urban Topography and Political Economy in the Middle East: A Digital Humanities Workshop

Comparing Istanbul and Cairo


Location Rubenstein 249, Carpenter Conference Room, West Campus

Duke University

Categories Workshop

Description

This innovative workshop brings together leading historians and scholars of the modern Middle

East with experts in visualization technology. The main focus is visualizing urban development of

Istanbul and Cairo in a comparative angle. The workshop consists of four parts: 1) An

introductory keynote address 2) a panel on topographical data, 3) a panel on visualization

technologies, and 4) a concluding discussion comparing methodologies explored for historical

Istanbul and the digital tools for similar projects on Cairo. Please click here for the detailed

program.

Sponsors

Archives of Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean program at the History Department, Duke

University, in cooperation with InVisu-CNRS (Paris) and IFAO (Cairo), and the Duke Project on

the Political Economy of Ottoman Istanbul. Co-sponsored by Archives of Asia, Africa, and the

Mediterranean, Department of Economics, History Department, Duke University Center for

International and Global Studies, Duke Libraries, Political Science Department, Digital

Humanities Initiative and PhD Lab in Digital Knowledge, Information Science and Studies, Center

for French & Francophone Studies, and Duke University Middle East Center

December 1, 2017 Conference: Documentary and Palestine

Time 10:00 am - 2:30 pm

Location Center for Documentary Studies

1317 West Pettigrew Street, Durham, NC


Description Join AMES 204FS for a conference at the Center for Documentary Studies!

Sponsors

David L. Paletz Course Innovation Fund, the Center for Documentary Studies, the Duke Focus

Program, Duke Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, and the Duke University Middle East Studies

Center

December 1, 2017Lecture: Sound, Architecture, and Islamic Reform: The Attenuation of Ritual Resonance in the

Built Environment of Cairene Saint Veneration, Dr. Michael Frishkopf

Time 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Location Person Recital Hall, Person Hall

Categories Lecture

Description

Dr. Michael Frishkopf’s latest edited volume brings together the perspectives of

ethnomusicology, Islamic studies, art history, and architecture to investigate how sound

production in built environments is central to Muslim religious and cultural expression. Join us

for a discussion about this exciting new book as well as Dr. Frishkopf’s own work on

participatory music culture.

Sponsors

Carolina Asia Center, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations,

Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, UNC Graduate and Professional Student

Federation, Department of Religious Studies, Department of History, Department of Music, UNC

Persian Studies

December 2, 2017 K-12 Workshop: Turkey: From the Ottoman Empire to Contemporary History and Politics

Time 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Location John Hope Franklin Center, room 240

Duke University

Categories Workshop

Description

The Ottoman Empire was a vast and diverse entity that spanned centuries and across Anatolia,

the Middle East, North Africa, and southern Europe. In this day-long workshop, teachers will

explore the historical, political, and cultural aspects of the Ottoman Empire as well as its legacies

and Turkey today (recommended for secondary educators). Teachers will learn about Ottoman

history, architecture, art, and cuisine , engage with scholars from Duke Univeristy and UNC

Chapel Hill, visit an exhibit of political cartoons from late Ottoman and Republican Turkey,

and may earn up to .9 CEUs by participating in the workshop and completing preparatory

readings.

SponsorsDuke Islamic Studies Center with support from Qatar Foundation International and the Duke-

UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

December 2, 2017 Persian Art Center in Carolina: A new look at Shahnameh

Time 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm



Categories Presentation, Cultural event

Description

Join the Persian Art Center in Carolina for a presentation by Loghman Zaiim. The program will

begin with a welcome and introduction by Dr. Amir Rezvani, 4:30-4:45pm. From 4:45-6:00pm,

there will be a presentation by Loghman Zaiim. From 6:45-7:30pm, there will be live Persian

music and poetry readings by the audience.


December 2, 2017 Concert: Echoes of the Silk Road

Time 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Duke Energy Hall, Hunt Library

NC State University

Categories Cultural event, concert

Description

A night of live Turkish and Iranian music presented by the American Turkish Association of North

Carolina, the Iranian Cultural Society of NC, the Aziz & Gwen Sancar Foundation, and the NC

State Turkish Student Association. Our lineup features local and international talent, including

ney (Turkish reed flute) player Burcu Karadağ and qanun (Middle Eastern zither) player Serkan

Mesut Halili, both joining us from Istanbul. Triangle-based artists Anatoly Larkin (piano) and Alex

Gordez (guitar) will join our guests from Istanbul on stage. Tickets available here.

SponsorsAmerican Turkish Association of North Carolina, the Iranian Cultural Society of NC, the Aziz &

Gwen Sancar Foundation, and the NC State Turkish Student Association

December 4, 2017 Summer FLAS Fellowship Info Session

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location John Hope Franklin Center Rm, 130-132

Duke University

Categories Information session

Description

The purpose of the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship is to permit students to

study one of the less- or least-commonly-taught languages of the Americas or of the Middle East

on an intensive basis. Undergraduate students must place at the intermediate level or above of

language study. The fellowship provides a stipend of $2,500 to cover living expenses, plus up to

$5,000 to cover tuition and fees for one summer session. Graduate, Professional School, and

Undergraduate students enrolled full-time at Duke in the regular academic years preceding and

following this award who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible. Each center will

conduct its own competition to award fellowships for the study of the following languages:

Brazilian Portuguese, K’iché Maya, Haitian Creole, Modern Hebrew, Modern Standard Arabic,

Persian, Turkish, or Yucatec Maya.

Sponsors Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship

December 5, 2017“50 Years of Occupation, 1967-2017: Israel/Palestine, Histories and Futures” | Enabler or

Peacemaker? U.S. Policy and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Lara Friedman

Time 11:45 am - 1:15 pm


Duke University


Description

Irrespective of intentions, U.S. leadership has done more to enable the entrenchment and

expansion of occupation than to end it. Looking to the future, can the United States act as an

effective leader or steward of a political process that can end the occupation, regardless of the

political outlook of the person occupying the Oval Office? And absent U.S. leadership, what

options are available to change the status quo on the ground? A light lunch will be served.



December 5, 2017 Public Student Film Showings: Inspired by Iranian Cinema

Time 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Location New West 219

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

As part of the EE course requirement and grade, Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi’s “ASIA 124: Iranian Post-

1979 Cinema” students made 8-minute films related to the themes of the class with an original

idea of theirs. Students received guidance from both Dr. Yaghoobi and the course GRC, Che

Sokol. The campus and public community are invited on Nov. 30 and Dec. 5, 2017, at 12:30 pm

to a public screening and Q&A of the student films.

Sponsors UNC Persian Studies

December 6, 2017 Film Screening: Docunight #44 [Durham]: Scorpio & Javad (2 films)

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm


Duke University


Description

In 1971 three young musicians set out to perform the euphoric rock’n roll and Latin hits of their

time on the stages of Tehran. Bahram Amin Salmasi (bass guitar), Baram Saidi (guitar) and Eini

Keivanshokooh (drums), along with Eric Arconte (percussions) and Andranik Asatourian (piano)

formed the band ‘Scorpio’. Through their covers, they soon became very popular amongst

enthusiasts of popular western music. They covered almost every big rock hit and brought them

live to their fans in the nightclubs and discos of Tehran. Forty years later, their memories give us

a taste of the early days of the rock music movement in Iran. Javad Yassari’s songs are

emotional roller-coasters of love, loss, and loneliness. His songs have become the voice of a very

old but overlooked part of Iranian culture: that of its hard working, hard drinking, tough, rough

and devout downtown men and women. He rose to fame in the late 70’s in Lalezar, Tehran’s

club strip where he sang in smoky theatres and cabarets. The revolution of 1979 turned the

lights out on Lalezar and Javad’s music went to dingy venues in Dubai and small European

towns, and the occasional Tehran wedding, though his music lived on through bootleg cassettes

and CDs.


December 8, 2017 Research presentations by Mideast Center Carnegie Fellows

Time 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Please join the Mideast Center for two talks by our visiting Carnegie Fellows, Mariam Alkazemi

and Shimaa Hatab. The event will take place in the FedEx Global Education Center, room 4003.

Lunch will be provided.

SponsorsCarolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations and the Carnegie

Fellowships in Support of Arab Region Social Science

December 9, 2017 Literary Forum: Urdu Majlis

Time 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Please join us for the next monthly meeting of Urdu Majlis, the Triangle’s Literary Forum.

This Urdu Majlis will concentrate on the life and works of Makhmoor Saeedi (1938-2010), an

Urdu poet, writer, translator and journalist from Tonk, Rajasthan, India. Participants are invited

to bring refreshments to share.


December 9, 2017 Benefit Event: Sounds of Palestine

Time 5:45 pm - 9:00 pm

Location Global Breath Studio

119 W. Main St, Suite 300, Durham, NC 27701


Description

Please join us for an evening to celebrate and support an amazing organization Sounds of

Palestine, a program using music education to improve the lives of disadvantaged Palestinian

children, many of whom live in surrounding refugee camps. The event will kick off with a yoga

class led by 200hr Certified Kunga Yoga Teacher Jackie Cook. Following class, doors will open for

guests to enjoy light refreshments, drinks, enter a raffle, and settle in to experience local

Palestinian musical performances. Guests are welcome to participate in any or all of the

activities. The evening schedule:

Sponsors Jewish Voices for Peace of the Triangle and Coalition for Peace and Justice

December 13, 2017 Learning through Languages High School Research Symposium

Time

Location FedEx Global Education Center Atrium

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Symposium

Description

NC world language high school students will have the opportunity to showcase their language,

research, and presentation skills in a scholarly environment. Participating students are

encouraged to be at Level III or higher, including heritage speakers, in Arabic, Chinese, French,

German, Japanese, Russian or Spanish. They will choose a topic relevant to four research tracks

with regional focuses: Contemporary Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, or the

Middle East and North Africa. Teams will write a research paper and present it at the

symposium in their respective language. This program is designed to promote student learning

in the areas of research methodology, technology literacy, and critical thinking and to encourage

the learning of new academic vocabulary. The symposium will take place Wednesday, December

13.

Sponsors

Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

Carolina Asia Center, Duke Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Duke Cultures and

Languages Across the Curriculum, Duke Middle East Studies Center, UNC Center for European

Studies, UNC Center for Global Initiatives, UNC Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European

Studies, UNC Department of Asian Studies, UNC Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages

and Literatures, UNC College of Arts and Sciences, UNC Global Relations, UNC Institute for the

Study of the Americas, UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies

January 1, 2018Lecture: “Muslim Spaces, Jewish Pasts: Genealogies of the Split Arab/Jew Figure” with Ella

Shohat, NYU

Time 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location UNC Friday Center for Continuing Education

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description Community lecture with Ella Shohat of New York university.

Sponsors Carolina Center for Jewish Studies

January 13, 2018 Literary Forum: Urdu Majlis

Time 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Please join us for the next monthly meeting of Urdu Majlis, the Triangle’s Literary

Forum. This Urdu Majlis will concentrate on the life and works of Mehshar Badayuni (1922-

1994), one of the leading Urdu poets of the late nineteenth and early twentieth

centuries. Participants are invited to bring refreshments to share.


January 14, 2018 Persian Art Center in Carolina: A new look at Shahnameh (Part Two)

Time 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm




Description

Join the Persian Art Center in Carolina for a presentation by Loghman Zaiim on Shahnameh, a

long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE. The program

will begin with a welcome and introduction by Dr. Amir Rezvani, 4:30-4:45pm. From 4:45-

6:00pm, there will be a presentation by Loghman Zaiim. From 6:45-7:30pm, there will be live

Persian music and poetry readings by the audience.


January 20, 2018 Community Event: Community Conversations with Foreign-born Residents of Chapel Hill

Time 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Location Chapel Hill Public Library

100 Library Dr, Chapel Hill, 27514

Categories

Description

This is an opportunity for members of the community to share their experiences and

recommendations for local government and services with conversations in Arabic, Burmese,

English, and Russian Languages.

Sponsors Building Integrated Communities and the Chapel Hill Public Library

January 22, 2018 Public Talk: “The Emergence of Terrorism: A New Paradigm” with Dr. Marc Sageman

Time 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location Gross Hall 270

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Dr. Marc Sageman will give a public talk based on his most recent book, “Turning to Political

Violence: The Emergence of Terrorism” (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017). The book

discusses various campaigns of political violence spanning two centuries and four continents. Dr.

Marc Sageman is currently a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Center for

the Study of Terrorism.

Sponsors Duke University Center for International and Global Studies

January 24, 2018 Public Talk: “Arabs in America’s Fairs, 1876-1896” with Dr. Linda Jacobs

Time 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Location Withers Hall, Room 331

NC State University

Categories Lecture

Description

The Khayrallah Center invites you to attend a talk and conversation with Dr. Linda Jacobs, titled:

“Creating Illusions: Arabs in America’s Fairs, 1876-189.” This talk explores Arab participation in

world exhibition and fairs (attended by nearly 50 million Americans) and the effects these

experiences had on early Arab immigration and immigrants in nineteenth century America.


January 25, 2018 Book Talk and Signing: Escape from Hell: Based on the True Story of a Syrian Political Prisoner

Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Book talk and signing

Description

Join co-authors Zubair Rushk and Daniel Romm as they discuss their new book, Escape from

Hell: Based on the True Story of a Syrian Political Prisoner. Escape from Hell is a powerful and

enlightening historical political thriller that chronicles Rushk’s motivations for leaving Syria, the

horrors he faced, and his journey to the United States. Co-authors Rushk and Romm will discuss

the main arguments presented in the book including: the US administration’s travel ban, torture

in political prison, war effects on the health of children, and discrimination. The talk will be

followed by a book signing.

SponsorsCarolina Seminars program and the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim

Civilizations

January 26, 2018Book Talk by Didem Havlioğlu: “Mîhrî Hatun: Performance, Gender-bending and Subversion in

Ottoman Intellectual History

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location Franklin Center Ahmadieh Family Conference Hall

Duke University

Categories Book talk

Description

The early modern Ottoman poet Mihrî Hatun (1460–1515) succeeded in drawing an admiring

audience and considerable renown during a time when few women were accepted into the

male-dominated intellectual circles. Her poetry collection is among the earliest bodies of

women’s writing in the Middle East and Islamicate literature, providing an exceptional vantage

point on intellectual history. Havlioglu’s astute and nuanced portrait will give audience members

a fascinating glimpse into the life of a woman poet in a highly gendered society and suggests

that women have been part of intellectual history long before the modern period.

Sponsors AMES Presents and Duke University Middle East Studies Center

January 26, 2018 Persian Lecture Series: Treatise of Three Principles of Mulla Sadra

Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Room 1005, FedEx Global Education Center

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Join us for a Persian Lecture Series focusing on the philosopher Mulla Sadra presented by Dr.

Mohsen Kadivar. Dr. Kadivar is an Iranian philosopher and research professor of Islamic Studies

at Duke University. Free and open to the public. Lectures will be in Persian.

SponsorsUNC Persian Studies and the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim

Civilizations

January 27, 2018 Talk with Amir Muhammad: “African Muslims in the Carolinas”

Time 11:45 am - 12:15 pm

Location Dogwood Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R


Description

This event will take place as part of the broader “17th Annual African American Cultural

Celebration” at the North Carolina Museum of History. Amir Muhammad, owner, Collections

and Stories of American Muslims Inc. (CSAM), will give a talk as part of the CELEBRATE Education

and Heritage program, 11:45am-4:00pm. Mr. Muhammad, author of eight books, has had

several exhibitions hosted at various venues throughout the United States and abroad. He and

his wife, Dr. Habeebah Muhammad, have dedicated themselves to documenting untold stories

of Muslim life in America.

Sponsors North Carolina Museum of History

January 28, 2018 Talk with Amir Muhammad: “Muslims’ Contributions in the Making of America”

Time 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Location The Vital Link Event Center

1214 E. Lenoir, Raleigh, NC 27610


Description

Please join author, historian, and co-founder of America’s Islamic Heritage Museum and Cultural

Center as he discusses “Muslims’ contributions in the making of America”. Mr. Muhammad,

author of eight books, has had several exhibitions hosted at various venues throughout the

United States and abroad. He and his wife, Dr. Habeebah Muhammad, have dedicated

themselves to documenting untold stories of Muslim life in America.

Sponsors As Salaam Islamic Center and Cultural Enrichment Services

January 29, 2018Book talk by Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi: “Intertwined Histories and Perspectives: Contrapuntal

Reading of ʿAṭṭār”

Time 6:00 am - 7:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Book talk

Description

Can modern concepts such as transgression, inclusion/exclusion, self/the other help us to better

understand medieval subjectivity? Can medieval works shed light on our understanding of

modern subjectivity? By looking at ʿAṭṭār’s poetry contrapuntally with medieval European

literature and modern theory, this talk will map out the ways ʿAṭṭār’s poetry interacts with itself

within the Persian cultural and historical framework as well as with medieval European culture

and modern Western theoretical perspectives in regard to the concepts of transgression and the

breaking of taboos, and the construction of subjectivity. Traversing linguistic, national, and

disciplinary boundaries, this talks calls into question the presumed differences between

Medieval Islam and the West and makes possible a rich dialogue between civilizations that have

historically been pitted against one another.

SponsorsCarolina Seminars program, UNC Persian Studies, and the Carolina Center for the Study of the

Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

January 30, 2018Public Talk: “Muslims Beyond the Arab World: Language, Arts and Music in Senegal” by Dr.

Fallou Ngom

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location 011 Old Chem, West Campus

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Fallou Ngom, Director of the African Studies Center at Boston

College, about Islam in contemporary Senegal. We will explore the ways in which Islam is lived in

the country and its connections to language, the arts, and social life. The conversation will be

moderated by Dr. Mbaye Lo, Interim Director of the Duke Islamic Studies Center. A light lunch

will be served.

Sponsors Duke Islamic Studies Center and the Forum for Scholars and Publics

January 30, 2018 Talk with Julia Ebner, Author of “The Rage”

Time 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location Hamilton Hall, room 569

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

The Rage: The Vicious Circle of Islamist and Far Right Extremism explores the interaction

between the “new” far right and Islamist extremists and considers the consequences for the

global terror threat. Based on first-hand interviews, this book introduces readers to the world of

reciprocal radicalization and the hotbeds of extremism that have developed – with potentially

disastrous consequences – in the UK, Europe and the U.S. The author will be available to sign

copies of the book after her talk (books available for purchase at event.)

Sponsors Department of Communication and the Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense

January 30, 2018Jennifer Bryson & Ismail Royer, “Insights into Extremism: Experiences of a former

Guantanamo Bay interrogator & a convicted jihadist”

Time 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Sanford School, Room 04

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Fourteen years ago, he was a convicted jihadist. Ismail Royer was part of the “Virginia Jihad

Network” and was indicted on terrorism-related charges in January 2004 with other members of

the group. Now he’s fighting radical Islam steps from the White House. Join Jennifer Bryson,

director of operations at the Center for Islam and Religious Freedom, and Ismail Royer as they

share their insights into current extremism issues.

Sponsors Duke University Program in American Grand Strategy

January 30, 2018 Religious Studies Department McLester Colloquium: Dr Shahla Talebi

Time 3:30-5:30pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

DescriptionDr. Shahla Talebi, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Arizona State University

Title: Traversing Religiopolitical Metaphors in Contemporary Iran

SponsorsUNC Department of Religious Studies, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and

Muslim Civilizations

February 1-2, 2018 Workshop: inTransit, Arts & Migration around Europe

Time February 1, 2018 | 5:00 pm - February 2, 2018 | 4:00 pm

Location The Nasher Museum of Art

Duke University

Categories Workshop

Description

How does the history of migration around Europe change when we consider early modern

Muslims? When we consider other dispossessed peoples across French and Flemish territories

in premodern times? Migrants from the South to the North, and from the Mediterranean across

the British Channel or immigrants from west and north Africa? What are the artistic expressions

and engagements accounting for their uprooting experiences? How are we to interpret them

when we listen to the past to understand the present, while looking into the present to imagine

the past? The inTransit workshop starts to address these questions by bringing together cultural

and art historians, artists, and a curator to explore the cases of expulsions and forced movement

of peoples in early modern Spain and France, today’s Maghreb, Middle East, and West Africa.

The inTransit research group (Romance Studies, Art, Art History and Visual Studies, and the

Nasher Museum) welcomes all those interested in the question of migration.

Sponsors

Center for French and Francophone Studies at Duke University, Department of Romance Studies

at Duke University, Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University, Duke University Center

for International & Global Studies (DUCIGS) – Observatory on Europe, inTransit at Duke

University, Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University- Social Practice Lab, Nasher Museum

of Art at Duke University

February 5, 2018Public Talk: “The “Military-Civilian Divide:” On War, Citizenship, and Obligation” by Nadia Abu

El-Haj

Time 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Location Friedl Building, Room 225

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Nadia Abu El-Haj is Professor of Anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University and Co-

Director of the Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia. Her publications include Facts on the

Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society, and The

Genealogical Science. The Search for Jewish Origins and the Politics of Epistemology. Her current

work focuses on the field of psychiatry, exploring the complex ethical and political implications

of shifting psychiatric and public understandings of the trauma of soldiers.

Sponsors Duke Program in Literature

February 5, 2018Duke History Department Colloquium: “The City and the Wilderness: Indo-Persian Travel

Writing and the Edge of the Mughal World” by Arash Khazeni, Pomona College

Time 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Location 229 Carr

Duke University


Description

This paper explores the travels of Mir ’Abd al-Latif Khan, an itinerant scholar and merchant from

Iran, across the Indian Ocean from Basra in the Persian Gulf to Calcutta in the Bay of Bengal in

1788 during the waning of the Mughal Empire and the onset of East India Company rule in India.

In his book of travels Tuhfat al-’Alam (Rarity of the World), written in Hyderabad in 1802, ’Abd al-

Latif draws upon longstanding Mughal views of the wondrous nature of Southeast Asia, tinged

by colonial notions of the sublime, to cast the Burmese Empire and its forest landscapes as the

edges of the Mughal world. Through the narrative of a journey to the realm of a universal

sovereign and ideal Persianate king, a padishah and a rajah, reigning over the city and the

wilderness, ’Abd al-Latif surveyed the Burmese Empire as a vast forest kingdom, a land of dense

jungles of teak, herds of wild elephants, and rich mines of precious stones, a mythical littoral

region of exotics and strange customs, a distant half-known world on the frontiers of Islam.

Sponsors Duke History Department Colloquium

February 7, 2018Public Talk: “Realistic & Principled: An Argument for American Support of Democracy and

Human Rights in the Middle East,” a conversation with Elliott Abrams

Time 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Sanford 04

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Join the American Grand Strategy for “Realistic & Principled: An Argument for American Support

of Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East,” a conversation with Elliott Abrams.

Abrams is CFR Senior Fellow, Former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National

Security Advisor.

SponsorsDuke Program in American Grand Strategy, Duke Department of Political Science, Duke Sanford

School of Public Policy

February 8, 2018Book Talk and Signing: Crusade and Jihad: The Thousand-Year War Between the Muslim World

and the Global North

Time 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Location Perkins Library 217

Duke University, West Campus

Categories Book talk, book signing

Description

Drawing on more than half a century of experience as a historian, policy planner, diplomat,

peace negotiator, and businessman, Dr. Polk’s new book, Crusade and Jihad, explains centuries

of hostilities between the Muslim world and Global North and the impact on current conflicts.

Book signing to follow.

Sponsors Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies (CSEEES)

February 9-10, 201815th Annual Duke-UNC Graduate Middle East and Islamic Studies Conference: “Map, Territory,

Boundary”

Time

Location Sanford Rubenstein Hall, room 200

Duke University


Description

Geography and territoriality are not only the subjects of ongoing contestation, but also

compelling paradigms to engage with broader interrelated questions pertaining to the modern

makeup of the Middle East. This conference seeks to spark a discussion on the myriad of ways

the themes of map, territory, and boundary open up new possibilities of insight in the contexts

of the Middle East, Muslim communities, and their connected geographies.

Sponsors

Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East

and Muslim Civilizations, Duke Islamic Studies Center, Duke Department of Asian and Middle

Eastern Studies, UNC Religious Studies, Duke Religion Department, UNC History, Duke Political

Science Department, UNC Center for Global Initiatives, Duke Center for Jewish Studies, UNC

History, Duke Literature Program, UNC Geography, Duke Cultural Anthropology Department +

International Comparative Studies, UNC Carolina Asia Center, Duke University Middle East

Studies Center

February 9, 2018 Persian Lecture Series Part II: Treatise of Three Principles of Mulla Sadra

Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Join us for Part II of a Persian Lecture Series focusing on the philosopher Mulla Sadra presented

by Dr. Mohsen Kadivar. Dr. Kadivar is an Iranian philosopher and research professor of Islamic

Studies at Duke University. Free and open to the public. Lectures will be in Persian.

SponsorsNC Persian Studies and the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim

Civilizations

February 9, 2018 Performance: Shattered Glass – Three Years Later

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Sheafer Lab Theater

Duke University

Categories Performance, poetry

Description

Shattered Glass is a 45-minute multimedia spoken word performance about the tragic shootings

in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that fuses together poetry, images, and videos. On February 10th,

2015, Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha were murdered in

their home. In the aftermath, people around the world are left with many questions. Who were

Deah, Yusor, and Razan? What does it mean to lose your child, your sibling, or your friend?

What do we do in the wake of disaster? And after our nightmares come alive, how do we

remember how to dream? In this piece, the audience goes through a journey of loss, emptiness,

comfort, and growth as they try to find answers. Shattered Glass is written and performed by

Mohammad Moussa, a friend of Deah Barakat. He is a spoken word poet whose work has been

featured on National Public Radio, American Public Media, and SwitchPoint. He has also spoken

and performed at various universities and institutions, including TEDxUNC, The Process Series,

and The Visualizing Human Rights Conference.

SponsorsThe Light House Project, Duke Office of Civic Engagement, Duke Islamic Studies Center, and the

Duke Middle East Studies Center

February 10, 2018 Literary Forum: Urdu Majlis

Time 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Please join us on Saturday, February 10, for the next monthly meeting of Urdu Majlis, the

Triangle’s Literary Forum. This Urdu Majlis will concentrate on the life and works of Iqbal

Azeem (1913-2000), Urdu poet and scholar of Urdu language. Participants are invited to bring

refreshments to share.


February 11, 2018 Persian Art Center in Carolina: A new look at Shahnameh (Part Three)

Time 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm



Categories Presentation, cultural event

Description Join the Persian Art Center in Carolina for a third presentation by Loghman Zaiim on

Shahnameh, a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE.


February 12, 2018Furst Forum: “Modifying Language, Modifying Space: Multilingualism in Arab-American

Literature and Film”

Time 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Location Dey Hall 305

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join Rachel Norman for the annual Furst Forum in Comparative Literature. A PhD candidate in

Comparative Literature, Rachel Norman researches multilingualism in Latina/o literature and

Arab North American literature in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Sponsors UNC Department of English and Comparative Literature

February 12, 2018Lecture: “Bridges, Not Walls: The Life and Legacy of Forugh Farrokhzad” with Dr. Farzaneh

Milani (University of Virginia)

Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

“What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life?” Muriel Rukeyser asked. Her

response was short: “The world would split open.” And Adrienne Rich, who believed “Lying is

done with words, and also with silences,” argued, “When a woman tells the truth, she is creating

the possibility of more truth around her.” The Iranian poet, Forugh Farrokhzad (1934-1967)

made a rope out of words and pulled herself up from segregated spaces and the burrows in

which women’s voices were held prisoner. She told the truth about her life, trespassed

sacrosanct boundaries, rejected ancestral silences, and split open the world of Iranian art and

culture. Bridges, Not Walls: The Life and Legacy of Forugh Farrokhzad, which draws from

Milani’s recently published literary biography of Farrokhzad (in Persian), is a story relevant to

our times—a personal narrative and a history of twentieth-century Iran.

Sponsors

UNC Persian Studies, Department of Asian Studies, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle

East and Muslim Civilizations, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, Institute for the

Arts and Humanities, Department of Women’s and Gender Studies

February 14, 2018 Wednesdays at the Center: Duke Undergraduate Working Group on MENA

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location John Hope Franklin Center, Ahmadieh Family Conference Hall, Rm 240

Duke University


Description

More than 35 Duke undergraduate students spent their 2017 summer vacation studying or

volunteering in the Middle East and North African (MENA). Josh Curtis (Duke junior) and Bryan

Rusch (Duke sophomore) will lead a roundtable discussion with six students who participated in

DukeEngage in Lebanon, and Duke in the Arab World (Morocco) in the summer of 2017.

Moderated discussion will include topics such as: classroom study vs. real-life experience, the

people of MENA, cultural encounters, food, and lessons upon returning home. These rich and

diverse experiences make Duke a unique hub of learning and engagement in the affairs of the

MENA region.

Sponsors John Hope Franklin Center and the Duke University Middle East Studies Center

February 16-17, 2018 Middle East and African Cultures Teacher Fellows Program Orientation

Time


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Program

Description

This intensive year-long professional development opportunity will explore Middle Eastern and

African heritage through structured site-visits across the state, from visiting a refugee

resettlement agency in Greensboro, to dining at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Charlotte, to

attending a performance in Durham by Alsarah & The Nubatones, this program aims to enhance

expertise in Middle Eastern and African cultures and communities, explore the growing diversity

of North Carolina, and develop culturally competent pedagogy.

Sponsors Carolna Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

February 16, 2018 Discussion: The Grey Wolf & Bear – Turkish-Russian Relations

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location 011 Old Chem, West Campus

Duke University


Description

The Grey Wolf & Bear: Turkish-Russian Relations will be held at the Forum for Scholars and

Publics. Speakers will include: former ambassadors Jack Matlock (Russian perspective), Robert

Pearson (Turkish perspective) as well as Dimitar Bechev (visiting scholar) who will be giving the

IR perspective.

Sponsors

Co-sponsored by the Duke University Middle Eastern Studies Center (DUMESC), the Center for

Slavic, Eurasion, and East European Studies, the Center for International & Global Studies, the

Department of Political Science, and the Forum for Scholars and Publics.

February 16, 2018 Visualizing Suffering: Tracking Photojournalism and the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Time 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location Smith Warehouse Garage

Duke University


Description

On 2/16, Professor Astrid Giugni’s and graduate student Jessica Hines’s Data+ students from

Duke University will be presenting a project tracking photojournalism of the Syrian refugee

crisis, followed by a discussion on undergraduate research in digital humanities.Robbie Ha

(Computer Science, Statistics), Peilin Lai (Computer Science, Mathematics), and Alejandro

Ortega (Mathematics) spent ten weeks analyzing the content and dissemination of images of

the Syrian refugee crisis, as part of a general data-driven investigation of Western

photojournalism and how it has contributed to our understanding of this crisis.

Sponsors Professor Astrid Giugni and Jessica Hines

February 19, 2018Lecture: Malachi Hacohen (Duke University), “Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Ishmael : The Future

of Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Muslim Relations”

Time 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Dey Hall

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

The Holocaust and the State of Israel transformed the traditional paradigms of Jews’ Relations

with non-Jews. Jacob & Esau, typologically Jews and Christians and traditionally enemies, have

reconciled. Isaac & Yishmael, typologically Jews and Muslims and traditionally less hostile, have

grown apart. This talk provides a panoramic overview of the changing dynamics of inclusion and

inter-faith relations, viewed from a Jewish perspective.


February 20, 2018 Global Open House + Global Career Night

Time 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location FedEx Global Education Center, Atrium

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join students, staff and faculty from the Global Education Center and affiliated programs to

discover where global experiences and intercultural competence can lead. The reception will

feature an art opening and showcase the global opportunities available to students, followed by

a panel at 6:00pm in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium.

Sponsors


African Studies Center, Center for European Studies, Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East

European Studies, and Institute for the Study of the Americas

February 20, 2018 Public Talk: “Visual Qur’an: A Conversation with Sandow Birk”

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Perkins Library Room 217

Duke University


Description

At a time when the United States was involved in two wars against Islamic nations and declared

itself to be in a cultural and philosophical struggle against Islamic extremists, American artist

Sandow Birk’s latest project considers the Qur’an as it was intended – as a universal message to

humankind. If the Qur’an is indeed a divine message to all peoples, he ponders, what does it

mean to an individual American in the 21st Century? How does the message of the Qur’an relate

to us, as Americans, in this life, in this time? What is this message that we have spent so much

blood and treasure fighting against, and how can the message of the Qur’an be applied to a

contemporary American life? In short, what might the Qur’an mean to contemporary

Americans?

Sponsors Duke Islamic Studies Center, and Duke University Middle East Studies Center

February 21, 2018 Wednesdays at the Center: American Qur’an with Sandow Birk

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location John Hope Franklin Center, Ahmadieh Family Conference Hall, Rm 240

Duke University


Description

This presentation will outline Birk’s project of hand-transcribing the entire Qur’an according to

historic Islamic traditions and illuminating the text with relevant scenes from American life. Nine

years in the making, the project was inspired by a decade of extended travel in Islamic regions of

the world.

Sponsors John Hope Franklin Center, and the Duke Islamic Studies Center

February 21, 2018 Film Screening and Panel: The Other Side of Hope

Time 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Location FedEx Global Education Center, Auditorium

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Released in 2017, The Other Side of Hope depicts the fictional story of a traveling salesman’s

friendship with a recently arrived Syrian asylum seeker. The panel will include Professor Banu

Gökarıksel (Geography), Professor Priscilla Layne (Germanic and Slavic Languages and

Literatures), and Dr. Niklaus Steiner (Director, Center for Global Initiatives). Professor John

Stephens (Political Science and Director, Center for European Studies) will moderate the

conversation.

Sponsors


African Studies Center, Center for European Studies, Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East

European Studies, and Institute for the Study of the Americas

February 22, 2018Public Talk: “Muslim Cosmopolitanism: Shattering Myths about Islam in South East Asia” by

Dr. Khairudin Aljunied (Georgetown University)

Time 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm


Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

This talk seeks to deconstruct present-day images and stereotypes embedded in the works of

“media pundits” and “terrorist experts” that Muslims in Southeast Asia are prone to conflict and

violence. Based on my recent book Muslim Cosmopolitanism: Southeast Asian Islam in

Comparative Perspective (2017), I will show that cosmopolitan ideals and pluralist tendencies

have been employed creatively and adapted carefully by Muslim and non-Muslim individuals,

societies and institutions in Southeast Asia to produce the necessary contexts for mutual

tolerance and shared respect between and within different groups in society.

Sponsors Duke Islamic Studies Center

February 22, 2018 Documentary Screening: Budrus

Time 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Location Union Room 3411

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join OneVoice UNC, Feminist Students United (FSU), and Carolina Advocates for Gender Equity

(CAGE) as we screen Budrus , an award-winning feature documentary film about Palestinian

community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites Palestinian political factions and invites Israeli

supporters to join them in an unarmed movement to save his village from destruction by the

separation barrier.

SponsorsOneVoice UNC, Feminist Students United (FSU), and Carolina Advocates for Gender Equity

(CAGE)

February 22, 2018 Cultural Event: Arabic Calligraphy Workshop

Time 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location New West 219

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

The UNC Arabic Program is pleased to announce an amazing Workshop about Arabic Calligraphy,

with usthath Lahcen Omar. Students will learn about the different calligraphy styles and have an

opportunity to practice. The workshop is open to students from all Arabic sections as well as

others who are interested in this subject.

Sponsors UNC Arabic Program

February 23, 2018 Public Talk: “Situating Cosmopolitanism” with Amy Mills, University of South Carolina

Time 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Location East Duke, 204D

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Since the turn of the millennium, rapid globalization has generated debates about whether a

universal “cosmopolitan ethic” is possible, compelling us to examine the extent to which

globalized relations are conditioned by locality. Yet, cosmopolitanist debates originate in the

Global North, and the concept of cosmopolitanism itself does not travel across contexts without

friction. This talk situates local understandings of “cosmopolitanism” in Istanbul, a city whose

geographic location, and Byzantine and Ottoman imperial histories, ground common

imaginations of the city as a multicultural bridge between the East and West. It demonstrates

how the act of situating cosmopolitanism demands we shift the framing of cosmopolitanist

theory.

SponsorsDuke International Comparative Studies and the Duke University Middle East Studies Center

February 24, 2018 Hip-hop and Peacebuilding in the Middle East: A Workshop for Educators

Time


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Workshop

Description

K-12 teachers are invited to join the Duke UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies and Carolina

K-12 on February 24 at UNC Chapel Hill to explore poetry, hip-hop, and peacebuilding in the

Middle East. During this creative one-day workshop, teachers will deepen understanding of a

complex and diverse region by exploring history, geography, religion, and more. Teachers will

participate in an interactive performance/lecture with world-renowned hip-hop artist Omar

Offendum to learn about major sociopolitical shifts in Syria and uprisings in the Middle East.

Teachers will then explore how music and the arts can be an avenue to engage students in cross-

cultural learning with Pierce Freelon, Durham-based professor, musician and social

entrepreneur. Teachers will also learn about resources offered by Carolina K-12 and the Duke-

UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies related to these themes and more. The workshop will

end with teachers attending a performance by Omar Offendum at UNC Chapel Hill. His poetry

and music build on American hip-hop and compel diverse audiences to consider issues of

identity, belonging, and diaspora.

Sponsors Duke UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies and Carolina K-12

February 24, 2018 Global Spotlight Week: Omar Offendum in Concert

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Concert

Description

Omar Offendum is a Los Angeles-based Syrian-American hip-hop artist, activist and architect. His

music and poetry, which he performs in both Arabic and English, are infused with historical,

geographical and religious references and intermixed with personal accounts of faith, politics,

and growing up in Washington, D.C. Omar Offendum’s focus on Syria and uprisings in the Middle

East expose American audiences to a little-understood region. His poetry and music build on

American Hip-Hop and compel diverse audiences to consider issues of identity, belonging, and

diaspora. Offendum will perform a concert at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture

and History theater on February 24, 2018 with special guests Pierce Freelon, Naji Hilal (oud) &

Mahmoud Alqhumri (tabla) and UNC Cypher.

Sponsors

Arts Everywhere, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations,

Carolina Summer Reading Program, College of Arts & Sciences, Curriculum in Religious Studies,

Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, First Year Seminars Program, Institute for the

Arts and Humanities, Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, UNC Center for

Global Initiatives, with support from the Chancellor’s Global Education Fund.

February 26, 2018 International Legal Conference: Emergency Legal Cultures and Imperial Legacies

Time 10:30 am - 3:00 pm

Location Kenan Institute for Ethics

Duke University


Description

In recent years, “The State of Emergency” as a philosophical, critical and meta-legal concept, has

received much attention, particularly through the work of Giorgio Agamben and a revived

interest in the German jurist Carl Schmitt. In turn, legal scholars have turned their attention to

emergency legislation as a concrete legal practice, particularly in Imperial and post-Imperial

contexts. They have often neglected, however, to interrogate the impact of emergency

legislation over cultural production. At the same time, cultural critics examining the notion of

emergency have paid too little attention to the particular legal structures that interpreted and

embodied the state of emergency. This conference brings together legal and literary scholars to

discuss the practice of emergency legislation, its particular form, and ways to think of cultural

production in this context. The five speakers will address the linkages between emergency

legislation in the British Empire and its offshoot nation states, focusing on Israel/Palestine and

India/Pakistan.

Sponsors

Duke Center for Jewish Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Franklin Humanities Institute,

Duke Human Rights Center at the Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke University Middle East Studies

Center (DUMESC), Duke India Initiative, The Global South After 2010: Epistemologies of

Militarization

February 26, 2018 Public Talk: “Following the Prophet’s footsteps: The creation of a holy land” by Dr. Harry Munt

Time 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Location Breedlove Conference Room – Rubenstein Library Room 349

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

The Hijaz in modern Saudi Arabia is today widely recognized as the home of the two holiest

cities in the Islamic world, Mecca and Medina, which are a destination for pilgrims from across

the globe. This paper will discuss the emergence of this region as the Islamic world’s holy land,

with particular discussion of the case of Medina during the early Islamic centuries. It will show

that Medina’s emergence as a holy city alongside Mecca and the development of many of the

doctrines associated with its sanctity were the result of gradual and contested processes which

were closely linked to questions of political and religious authority in the early Islamic world.


February 26, 2018Lecture: “Achaemenids, Royal Power and Persian Ethnicity” with Dr. Jennifer Gates-Foster

(UNC-Chapel Hill)

Time 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

This lecture explores the way that the Achaemenid concept of cosmic, kingly rule engaged with

the ethnic and cultural identity of the diverse peoples subject to their imperial control. These

ideas worked at both the metaphorical and practical level, as the imperial administration was

faced with the task of governing an almost infinitely varied landscape in its far-reaching

satrapies. Using examples from Persepolis and the Achaemenid heartland, as well as from the

provinces, this lecture considers the diversity of peoples subject to the Great King, while

analyzing the response of local elites to these ideas of universal rule.


Civilizations

February 27, 2018 Discussion with Alsarah: The New Princess of Nubian Pop and Sudanese Retro

Time 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Location Rhodes Conference Room, Sanford 223

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Please join us for a lecture by Alsarah, Artist-in-Residence at Duke University, as she discusses

her approach to crafting lyrics and relationship to the Arabic language, as well as more general

musical and cultural issues, followed by a Q & A session. Alsarah is a singer, songwriter,

bandleader and a somewhat reluctant ethnomusicologist. Born in Khartoum, Sudan, she

relocated to Yemen with her family before abruptly moving to the USA, finally feeling most at

home in Brooklyn, NY where she has been residing since 2004. She is a self-proclaimed

practitioner of East-African Retro-Pop music. Working on various projects, she has toured both

nationally and internationally.

SponsorsDuke Islamic Studies Center, the Duke University Middle East Studies Center, Duke Asian and

Middle Eastern Studies, and the Duke Africa Initiative

February 28, 2018 Public Conversation: Alsarah & Saba Taj at Beyù Caffè

Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Beyu Caffe

341 W Main St, Durham, North Carolina 27701

Categories Lecture

Description

In this evening talk at Beyù Caffè in downtown Durham, Sudanese-born singer Alsarah discusses

her artistic process and journey, which began as a double refugee — first from conflict in Sudan,

then from civil war in neighboring Yemen. Moderated by Durham-based artist and activist Saba

Taj.

Sponsors

Duke Islamic Studies Center, the Duke University Middle East Studies Center, the Duke Africa

Initiative, the Forum for Scholars and Publics at Duke University, and Be Connected, hosted by

Beyù Caffè

March 1, 2018 Panel Discussion: Global Political Perspectives: Crash Course on Egyptian Politics

Time 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Location Sanford 223, Rhodes Conference Room

Duke University

Categories Panel / Presentation

Description

You may know about U.S. politics, what about the rest of the world? Have a slice of pizza and

launch into international political discussion with “Global Political Perspectives: A Crash Course

on Egyptian Politics and Their Upcoming Election,” a panel discussion moderated by Dr.

Giovanni Zanalda, Director of Duke’s Center for International & Global Studies.

SponsorsCenter for International and Global Studies, the Duke Middle East Studies Center, and the Duke

University International House (iHouse)

March 1, 2018Public Talk: “Right to Representation: Consent, Distrust and Leadership in our Current Political

Climate” with Dr. Alaa Murabit

Time 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm


Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

The Duke Islamic Studies Center, along with the Duke Human Rights Center at the Kenan

Institute for Ethics, will host its keynote event on March 1st, as part of the “American Muslims,

Civil and Human Rights” series, which examines the current human rights crisis for Muslims in

the U.S.

SponsorsDuke Islamic Studies Center, along with the Duke Human Rights Center at the Kenan Institute for

Ethics

March 1, 2018 Concert: Alsarah and the Nubatones

Time 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Location Motorco Music Hall

Durham

Categories Concert

Description

Alsarah’s circuitous journey toward stardom began as a double refugee — first from conflict in

her native Sudan, then from civil war in neighboring Yemen. After arriving in New York in the

mid-1990s, Alsarah turned to music as a living link to her homeland, both as an

ethnomusicologist and as a singer with a velvety voice and socially conscious lyrics. Alongside

percussionist Rami El-Aasser, bassist Mawuena Kodjovi, oud player Brandon Terzic, and

background vocalist Nahid, Alsarah has given the traditional music of Sudan a contemporary

pulse and finish. She is a new breed of pop star, countering the turmoil of troubled times with

her effervescent music.

SponsorsDuke Islamic Studies Center, the Duke University Middle East Studies Center & the Duke Africa

Initiative

March 1, 2018Public Talk: “On Orientalist Genealogies: The Split Arab/Jew Figure Revisited” by Ella Shohat,

NYU

Time 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

This lecture will offer a genealogical reading of the gradual splitting of the once-linked Semitic

figure into “Arab” and “Jew” and its ramifications for contemporary discourses about Jews and

Muslims. Examining the shifting Orientalist imaginary in the wake of the Enlightenment and

colonialism, the lecture traces contemporary assumptions about a longstanding Arab / Jewish

divide — and the ambiguous position of the Arab-Jew within it — back to crucial shifts in 19th

century representation, thus providing an historical lens which can help illuminate

contemporary postcolonial tensions.


March 2, 2018Public Lecture by Visiting Scholar Dr. Geetanjali Joshi, “Bauls, Bhakti, Beats and Bob: Tracing

the Indian Oral tradition in the poetry and songs of Ginsberg and Dylan”

Time 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Dr. Geetanjali Joshi is from Lucknow, India and is currently a Fulbright Fellow at Portland State

University in Oregon. His presentation, “Bauls, Bhakti, Beats and Bob: Tracing the Indian Oral

tradition in the poetry and songs of Ginsberg and Dylan” will address a group of mystic singers.

Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition.

SponsorsSouth Asia Faculty Working Group, the Carolina Asia Center, and the Center for Global

Initiatives, as well as the South Asia Section of the Department of Asian Studies

March 3, 2018 Islamic Association of Raleigh Annual Open House

Time 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location 808 Atwater Street, Raleigh, NC 27607

Islamic Association of Raleigh


Description

The Islamic Association of Raleigh (IAR) is hosting its annual Open House event Saturday March

3rd from 11 am to 3 pm, featuring American Islamic Heritage, lunch, guest appearance by Sean

Maroney (Evening Anchor WNCN) and Q&A with Imam AbuTaleb. Come learn about Islam,

Muslims’ contributions, and sample culinary treats from around the world.


March 3, 2018 Cultural Event: Celebration of the Persian New Year (Nowruz)

Time 4:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location Divinity School, Goodson Chapel

Duke University


Description

The program will begin with a social from 4:00-4:30pm. At 4:30pm, Dr. Amir Rezvani will provide

an introduction and welcoming remarks, followed by live Persian music, poetry, and dance

performances from 4:45-8:30pm. Please note that doors will be closed upon the start of the

program; please be on time.

Sponsors Persian Art Center in Carolina & Persian Students Association at Duke University

March 6, 2018Conference: 2018 RTI-UNC Peace War and Defense Conference: Academia, Non-Governmental

Organization, and Military Perspectives on Countering Violent Extremism

Time 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Location Student Union Room 3408

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

This conference will showcase work done by academia, a non-governmental organization, and

the military to Counter Violent Extremism (CVE). Each sector offers different capabilities and

unique perspectives, experiences, and ideas that will not only be mutually educational, but may

also generate opportunities for future collaboration and cooperation. The target audience for

this event is RTI employees, UNC students, and military personnel who want to learn about

current research, ongoing development initiatives, and military lessons learned in the CVE

space. This conference will consist of two distinct panels on two important Countering Violent

Extremism (CVE) topics.

Sponsors RTI International and UNC Peace, War and Defense.

March 7, 2018Roundtable Discussion: ‘Clickbait with Footnotes’: Decolonizing the Academy and the

Commodification of Scholarships

Time 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Location Ahmadieh Family Conference Room, West Duke 101

Duke University


Description

This roundtable will discuss the perverse incentives of ‘impact’ in academia; the ethics of

authorship, board membership and publication; and practicing freedom of speech in our

contemporary political climate. We will draw from the example of a recent publication by the

journal Third World Quarterly of a ‘Viewpoint’ in September 2017 arguing for the merits of

colonialism. This piece follows in the footsteps of several Western intellectuals who have tried

to reopen debates over the balance sheet of colonialism’s impact. In the context of Trumpism

and vocal white supremacy in the US and increasing xenophobia in Europe and parts of Africa,

this now deeply controversial essay led to considerable outcry, including nearly half of the

Editorial Board of the journal resigning in protest.

Sponsors

March 7, 2018Public Talk: AAHVS Visiting Artist Talk with Saba Taj: “Hybridities, the Evil Eye, and the

Apocalypse”

Time 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Smith Warehouse – Bay 9, Room A290

Duke University


Description

The Art, Art History and Visual Studies Visiting Artist Series welcomes Durham based artist Saba

Taj, who will be giving a lecture titled “Hybridities, the Evil Eye, and the Apocalypse” on

Wednesday, March 7th at 6:30pm in classroom A290 on the second floor of Smith Warehouse.

Free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Sponsors Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke

March 8, 2018Public Talk: “Modernizing in early modern times: Women and innovation among the

Ottomans” with Prof Leslie Peirce (NYU)

Time 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Location Pink Parlor – East Duke Campus

Duke University


Description

In the six centuries of their rule, the Ottomans arguably never viewed “progress” as a

desideratum. American readers apparently do, however, for I was urged to demonstrate in a

recently published book that its subject—Hurrem, the concubine and then queen of the sultan

Suleyman I “the magnificent”—was a notable modernizer. The lecture reflects briefly on how

Ottomans of the 16th and 17th centuries thought about change. It then focuses on the ways in

which women were drafted into making change and at the same time established new channels

of influence. This event is open to the public.

Sponsors Duke Department of History and the Program in Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies

March 9, 2018 Lecture: “Nezami and his Five Treasures” with Maryam Tabibzadeh

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Center for Multicultural Affairs

Duke University

Categories Book discussion

Description

Maryam Tabibzadeh will give a lecture on her new book, a translation of beautiful Epic verses

written by Nezami, a famous Persian poet in the 12th century, based on a true love story.

Tabibzadeh will also sign her new book at this event.

SponsorsIranian Cultural Society of North Carolina and the Graduate Student Association of Iranians at

Duke University.

March 11, 2018 Literary Forum: Urdu Majlis

Time 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

The next monthly meeting of Urdu Majlis, the Triangle’s Literary Forum. This Urdu Majlis will

concentrate on the life and works of Asghar Gondvi (1884-1936). Participants are invited to

bring refreshments to share.


March 16, 2018 Poetry Festival: Mushaira (Urdu-Hindi Poetry Symposium)

Time 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Location McKimmon Center

1101 Gorman St, Raleigh 27606


Description

This festival features some of the leading poets of India and Pakistan, and proceeds benefit

education for orphans in Pakistan. Dr. Altaf Husain, Executive Assistant for Academic Affairs in

the Office of the Provost at Howard University will provide remarks. Mushaira Program poets

include: Waseem Barelvi, Iqbal Ashar, Nausha Asrar.

Sponsors

March 17, 2018 Documentary Screening: Istanbul Notes

Time 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location The Cary Theater

122 E. Chatham St., Cary, NC 27511


Description

‘Istanbul Makami’ is a cinematographic improvisation with 5 musicians from abroad who fall in

love with the Maqam Music and decide to live in Turkey believing that music might best be

learned in the lands it was born and performed. Each has different stories but the desire to find

their own path despite modern times’ obligations intersects their roads. Constructing three

layers -music, Istanbul and combination of both in the filmic platform- the film is a modern

times fairytale in praise of Istanbul and its classical music; a film about obstinacy, desire, looking

for one’s own raison d’etre, travelling, being a world citizen and the power of music to

understand the other and express oneself in the pursuit of intertwining stories following

passion. It tells unique stories about the common dreams we are afraid to approach, and thus,

tries to give inspiration to us to free ourselves. Leaving home and making music around the

world. From Montreal, Sofia, New York, Salives and Palermo, five stories hit the road, travel the

world and meet in İstanbul, by Istanbul Notes. The film is in Turkish with English subtitles.

Sponsors American Turkish Association of North Carolina

March 18, 2018 Forum by the US India Policy Institute: Muslims in India

Time 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Location 1076 W Chatham St, Cary, NC 27513

Cary Mosque


DescriptionUS INDIA POLICY INSTITUTE (USIPI) presents a special forum and presentation on the situation of

Muslims in India.

Sponsors US India Policy Institute

March 18, 2018 Concert: Sima Bina Live in Raleigh

Time 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Location Stewart Theater, Talley Center

NC State University

Categories Concert

Description

Last November, a devastating earthquake with a magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale struck the

mountainous regions of Western Iran in Kermanshah and Kurdistan provinces. More than 800

people died and another 8000 were injured. The earthquake left about 70,000 people homeless,

destroying approximately 12,000 homes and damaging another 15,000. The Iranian government

announced that the disaster has caused at least $5 billion of damage. Most of casualties are

from the rural villages of western Kermanshah Province and the town of Sarpol-e-Zahab. People

are in desperate need for all basic items as well as medicine. All benefits of this concert will be

used to help the victims of the earthquake.

SponsorsIranian Cultural Society of NC (ICSNC), Graduate Student Association of Iranians at Duke

University (GSAID), Iranian Student Association at NCSU, Persian Studies Program at UNC Chapel

Hill, Duke Islamic Studies Center, and the Persian Cultural Society at UNC Chapel Hill

March 19, 2018Ancient Magic in a New Key: Refining an Exotic Discipline in the History of Religions” by David

Frankfurter

Time 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Location FedEx Global Education Center, Room 3009

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Seminar

Description

This lecture reconsiders the ways that "magic" has been embraced and treated in the study of

Early Christianity, and subsequently advocates both a more rigorous approach to indigenous

evaluations ambiguous ritual and a more confident "etic" or descriptive use of the category of

magic. Dr. David Frankfurter is William Goodwin Aurelio Chair of the Appreciation of Scripture,

Boston University.

SponsorsUNC Department of Classics, Center for Late Ancient Studies, Duke Department of Classical

Studies, Duke Department of Religious Studies, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East

and Muslim Civilizations, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

March 19, 2018Public Talk: Training the Imam: Locating American Sites of Religious Authority with Nancy

Khalil

Time 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Location 225 Friedl Building

Duke University


Description

Owing to a common absence of a central religious body to authorize religious clerics, combined

with the U.S. secular conception of separation of church and state, Muslim authority in the

United States contends with a regulatory vacuum. The concept of clergy that drives much of

how religion encounters our bureaucratic structures in the U.S. liberal-secular context does not

sufficiently transpose in the context of Muslim religious authority and service. In this talk, I offer

an introduction to Islamic higher education for religious-leader training in the United States and

argue that the institutionalization of Islamic seminaries can begin to fill the regulatory void in

the imam profession. Such institutionalization and professionalization, however, can both

simultaneously preserve and conflict with articulated objectives to sanctify traditional values of

Islamic learning when bureaucracy emerges as a formative component of religion. Nancy A.

Khalil is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Yale University’s Center for the Study of Race,

Indigeneity and Transnational Migration.

Sponsors Cultural Anthropology at Duke

March 19, 2018Public Talk: “When Clerics Become Kings: A Twenty-first-century Mahdi and the Anatomy of a

Messianic Movement” with Serkan Yolaçan, National University of Singapore

Time 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Location East Duke 204A

Duke University


Description

Yolaçan’s talk addresses the relationship between religious authority and political sovereignty. It

offers a conceptual model for analyzing how transnational religious movements transform

states, take over them, or produce new ones. By juxtaposing a wide range of cases from past

and present, it identifies a recurring historical pattern of a messianic kind. He conceptualizes this

form of sovereignty as diasporic kingship, in which saints act like kings although they don’t

possess a state of their own. He uses this broad messianic lens to analyze Turkey’s Gülen

community to argue that Gülen’s messianic endeavor – and failure – to transform a religious

diaspora into a state played a central role in Turkey’s cultural, political, and economic

transformations since the Cold War’s end. Serkan Yolaçan is a research fellow at the National

University of Singapore’s’ Middle East Studies Institute.

Sponsors Duke International Comparative Studies

March 20-21, 2018UNC World View Seminar for K-12 and Community College Educators: “Building Stronger

Bridges: Cultural Respect and Equity in the Classroom”

Time N/A

Location The Friday Conference Center

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Seminar

Description

How can North Carolina educators build stronger bridges in their classrooms and communities

to support diverse populations of learners? Through plenary talks and small group breakout

sessions, K-12 and community college educators at World View’s spring seminar will explore

issues of cultural respect and equity, learning what barriers need to be removed and what

strategies can be implemented to recognize the potential for all learners. Participants will have

the opportunity to consider their backgrounds, how their individual experiences have forged

their beliefs and how these beliefs transpire into their everyday world, specifically the classroom

or learning environment. The program will include a session on “Faith Practices in Schools with a

Spotlight on Muslims and Islam.”

Sponsors

UNC World View, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations,

Carolina Asia Center, African Studies Center, Institute for the Study of the Americas, Center for

European Studies, CEESS

March 21, 2018Wednesdays at the Center: “Everyday Conversations: Islam, Domestic Work and South Asian

Migrant Women in Kuwait”

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location John Hope Franklin Center, Ahmadieh Family Conference Hall, room 240

Duke University


Description

Dr. Attiya Ahmad is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs at The

George Washington University. Broadly conceived, her research focuses on the gendered

interrelation of Islamic reform movements and political economic processes spanning the

Middle East and South Asia, in particular, the greater Arabian Peninsula/Persian Gulf and Indian

Ocean regions. Dr. Ahmad is a Ph.D. from Duke University and recently published her first book,

“Everyday Conversions: Islam, Domestic Work and South Asian Migrant Women in Kuwait”

(Duke University Press, 2017). Dr. Ahmad is currently examining the development of global halal

tourism networks.

Sponsors John Hope Franklin Center and the Duke University Middle East Studies Center

March 22, 2018 Discussion: “Why is the Holy Land Holy?”

Time 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Garner 105

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join OneVoice on Campus for a panel discussion dealing with the importance of Jerusalem to the

different Abrahamic religions. Background on Jerusalem historical and modern context will be

provided, followed by a conversation between faith leaders from the Christian, Muslim, and

Jewish communities in the area to discuss Jerusalem in regards to their own faith communities.

Featuring Faisal Khan, Rabbi Melissa B. Simon, Pastor Jay Thomas, and moderated by Madison

Perry.

Sponsors OneVoice Campus

March 23-25, 2018 Censored Women’s Film Festival

Time March 23, 2018 | 4:00 pm - March 25, 2018 | 3:30 pm

Location Theater Room, Rubenstein Arts Center

Duke University

Categories Film Festival

Description

The Censored Women’s Film Festival is an annual, not-for-profit, traveling film festival and

summit organized to raise consciousness and women’s rights issues through film and dialogue.

Issues of women’s rights and gender equality are too often silenced and kept from mainstream

cinema and discourse. The Censored Women’s Film Festival provides a space for filmmakers,

activists, practitioners and students to use films as a lens through which to discuss the fight for

women’s rights all over the world. Priority is given to films with a special emphasis on topics that

have been censored or stifled, particularly as they relate to cultural and/or religious taboos. The

Censored Women’s Film Festival seeks to amplify the stories that most need telling. Several of

the films in the festival are by filmmakers from the Middle East including Iran, Pakistan, Egypt,

and Afghanistan.

Sponsors Duke University Honor Council

March 25, 2018 Cultural Event: Nowruz

Time 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Location Great Hall, UNC Student Union

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Please join the UNC Persian Cultural Society in celebrating Nowruz, Persian New Year 1397! The

event will take place on Sunday, March 25th from 5:30-9:30 P.M. in the Great Hall of the UNC

Student Union. Enjoy a diverse program of performances, a delicious Iranian dinner, and dancing

at the end of the night. There will be a DJ! Come support our performers and engage in our

vibrant, long-lasting traditions!

Sponsors UNC Persian Cultural Society

March 25, 2018 Reception: Visiting delegation from Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut

Time 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Hunt Library, Duke Energy Hall A&B

NC State University

Categories Reception

Description

The Khayrallah Center is pleased to host a visiting delegation from Makassed Philanthropic

Islamic Association of Beirut, the oldest NGO in Lebanon and the Middle East. Among the

delegates are: Mr. Amine Daouk (President of Makassed Association), MrFaysal Sinno (Vice

President), Minister Mohamed Machnouk.

Sponsors Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies

March 26, 2018“Férydoun Rahnéma’s Inappropriable Specters: Critique of Self-Identity and the Emergence of

Iranian New Wave Cinema” – A paper by Maziyar Faridi

Time 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Location Room 504, Wilson Library

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Maziyar Faridi presents his award-winning paper, “Férydoun Rahnéma’s Inappropriable

Specters: Critique of Self-Identity and the Emergence of Iranian New Wave Cinema.” Faridi is the

winner of the inaugural Ferdowsi Tusi Award, presented by the University Libraries and the

Persian Studies program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Faridi’s scholarly

paper examines national identity and history in the cinema of Férydoun Rahnéma (1930-1975),

who played a foundational role in the emergence of Iranian New Wave cinema and New Wave

Persian poetry [Mowj-e No] in the 1960s and 1970s. Maziyar Faridi is a doctoral candidate in

comparative literary studies at Northwestern University. He received his B.A. in English and M.A.

in translation studies and English from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Iran.

Sponsors University Libraries and the Persian Studies program

March 26, 2018 Re-membering Torture: A Conversation with Shahla Talebi and Diana Coleman

Time 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location FHI Conference Room C107

Duke University

Categories Workshop

Description

In this workshop, we will be discussing the work of Darius Rejali (“Torture and Democracy”) as

well as some of the testimony culled from the North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture

(NCCIT). Professor Talebi, herself a former detainee under two separate regimes in Iran, will be

discussing some of her writings, and her student, Diana Coleman, will discuss her work on

Guantanamo.

Sponsors D-SIGN working group on the Global South at Duke University

March 27, 2018Lecture: “The Makassed Schools Experience Teaching Science and Mathematics in the Native

Arabic Language” by Minister Mohamed Al-Machnouk

Time 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Location Peabody 02

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

In several nations around the world, debates rage on whether school science and mathematics

ought to be taught in native tongues versus English or some other ‘dominant, global’ language.

Passionate arguments have been advanced to articulate the benefits and burdens for student

learning and outcomes as a result of using one approach or the other. In Lebanon, native Arabic

speaking children mostly learn science and mathematics in English or French starting in the

primary grades. In this talk, Minister Mohamed Al-Machnouk, will share the experience of using

Arabic to teach school science and mathematics across the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic

Association’s network of schools in Lebanon. Al-Machnouk will provide a historical overview of

this ‘experiment,’ discuss the resulting student outcomes, and explicate the circumstances and

reasoning that shaped the eventual end of this incredibly interesting case study.

Sponsors UNC School of Education

March 29, 2018Public Talk: “Constitutionalizing the Muslim State: Issues, Agreements, and Disagreements” –

Professor Malika Zeghal, Harvard University

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location Carpenter Conference Room – 249 Rubenstein Library

Duke University


Description

This talk will deal with how Constitutions have most often affirmed the Muslim character of the

state in the modern Middle East (19th-21st c). Professor Zeghal will more particularly focus on

modern Tunisia and on the 2012-2014 constitutional episode. In drafting their constitution

between 2012 and 2014, Tunisians debated how they could continue to have a state “whose

religion is Islam” while shaping a democracy for the first time in their history. Malika Zeghal

examines how they constitutionalized these two imperatives without introducing sharia law in

the 2014 Constitution. She details the terms of the constitutional debates about religion and

explains how they shaped the political cleavages in post-Ben Ali Tunisia. These debates revealed

the notable absence of secularists and a broad agreement on the imperative of a Muslim state

—whose meaning was nonetheless an object of strong disagreements. This should interest in

particular scholars in political science, religion, Islamic studies, constitutional law, and Middle

Eastern Studies. A light lunch will be provided.

SponsorsDuke Graduate Program in Religion, Duke ICS, Duke AMES, Duke Department of Religious

Studies, Duke Cultural Anthropology, and Sanford School of Public Policy

March 31, 2018 Cultural Event: Turkish Music & Dance Night

Time 6:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Location Talley Student Union, BR- Mountains Ballroom

NC State University


Description

Turkish Student Association at NC State organized “Turkish Music and Dance Night”, with live

music bands, belly dancers, a dance group, DJ, authentic dinner, refreshments, competitions,

and raffles.

Sponsors NC State University Turkish Student Association

April 2, 2018Public Talk: “From Palestine to America: A Militarization of Police” with Eran Efrati and Maya

Wind

Time 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Location Perkins, room 217

Duke University


DescriptionHear from Maya Wind and Eran Efrati on their research as the explain the police exchange

between Durham Police and the Israeli Army/Police.

SponsorsStudent Organization Finance Committee, Amnesty International, and Students for Justice in

Palestine

April 2, 2018Lecture: “A Picture of Health: Visualizing Care in Late Ottoman Istanbul” with Zeynep Devrim

Gürsel

Time 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Location 310 Trent Drive, Basement 037A

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Professor Gürsel examines formal portraits of late 19th century female patients of the Haseki

Women’s Hospital from Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamit’s palace archive to ask how this album

requires us to rethink agency in photography as well as the traditional differences between

medical and political imaging technologies. In this thoughtful dive into an unusual archive,

Gürsel makes us confront how care is visualized and to what political end.

SponsorsInternational Comparative Studies, Duke University Middle East Studies Center, Health

Humanities Lab, and Duke Cultural Anthropology

April 2, 2018 Discussion: “The American Muslim Identity: Patriot or Insurgent” with Zuhdi Jasser

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Gross Hall 103

Duke University


Description

Join Duke College Republicans, the Alexander Hamilton Society, and Young Americans for Liberty

for a moderated conversation and Q&A with Zuhdi Jasser. Dr. Jasser is an American Muslim and

son of Syrian immigrants who fled Ba’athist oppression in 1966. Zuhdi is a physician, a former US

Navy officer, and president of American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) founded in

2003.His calls for reform inspired his co-founding of the Muslim Reform Movement in 2015.

Zuhdi is a former commissioner and Vice-Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious

Freedom (USCIRF) appointed by the U.S. Senate serving from 2012-2016. He will discuss the

process of radicalization, the nature of Islamic extremism, and the unique responsibility of

American Muslims. An internationally recognized expert on Islamism, he regularly testifies to

the U.S. Congress on the threat of global Islamism and domestic and foreign counter-ideology

strategy.

SponsorsDuke College Republicans, the Alexander Hamilton Society, and Young Americans for Liberty

April 3, 2018 Public Talk: “Afro-Arab Relationships in the Age of Militant Islam” with Dr. Hamdy Hassan

Time 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location Carpenter Conference Room – 249 Rubenstein Library

Duke University


Description

The goal of this talk is to study the Afro Arab relations within the context of dominant jihadist

narratives and the nature of their appeal in the African space. All these Islamist ideologies are

based on a peculiar Salafi Radicalism that aimed to transform the state and society by methods

of preaching and violence. Therefore, studying and analyzing the principles of the Salafist

discourse as a political project helps us to understand its points strengths and weaknesses. In

addition, we can be better look at the future trends and prospects of afro Arab cooperation.


April 3, 2018 Public Talk: “Palestine is Here” with Eran Efrati and Maya Wind

Time 6:45 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Bingham 103

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Since 2002, US law enforcement have been training with the Israeli military in the context of the

“War on Terror” as Black Lives Matter and other movements seek accountability and an end of

police violence. Join us for a talk with investigative researcher Eran Efrati and feminist activist

Maya Wind for a conversation about how Palestine comes home to Durham.

Sponsors Students for Justice in Palestine

April 4, 2018 Wednesdays at the Center: Virtual Reality in the Arabic Classroom

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location Ahmadieh Family Conference Hall – Franklin Center 240

Duke University


Description

This panel will describe what 360 video is and how it’s recorded, including some of the cameras

you can use to capture an immersive experience to share a vacation memory or a family event.

You will also learn about a project funded by the Duke Digital Initiative (DDI) and executed with

the support of AMES, CIT and OIT and Duke Engage in Lebanon and Jordan exploring the use of

360 video in teaching and learning Arabic at Duke. 360 video captures scenery and action from

all sides and, in some cases, from above and below, too!

Sponsors John Hope Franklin Center

April 4, 2018 Lecture: “Modernity, Subjectivity and Sexual Violence: Stories From Iran” by Dr. Shahla Talebi

Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

What is the relationship between our sense of the self and sexual violence that for many

individuals it appears so radically different from other forms of violence? Why do we so often

attribute such significance to sexuality that makes it possible for sexual violence to become

profound means of asserting power for its perpetrators? What is behind the visceral experience

of this kind of violence that the theoretical renditions on power or torture do not seem to

adequately capture? What kind of connection is there between our subjectivity and sexuality

and modernity? This presentation seeks to engage these questions through an ethnographic

reading of various forms of sexual violence in the stories of three former women Iranian political

prisoners.


Civilizations

April 4, 2018 Film Screening: Middle East Film Festival: “Omar”

Time 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Location D. H. Hill Library, West Wing Auditorium

NC State University


Description

“Omar,” a film by Hany Abu-Assad: A tense, gripping thriller about betrayal, suspected and real,

in the Occupied Territories. Omar (Adam Bakri) is a Palestinian baker who routinely climbs over

the separation wall to meet up with his girl Nadja (Leem Lubany). By night, he’s either a freedom

fighter or a terrorist-you decide-ready to risk his life to strike at the Israeli military with his

childhood friends Tarek (Eyad Hourani) and Amjad (Samer Bisharat). Arrested after the killing of

an Israeli soldier and tricked into an admission of guilt by association, he agrees to work as an

informant. So begins a dangerous game-is he playing his Israeli handler (Waleed F. Zuaiter) or

will he really betray his cause? And who can he trust on either side? Palestinian filmmaker Hany

Abu-Assad (Paradise Now) has made a dynamic, action-packed drama about the insoluable

moral dilemmas and tough choices facing those on the frontlines of a conflict that shows no sign

of letting up. (c) Adopt Films

Sponsors Middle East Studies Program at NC State University

April 5-7, 2018 Conference: “Mjaddarah” to “Fatti de Luxe”: Food and Middle Eastern Diasporas

Time N/A

Location 1911 Building Room 129

NC State University


Description

Middle Eastern cuisines seems to have been suspended outside time in popular imagination and

culture. The reality is quite the opposite. Since the earliest days of Middle Eastern diasporas to

the Americas (1880s-1940s), cuisines that originated in the cities and villages of the Eastern

Mediterranean have undergone spectacular transformations in their evolution both within the

Middle East and beyond: in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico and the U.S. At the same time,

distance, new social and natural ecologies, nostalgia, longing and post-traumatic stress have

reshuffled the role of food in Middle Eastern identity(ies). The social contexts of these cuisines

— in many terms of their significance in memory, oral histories, intergenerational transmission

of cultural identities and tourist promotion — have also shifted or diversified over the decades.

These issues are in ways similar for every refugee and immigrant group, but they are especially

poignant during the centennial anniversary of Middle Eastern diasporas that shaped the

“home”: region and world. Yet the way in which these issues have shaped the experience of

Middle Eastern food has increased to the point of rendering it into a globalized cuisine, and at a

time when concomitant scholarly research is growing around this topic, there is a compelling

need to delve deeper into the meanings and transformations of Middle Eastern food. This

conference seeks to facilitate and advance this emerging conversation in two ways. First, we

seek to unpack the power dynamics embedded in, and generated by, cultural and religious

productions, economic relations and political negotiations centered on discourses about food

and culinary culture. We also aim to investigate the ways that food and associated cultural

expressions have morphed and diversified around Middle Eastern diaspora across time and

space.

SponsorsDr. Akram Khater (North Carolina State University-Khayrallah Center) and Dr. Gary Nabhan

(University of Arizona-Center for Regional Food Studies

April 5-8, 2018 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Time

Location Durham, NC

Categories Film festival

Description

Each spring, Full Frame welcomes filmmakers and film lovers from around the world to historic

downtown Durham, North Carolina, for a four-day, morning-to-midnight array of nearly 100

films, as well as discussions, panels, and Southern hospitality. Mideast-related films: Thursday,

April 5

*The Judge: Devoted to the law and unwilling to mince words, Kholoud Al-Faqih is the first

female judge in the family court system of the West Bank, navigating its bureaucracy and

providing a rare glimpse into Islamic courts and gendered justice.

*On Her Shoulders: When ISIS devastates her Yazidi community, survivor Nadia Murad becomes

the predominant voice for her people. Following Murad as she recounts her harrowing

experience time and again, this film intimately details the burden of imploring the world to

intervene.

Friday, April 6

*Rebuilding in Miniature: In this short, miniaturist Ali Alamedy, an Iraqi refugee, painstakingly

creates exquisitely detailed dioramas of places he’s never been in an attempt to heal his

disrupted relationship to home.

*Of Fathers and Sons: With rare and chilling insights, this film takes us into the lives of a Syrian

family, led by an Al-Nusra fighter, where we observe how swiftly the innocence of childhood can

fade.

*The Mauritania Railway: Backbone of the Sahara: In this expansive, gorgeously composed

short, ride atop the railway car that serves as a 704-kilometer-long lifeline that supplies goods

and iron ore to people in different cities in the Sahara Desert. World Premiere

*I Am Bisha (انا بشة ): As an act of pure creative resilience, Ganja and his friends film a humorous

and satirical web series, Bisha TV, starring puppets to combat the violent, genocidal regime of

Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. World Premiere

*This Is Home: The story of four Syrian families on the path to self-sufficiency, and success, in a

resettlement program in Baltimore, Maryland.

*The Square (Director: Jehane Noujaim): After the 2011 Egyptian revolution in Tahrir Square,

citizens realize that former president Mubarak’s corrupt regime is still in power; they return to

the streets to bring an end to the government, combatting controlled international media

coverage, enduring violence, and navigating fragile relationships.

*Control Room (Director: Jehane Noujaim), Friday, April 6 — 7:40pm, dac: It’s 2003, and the

United States is on the brink of war with Iraq. Control Room follows journalists of the Al Jazeera

satellite channel—broadcasting news to some 40 million Arab viewers—as they try to cut

through American rhetoric and awaken the viewers to the realities on the ground.

Saturday, April 7

*Sky and Ground (Directors: Talya Tibbon, Joshua Bennett), Saturday, April 7 — 10:10am,

cinema 4: Incorporating a refugee family’s own footage, Sky and Ground follows a Syrian-

Kurdish refugee family as they flee from a holding camp at the Greece-Macedonia border and

take their chances at reaching asylum by foot on a perilous one-way trip to Berlin.

*The Deminer (Director: Hogir Hirori; Co-director: Shinwar Kamal), Saturday, April 7 — 4:40pm,

dac: After the fall of Saddam Hussein, Colonel Fakhir of the Iraqi army devotes his life to

disarming landmines, with only a pocket knife and wire cutters, in this deeply suspenseful film

that makes use of Fakhir’s own extensive video footage. North American Premiere

*The Good Struggle (Director: Celia Peterson), Saturday, April 7 — 7:40pm, dac: Although few

words are spoken between themselves, monks at a Greek Orthodox monastery in Lebanon

provide voiceovers to their daily routines—their devout thoughts echo the beauty of their

solitude. World Premiere

Sponsors Duke Center for Documentary Studies

April 5, 2018 Cultural Event: Moroccan Night

Time 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location New West, room 219

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join the Arabic Program at UNC for Moroccan night! Students will be sharing their study abroad

experiences in Morocco, there will be songs by Moroccan singer Abul-Bishr Kasmi, and

Moroccan tea and cookies will be served! Don’t miss it!

Sponsors UNC Arabic Program

April 6, 2018UNC Geography Colloquium Series: Refugee Political Subjectivities, Dr. Kirsi Pauliina Kallio and

Dr. Jouni Hakli, University of Tampere, Finland

Time 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm


FedEx Global Education Center, Carolina Hall


Description

In these events Drs. Kallio and Hakli will present the findings of their research project that

includes in-depth interviews with asylum seekers in Cairo, Egypt and Tampere, Finland. This

project aims to gain a better understanding about the mundane political agencies of refugees

and thereby intervene in the dominant representation of refugees as victims defined by their

vulnerability. The 'ordinary refugee' who seeks to adjust to the available living conditions,

struggles from day to day to meet the everyday needs, and waits for years for status

determination and possible relocation, may seem to be living a non-political life. Yet they ask

what this living takes, what it requires from people as individuals and groups, and how it

contributes to the formation of political agency.

SponsorsInstitute for the Arts & Humanities, UNC College of Arts & Sciences, Center for European

Studies, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, Carolina Center for the Study of the

Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, Center for Global Initiatives

April 6, 2018 Symposium: The Struggle for Equality in Women’s Soccer

Time 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location Old Chem, Rm 011



DescriptionJoin us for The Struggle for Equality in Women’s Soccer, a one-day symposium to be held on

April 6, 2018, at the Forum for Scholars and Publics

SponsorsForum for Scholars and Publics and the Duke Human Rights Center @ the Franklin Humanities

Institute

April 6, 2018Lecture: “Vicissitudes of Care: Humanitarian-Military Entanglements in Occupied Kashmir”

with Dr. Saiba Varma

Time 3:35 pm - 5:35 pm

Location Alumni Building, Room 308

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Saiba Varma’s research focuses on health and medicine, as well as politics, inequalities, and

violence and has conducted long-term ethnographic fieldwork in psychiatric and military

settings. Her work examines the global military-humanitarian complex from the prism of South

Asia, specifically Indian-occupied Kashmir, the site of an ongoing conflict between an

independence movement and the Indian military. In this talk, Dr. Varma will be discussing

material from her book manuscript, Life in Pieces: Military and Humanitarian Care in Kashmir ,

which shows how both humanitarian and militaristic practices are both performed in the name

of care.

Sponsors

The South Asia faculty working group, the Department of Anthropology, The Moral Economies

of Medicine Working Group, Carolina Seminar: The Decolonization of the Global South, Carolina

Asia Center

April 6, 2018 Dinner and Conversation with Author Diana Abu Jaber

Time 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Sitti Restaurant

137 S Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC 27601

Categories Dinner, Presentation

Description

As part of the conference on Food and Middle Eastern Diaspora, the Khayrallah Center for

Lebanese Diaspora Studies is co-hosting with Sitti Restaurant a dinner, reading and conversation

with renowned Arab American author Diana Abu Jaber. Diana will read short selections from her

writing and talk about how food fits into her literary work and identity as an Arab-American.

SponsorsSitti Restaurant, Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, Center for Regional

Food Studies, and Empire Eats.

April 7, 2018 Dinner and Conversation with Barbara Massad

Time 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Location Neomonde Restaurant

3817 Beryl Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

Categories Dinner, Presentation

Description

As part of the conference on Food and Middle Eastern Diaspora, the Khayrallah Center for

Lebanese Diaspora Studies is co-hosting with Neo Monde Restaurant a dinner, reading and

conversation with renowned Lebanese American food writer, Barbara Massaad.

SponsorsNeomonde Restaurant, Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, Center for

Regional Food Studies, and Empire Eats

April 8, 2018 Nâzim Hikmet Poetry Festival

Time 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location Page-Walker Arts & History Center

119 Ambassador Loop, Cary, NC


Description

Nâzim Hikmet was a Turkish poet, playwright and novelist. He was recognized as the first and

foremost modern Turkish poet, and regarded throughout the world as one of the greatest poets

of the twentieth century for the “lyrical flow of his statements.” Described as a “romantic

revolutionary,” his humanistic views are universal. His poetry has been translated into more

than fifty languages. He received the World Peace Prize (the USSR’s equivalent of the Nobel) in

1950. Although he faced many challenges in his life, he always remained optimistic about the

future. Celebrate poetry at this annual festival with poets, scholars, and lovers of poetry. Meet

the Nâzım Hikmet Poetry Competition winners, listen to poetry readings and keynote speakers

then enjoy a reception and hang out with poets from around the world.

SponsorsAmerican-Turkish Association (ATA) and co-sponsored by the Duke University Middle East

Studies Center (DUMESC)

April 8, 2018 Cultural Event: “Near & Far: A Local Celebration of Global Cultures”

Time 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Location 140 W Franklin St. Chapel Hill, NC


Description

Celebrate global culture within Chapel Hill at this fun and funky street party! Community and

campus cultural groups share their heritage through crafts, activities and interactive

experiences. Music, dance, and spontaneous arts performances will fill the stage and street.

The flavors of the world will be on offer at food trucks and in our tasting tent, featuring

downtown’s diverse restaurants. Bring the whole family for this unforgettable afternoon of

education, appreciation, and celebration of global cultures.

Sponsors Town of Chapel Hill

April 8, 2018 Sufi Plug-Ins v. 2 with Ashwini Ramaswamy and the Ragamala Dance Company

Time 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location CURRENT 123 W Franklin St. Building C

Chapel Hill, NC


Description N/A

April 8, 2018Persian Art Center in Carolina: “Five treasures of Ganjavi – “Shirin and Farhad” with Mrs.

Maryam Tabibzadeh

Time 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm




Description

Join the Persian Art Center in Carolina for a presentation by Mrs. Maryam Tabibzadeh. The

program will begin with a social from 4:00-4:30pm. There will be a welcome and introduction by

Dr. Amir Rezvani, 4:30-4:45pm. From 4:45-6:00pm, there will be a presentation by Mrs. Maryam

Tabibzadeh on a famous Persian tragic romance by the poet Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209)

followed by discussion. From 6:45-7:30pm, there will be live Persian music and poetry readings

by the audience. Parking is available in any space that is not marked Reserved and is not

numbered.


April 9, 2018Talk: “Every Campus a Refuge: A Small College’s Civic and Curricular Engagement with Refugee

Resettlement” with founder Diya Abdo

Time 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm

Location Phillips Hall, Room 328

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Inspired by Pope Francis’ call on every European parish to host one refugee family, Guilford

College’s Every Campus a Refuge (ECAR) initiative advocates for mobilizing campus resources to

temporarily house refugees on campus grounds and assist them in resettlement in the local

area. Thus far, Guilford has hosted and assisted in resettling 33 refugees from the Middle East

and Africa, 18 of them children. This presentation and conversation will outline the project’s

work – including challenges and lessons learned – and allow attendees to explore adapting this

flexible initiative to their campus. A first-generation Palestinian born and raised in Jordan, Dr.

Diya Abdo is Associate Professor of English at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. Her teaching,

research and scholarship focus on Arab women writers and Arab and Islamic feminisms.

SponsorsFirst-Year Service Corps, APPLES Service-Learning and UNC Refugee Community Partnership

April 10, 2018Public Lecture: “Beyond Al Jazeera and the ‘Arab Spring’: Media, Politics and the Struggle Over

Modernity in the Arab World Today” with Jaafar Aksikas (Columbia College Chicago)

Time 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location University Room, Hyde Hall

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Most recent conventional accounts of dominant Arab media, both in the Arab world and in the

West (including the United States), tend to focus almost exclusively on Al Jazeera or, in the wake

of the “Arab Spring” of 2011 and the following political upheavals across the region, on the new

and emergent media forms. In these accounts, new Arab media are seen as modernizing,

democratizing and liberatory. Aksikas places these media in a broader context, looking

especially at consumer and corporate culture. He considers how new forms of media, especially

new TV genres, namely reality TV, appropriate and use specific elements of modernity, including

such ideals as citizenship, democracy, freedom, and equality. This instrumentalization of the

ideals of modernity enables corporate culture to present itself to young audiences as their ally

and champion, which renders the concept of popular modernity -often used around the various

Arab “revolutions” – problematic. Aksikas considers how commercial media increasingly

replaces and displaces state, public and even traditional institutions in the intensity and

dedication of its address to young men and women. Holding on to the specificity of

contemporary Arab societies and cultures, he identifies the contradictions of these media

developments, articulated both to the energies and strengths of emerging Arab modernities and

to the production of global neoliberal Arab subjectivities and rationalities at the same time.

Jaafar Aksikas is a Moroccan-born American academic, whose work focuses on media, culture,

law and politics in the Middle East and North Africa. He is currently Associate Professor of

Humanities and Cultural Studies at Columbia College Chicago. His books and edited volumes

include Cultural Studies and the ‘Juridical Turn’: Culture, Law, and Legitimacy in the Era of

Neoliberal Capitalism (2016), Arab Modernities: Islamism, Nationalism and Liberalism in the

Post-Colonial Arab World (2009) and The Sirah [Epic] of Antar: An Islamic Interpretation of Arab

and Islamic History (2002). He also frequently serves as consultant and expert witness on

Middle Eastern and North African societies, cultures and politics.

SponsorsUNC Department of Communication and the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East

and Muslim Civilizations

April 11, 2018 Book Talk & Signing with Professor Nadia Yaqub: Bad Girls of the Arab World

Time 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Location FedEX Global Education Center, Room 4003

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Book discussion, book signing

Description

Join Professor Nadia Yaqub (Department of Asian Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill) for a book talk on

“Bad Girls of the Arab World.” This interdisciplinary collection of writings by and about Arab

women is the first that focuses explicitly on Arab women’s often-fraught engagement with the

boundaries that shape their lives in the twenty-first century. A light lunch will be served.

SponsorsCarolina Seminars program, the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim

Civilizations, and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies

April 11, 2018Public Lecture: “Now that you are here, I am confused with joy!”: Saʻdi’s Cosmopolitanism,

Worldly Love, and Laughter, by Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz

Time 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Wilson Library, Pleasants Family Assembly Room

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Fatemeh Keshavarz is the inaugural speaker of the Horner Jarrahi Persian Studies Speaker Series,

presented by the University Libraries and the Persian Studies program at the University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill. Keshavarz will examine the poetry of Saʻdi (1210-1291), one of the

funniest and most influential figures in classical Persian poetry. His accessible language, practical

ethics, and lively humor continue to influence Persian literature today. Fatemeh Keshavarz holds

the Roshan Institute Chair in Persian Studies and directs the School of Languages, Literatures,

and Cultures at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Sponsors University Libraries and the Persian Studies program

April 11, 2018Public Event: “Crossing the Geopolitical Divide” with Steven David (Johns Hopkins) and miriam

cooke (Duke)

Time 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Social Psychology 130

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Join the Alexander Hamilton Society for its final event of the year, “Crossing the Geopolitical

Divide: Routes for Foreign Intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”. The Israeli-Palestinian

conflict has endured since the mid-20th century. Steeped in cultural and religious ties to the

Holy Land, both nations have sought land claims to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. While Israel

has occupied the area for 51 years, borders wars continue. Both the Israeli Government and the

Palestine Liberation Organization have engaged in negotiations under the leadership of

Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas respectively. But what is the role of foreign actors?

While unable to provide lasting peace solutions in the past, can other nations play a benign role?

How does the recent declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel affect Middle East policy?

Steven David, Professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University and miriam

cooke, Braxton Craven Professor of Arab Cultures at Duke University will share their insights.

Free food and drink provided.

Sponsors Alexander Hamilton Society at Duke

April 12 & 16, 2018 “Watch the Med” Events: Migrant Struggles on the EU’s Maritime Frontier

Time April 12, 1:00-2:00 pm - April 16 12:00-1:00 pm

Location Social Movements Lab, Smith Warehouse, Bay 5

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Collaborating together since 2011, Charles Heller and Lorenzo Pezzani have sought to develop

new methodologies to contest the violence of borders and enable more freedom of movement

across the maritime frontier. In 2011, Heller and Pezzani co-founded Forensic Oceanography, a

collaborative project that has developed innovative methodologies to document the conditions

that lead to migrants’ deaths at sea. Their reports have contributed to strategic litigations and

intervened in ongoing debates concerning the effects of EU migration policies. In 2012, they also

launched the WatchTheMed platform, a tool enabling nongovernmental actors to exercise a

critical right to look at the EU’s maritime frontier, and contributed to initiate in 2014 the

WatchTheMed Alarmphone project, a 24/7 emergency line supporting migrants crossing the sea.

Sponsors Social Movements Lab and Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University

April 13, 2018Symposium: Monarchy and Sovereignty in Twentieth-Century Asia | Organized by Dr.

Prasenjit Duara & Dr. Adam Mestyan

Time 8:30 am - 5:30 pm

Location Ahmadieh Family Conference Hall, Room 240

Duke University


Description

This workshop explores the changing roles of monarchies in twentieth-century Asia in the

evolving international system. The subject is comparative and transnational, looking particularly

at the convergences and differences between monarchies in West Asia and East, South and

Southeast Asia. Participants explore monarchies both as legal systems of external and internal

sovereignty and as embodiments of symbolic power. The main areas of enquiry are the legal

codification of monarchical power in new constitutions; nationalism and monarchism; the

perception and management of rulers and internal legitimacies. The emphasis is on the

interaction of nationalism and religion within monarchical polities in the twentieth century

particularly under colonial rule and the Cold War.

SponsorsGlobal Asia Initiative at Duke University and Archives of Africa, Asia, and the Mediterranean at

Duke University

April 14, 2018 Conference: The 2003 Iraq War: Key Intelligence Failures and Fixes

Time 8:00 am - 5:15 pm

Location North Carolina Central University


Description

Join us for a day long symposium reflecting on intelligence issues surrounding the 2003 Iraq

War. Did we get the intelligence that led us to war wrong? If so, why? Were our intelligence

reforms effective? What are the implications of these reforms for our current intelligence

estimates in the region?

Sponsors Triangle Institute for Security Studies and ICCAE

April 14, 2018 GO! Global Orientation on Culture + Ethics 2018

Time 9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Location FedEx Global Education Center

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

GO! Global Orientation on Culture + Ethics is designed to help students evaluate expectations,

anticipate potential cultural and ethical challenges, prepare for engagement in communities,

and develop intercultural competencies. First-time travelers and experienced globetrotters alike

can benefit from session topics like Global Entrepreneurship, “Voluntourism,” Providing

Healthcare Abroad and Decoding Culture in Education.

Sponsors Center for Global Initatives

April 14, 2018 Cultural Event: 20th Annual Lebanese Festival

Time 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

Location Raleigh City Plaza

400 block Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC 27601


Description

Want a taste of Lebanon right here in the Triangle? Join the Triangle Lebanese American Center

for a day filled with delicious Lebanese food, dancing + musical performances, and fun activities!

Event Highlights include: Authentic Lebanese food & desserts, belly dancing, traditional

Lebanese Dabke Performances, Lebanese Wine, Cooking demonstrations, Children's activities,

and more!

Sponsors Triangle Lebanese American Center

April 15, 2018 Literary Forum: Urdu Majlis on Humorous/Satirical poetry

Time 5:00 pm -7:00 pm

Location New West, Room 219

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Please join us on Sunday, April 15, for the next monthly meeting of Urdu Majlis, the

Triangle’s Literary Forum. This Urdu Majlis will concentrate on Mazahiya Shairi (Humorous and

Satirical Poetry). You can read your original poems or works of your favorite authors.

Participants are invited to bring refreshments to share.


April 15, 2018 Film Screening: The Insult

Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Hunt Library Auditorium

NC State University


Description

The Kahyrallah Center is pleased to announce that it will be sponsoring the screening the

Lebanese film The Insult, directed by Ziad Doueiri and nominated for best foreign film in the

2018 Academy Awards.

Sponsors Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies

April 15-18, 2018 Confeence: Nexus 2018: Water, Food, Energy, and Climate

Time N/A

Location Friday Conference Center

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

The “Nexus” approach is the one that focuses on overlaps across sectors while respecting

sectoral expertise in order to make better plans by understanding interactions (Stockholm

Environment Institute, 2017). The Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill is pleased to reconvene our Nexus conference addressing Water-Energy-Food and Climate in

spring of 2018. The conference will facilitate space for the development of collaborative

work and focus on the science-policy interface, partnerships, solutions, review of Sustainable

Development Goal commitments (2018 and for the Heads of State review in 2019), sharing of

tools, indicators and methodologies, and the identification of gaps. Click here for more

information and the agenda, including sessions focused on the Middle East.

Sponsors Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

April 16, 2018 Panel Discussion: Trump’s Jerusalem Decision: History, Legality, Theology

Time 6:45 pm - 8:00pm

Location Bingham Hall 103

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Students for Justice in Palestine is hosting a panel to understand the historical, religious, and

legal significance of the United States’ recent decision declaring Jerusalem as the undivided

capital of Israel. Panelists will discuss the historical events leading up to this decision, the legality

of the move, and the theological justifications.

Sponsors Students for Justice in Palestine

April 17, 2018 Hallaj: A book talk with Dr. Carl Ernst (UNC-Chapel Hill)

Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Carpenter Conference Room, Rubenstein Library Rm 249

Duke University

Categories Book talk, book signing

Description

Join DISC in welcoming Dr. Carl Ernst to campus as he speaks on his latest work, Hallaj: Poems of

a Sufi Martyr in Rubenstein Library. “Hallaj is the first authoritative translation of the Arabic

poetry of Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, an early Sufi mystic. Despite his execution in Baghdad in

922 and the subsequent suppression of his work, Hallaj left an enduring literary and spiritual

legacy that continues to inspire readers around the world. In Hallaj, Carl W. Ernst offers a

definitive collection of 117 of Hallaj’s poems expertly translated for contemporary readers

interested in Middle Eastern and Sufi poetry and spirituality. Ernst’s fresh and direct translations

reveal Hallaj’s wide range of themes and genres, from courtly love poems to metaphysical

reflections on union with God. In a fascinating introduction, Ernst traces Hallaj’s dramatic story

within classical Islamic civilization and early Arabic Sufi poetry. Setting himself apart by revealing

Sufi secrets to the world, Hallaj was both celebrated and condemned for declaring: ‘I am the

Truth.’”


April 17, 2018 TISS Fourteenth Annual Undergraduate Honor Student Dinner Presentations

Time 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location Friday Conference Center

UNC Chapel Hill


Description N/A

Sponsors N/A

April 19, 2018 Public Talk: "The Road to Peace" with Nadav Tamir

Time 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, Room 103

UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Join UNC-Chapel Hill Hillel on Thursday, April 19 at the Stone Center, at 7 PM, for a lecture by

the Israeli diplomat and Policy Expert Nadav Tamir, the Director of International Affairs at Peres

Institute for Peace. He will share with us his vision on a peaceful resolution in the Middle East

and current initiatives by organizations working to achieve this goal. The event is free and

everyone is welcome.

Sponsors UNC Hillel

April 20-21, 2018 Adventures in Ideas Weekend Seminar: Whatever Happened to Global Diplomacy?

Time 4:30 pm - 8:30 pm April 20 & 9:00 am - 1:00 pm April 21



Description

Older systems and methods of international diplomacy are giving way to a growing populist

disdain for careful diplomatic negotiations. Complex problems are often reduced to superficial

statements in the mass media or to simple tweets that ignore the history of past events. What

has happened to the traditions of global diplomacy? This seminar will examine this question

through the perspectives of leading historians and public policy scholars who will analyze past

diplomatic strategies as well as recent changes in transnational exchanges. Does the decline of

diplomacy create new international dangers? Presentations will include: “Middle East Diplomacy

in the 20th Century–A Global Prequel to Contemporary Problems” by Sarah Shields, UNC

Professor of History.

Sponsors Carolina Public Humanities, General Alumni Association

April 20, 2018 Exhibit Opening: Building Bridges through Good Faith

Time 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Museum of Durham History

500 W. Main St., Durham, NC


Description

Please join the Museum of Durham History on Friday, April 20 from 6:00PM-8:00PM for the

opening event for our newest exhibit, Building Bridges through Good Faith, highlighting the

growth and development of one of the oldest Muslim communities in North Carolina. This event

is FREE and open to the public, featuring complimentary homemade food samplings including

fish sausage, bean pies, bean soup, and carrot cake. Children’s activities and live music will

round out the event, which coincides with Durham’s Third Friday festivities. The Ar-Razzaq

Islamic Center (formerly Muhammad’s Mosque #34) was founded in Durham in the 1950s under

the local leadership of Imam Kenneth Muhammad, and has been an anchor of the West End

neighborhood since the 1970s. The exhibition focuses on the contributions of the Ar-Razzaq

Islamic Center to the West End neighborhood and to all of Durham through first person

accounts, photos and artifacts. In telling the stories of people in the Ar-Razzaq community, the

exhibit will illuminate its economic, political and cultural impact on Durham. The exhibition,

which runs through August 2018, will feature monthly programs that touch on the impact of Ar-

Razzaq. A lecture series, ongoing programming and celebrations throughout the summer will be

capped off by a closing event at the Museum in August.

SponsorsMuseum of Durham History, Building Bridges 2016-17 Grants Program of the Doris Duke

Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA)

April 20, 2018 Mona Eltahawy at Duke StoryCon

Time 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location Bay 4 of Smith Warehouse

Duke University

Categories

Description

Join Duke Story Lab on Friday, April 20th for STORYCON, a 12-hour overnight storytelling

festival! Starting at 8PM on Friday, StoryCon has film screenings, art installations, games,

performances, workshops, cosplay contests, and more! Kick off the festivities by hearing award-

winning journalist and activist Mona Eltahawy discuss how to use storytelling to advocate for a

cause. Mona is the author of “Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual

Revolution” and frequently contributes as a guest commentator and op-ed writer in national

news outlets on issues related to the Middle East, Islam, and feminism. Then grab a quick bite

from one of our on-site food trucks before checking out local artist Chris Vitiello‘s reprisal of his

2017 ArtPrize installation “The Language Is Asleep.” Other things you can do at StoryCon include:

• Try your hand at tabletop roleplaying games!

• Enter our hallway cosplay contest for a chance to win prizes!

• Catch up on anime in the early morning with our 5-hour long anime marathon!

• Revisit a favorite YA novel by joining our A Wrinkle in Time read-along!

SponsorsHear at Duke, Story Lab at Duke, Third Friday Durham, UNC Wordsmiths and the Franklin

Humanities Institute

April 21, 2018 Workshop for Educators: Environmental Issues in Latin America & the Middle East

Time 9:00 am - 5:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Teachers are invited to join the Duke-UNC Consortia in Middle East and Latin American and

Caribbean Studies for a day-long interdisciplinary workshop to explore environmental issues in

Latin America and the Middle East. During this interactive one-day workshop, teachers will

explore pressing global environmental concerns including issues related to water, climate

change, mining, and environmental activism. Through various learning activities, teachers will

deepen understanding of environmental issues specific to each world region as well as

comparative ways to examine these issues across regions. Participants will also gain resources

and teaching strategies related to these themes and more. Sessions will include a keynote

lecture, panel discussions, film screening, and interactive art activity with environmental

artist Bryant Holsenbeck.

SponsorsDuke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies and the Duke-UNC Consortium in Latin American

and Caribbean Studies

April 21, 2018 Cultural Event: Open House hosted by the Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center

Time 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Location 1009 West Chapel Hill Street

Durham, NC 27701


Description

Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center, located on Chapel Hill Street in Durham across from InGold Tire, will

host an Open House, Saturday, April 21, 2018, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. There will be a short

presentation regarding the history of ArRazzaq as part of the Durham Museum of History

project underway highlighting the long history of ArRazzaq Islamic Center in the Durham

Community. There will also be an opportunity to observe the Islamic Prayer followed by

questions and answers. No question is off limit. Refreshments will be served. Started in the

1950s, the Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center, formally Mohammed’s Mosque #34, is the oldest Islamic

Community in the State of North Carolina. You can learn more about the history of the ArRazzaq

Islamic Center by visiting the Durham Museum of History, located downtown Durham.

Sponsors Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center

April 23, 2018 Public Talk: Human Rights in Myanmar: The Way Forward

Time 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Rubenstein Library 153, Holst-Anderson Family Assembly Room


Categories Lecture

Description

The Myanmar military’s campaign against the Rohingya population is set in a tenuous backdrop

of ethnic armed conflict, a stagnant national peace and reconciliation process, and a fledgling

democracy led by a now-controversial Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In a special to Duke

undergraduates, Yee Htun, a clinical instructor at Harvard Law School with over a decade of

experience in international advocacy and a refugee from Myanmar herself, will unpack the

multidimensional human rights situation in Myanmar and discuss opportunities forward for both

domestic and international actors. Yee has over a decade of international advocacy experience

working on behalf of refugee and migrant communities. Most recently, she was a clinical fellow

with Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic and the Director of the Myanmar

Program for Justice Trust, a human rights research and advocacy organization that works closely

with local lawyers and activists in Myanmar to support communities fighting for justice. In 2011,

Yee was selected by the Nobel Women’s Initiative to coordinate and lead the first-ever

international campaign to stop rape and sexual violence in conflict.Yee was born in Myanmar

and left the country after the pro-democratic uprising in 1988, immigrating to Canada as a

government-sponsored refugee. She holds a B.A. from Simon Fraser University and J.D. from

Dalhousie University.

Sponsors Asian/Pacific Studies Institute at Duke University and Duke East Asia Nexus

April 24, 2018 The Not Your Habibti Typewriter Project

Time 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Location The Pit

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

BabyFist is a clothing brand based in Palestine that seeks to end street and sexual harassment

and start a discussion on gender issues in the Middle East and beyond. Yasmeen Mjalli,

Palestinian-American social activist and owner of the brand, is coming to UNC’s campus as part

of her US tour to begin this conversation. Not Your Habibti is an ongoing series created to

illuminate the issue of street harassment on urban Palestinian streets and to open an honest

and uncensored dialogue amongst women affected by said harassment. This project is making

its way to the United States in order to highlight that gender discrimination and sexual

harassment is not exclusive to the Middle East — discrimination occurs in the West as well.

Yasmeen will be at the Pit where students are invited to share their personal stories about

harassment and gender-based societal oppression in order to allow a personal journey of

emotional relief and challenge social taboos like women’s ability to speak about their

experiences in a public space.

Sponsors Students for Justice in Palestine and BabyFist

April 24, 2018Public Lecture: “Being Muslim: A Cultural History of Women of Color in American Islam” by Dr.

Sylvia Chan-Malik

Time 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Dr. Sylvia Chan-Malik (Rutgers University) will be speaking at UNC on April 24th at 5 PM at the

Global Education Center (room 1009) on her soon to be published book, Being Muslim: A

Cultural History of Women of Color in American Islam. This work explores twentieth and twenty-

first century U.S. Muslim womanhood by centering the lived experiences of women of color,

mapping how communities of American Islam became sites of safety, support, spirituality, and

social activism, and how women of color were central to their formation. Dr. Chan-Malik’s

lecture will focus on the diversity and similarities of Black, Arab, South Asian, Latina, and

multiracial Muslim women, and how American understandings of Islam have shifted against the

evolution of U.S. white nationalism over the past century. Please email Samah Choudhury

([email protected]) with any questions.

Sponsors

Islamicate Graduate Students Association, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies,

Carolina Women's Center, UNC Sociology, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and

Muslim Civilizations, UNC Cultural Studies, UNC History, UNC Religious Studies, and the Carolina

Seminar on Transnational and Global Modern History.

April 24, 2018Lecture: “Macabre Social Capital: The Families of Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba” with C. Christine

Fair

Time 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location Ahmadieh Family Grand Hall, Gross Hall 330


Categories Lecture

Description

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT, also known as Jamaat ud Dawa among other aliases) is the most

competent, lethal and loyal proxy of the Pakistani state. LeT operates in India, Afghanistan and

elsewhere in South Asia and beyond. This presentation draws from a narrative analysis of a ten

percent random sample of nearly 1,000 biographies of slain LeT fighters as a part of a larger

study into the battlefield motivation of the fighters. My review of these documents reveals a

dark role of the families who derive various forms of social capital from male family member’s

participation in so-called “jihad.” Families draw maximum social capital when these young men

die in combat and attain the coveted title of “shaheed.” Whereas previous studies of terrorist

motivation have downplayed or even disregarded the roles of family, my work in Pakistan over

nearly fifteen years continually points to the deep significance that families play in a young

man’s decision to fight in Pakistani terrorist organizations.Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT, also known as

Jamaat ud Dawa among other aliases) is the most competent, lethal and loyal proxy of the

Pakistani state. LeT operates in India, Afghanistan and elsewhere in South Asia and beyond. This

presentation draws from a narrative analysis of a ten percent random sample of nearly 1,000

biographies of slain LeT fighters as a part of a larger study into the battlefield motivation of the

fighters. My review of these documents reveals a dark role of the families who derive various

forms of social capital from male family member’s participation in so-called “jihad.” Families

draw maximum social capital when these young men die in combat and attain the coveted title

of “shaheed.” Whereas previous studies of terrorist motivation have downplayed or even

disregarded the roles of family, my work in Pakistan over nearly fifteen years continually points

to the deep significance that families play in a young man’s decision to fight in Pakistani terrorist

organizations. C. Christine Fair is a Provost’s Distinguished Associate Professor in the Security

Studies Program within Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

SponsorsDuke Center for International and Global Studies, Bass Connections, the Department of Political

Science, and the Information Initiative at Duke

April 24, 2018 A Conversation with Yasmeen Mjalli

Time 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location Gardner 008

UNC Chapel Hill


Description

Join us later that evening for a more intimate discussion on the intersection between Arab,

American, and Feminist identities and why these identities seem mutually exclusive. Yasmeen’s

discussion is meant to foster empathy, break down stereotypes, and provide tools for fighting

against such oppressive acts. Yasmeen Mjalli began Babyfist in Palestine to empower women to

use clothing to combat street harassment with the defiant phrase “Not Your Habibti”, which

translates to “Not Your Darling.” The clothing is made in the West Bank and Gaza by Palestinian

women in order to promote economic self-sufficiency. Additionally, 10% of proceeds goes to

Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development, which works towards “gender equality

and the eradication of all forms of discrimination against women.”

Sponsors Students for Justice in Palestine and BabyFist

April 24, 2018 Cultural Event: Arabic Night at Duke

Time 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location Richard White Hall, Room 107

Duke University, East Campus


DescriptionJoin the Duke Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for Plays, Poetry Readings,

Music, Middle Eastern Dance, Arabic Oral Proficiency Activities and more.

Sponsors Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

April 25, 2018 Public Lecture: “Boko Haram in Nigeria: Issues in Ideological and Creedal (Mis)interpretations”

by Amidu O. Sanni, Vice Chancellor of Fountain University, Osogbo

Time 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location Rubenstein Library Carpenter Conference Room 249

Duke University

Categories Lecture

Description

Boko Haram (BH) portrays itself as a back-to-basics Islamic orthodoxy and orthopraxis

movement, but its rejection of Western democratic values and indeed its brutal reactions to

mainstream Muslim interpretations of Islamic texts and authors makes it one of the most

prominent militant and millenarian ‘religious’ terror movements in modern Africa. For the first

time, however, original texts, documentary and feature videos/audios, exhortation séances,

martial anthems (nash¿d) and documents in Arabic, Hausa, and Kanuri from Boko Haram’s

networks are being offered in an English translation, The Boko Haram Reader (A. Kassim and M.

Nwankpa, 2018), which brilliantly illustrates how Boko Haram was able to delegitimize

mainstream orthodoxy and/or opponents to reinforce and articulate its own legitimacy. This talk

will provide a critical review of this important work on Boko Haram, highlighting the volume’s

usefulness as well as some future avenues for research to establish accurate underpinnings of

the movement’s textual, physical, and ideological warfare in the religio-political cosmos of sub-

Saharan Africa.


April 26, 2018 Webinar: Balcony on the Moon: Coming of Age in Palestine by Ibtisam Barakat

Time 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm

Location Online

Categories Lecture

Description

The Middle East Book Award with support from the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East

Studies is pleased to present during National Arab American Heritage month a conversation with

award-winning author, Ibtisam Barakat on her book Balcony on the Moon: Coming of Age in

Palestine, an enlightening look at the not often depicted daily life in a politically tumultuous

area. Barakat will discuss a life full of challenges that inspired defiance and creative ways of

finding solutions. Join us as we discuss human rights, gender equality, and the power of words

to take us and our thoughts to faraway places. Register HERE today! In spring 2018, once a

month, the World Area Book Awards will sponsor a 60 minute webinar on a book recognized by

one of the awards and facilitate a discussion with the author on how to incorporate the book

into the classroom. The spring webinar series focuses on social justice. We encourage you to

read the books with your colleagues, students, and community, and then join us to hear more

from the author. The books are appropriate for students in grades 8-12. If participating in all

webinar sessions, participants will receive a certificate of completion. Be sure to join the

conversation with our webinar hashtag #2018ReadingAcrossCultures. All sessions are free and

open to the public. All times listed refer to Central Standard Time (CST).

SponsorsConsortium of Latin American Studies Programs, the South Asia National Outreach Consortium,

the Middle East Outreach Council, and Africa Access

April 27-28, 2018Workshop: “Academic Networking in Sub-Saharan and North Africa: From Accreditation to

Global Ethics”

Time N/A

Location 240 Ahmadieh Family Conference Hall

Duke University


Description

Academic accreditation and scholarly networking are central features of the new kind of global

university system: a system that is increasingly concerned with the ideas of ensuring

accountability and expanding impact factors (competitive edge) of African countries’ academic

institutions. In addressing this concern, accreditation of universities matters. It is the pathway to

adopting competitive standards; one that would insure a culture of continuous accountability

and improvement at the delivery level and to help stakeholders to not only imagine but to also

enact how to collect reliable evidence to support a sustained future. There is also an ethical

dimension to this concern. The rapid population increase in Africa has led to a growing demand

for traditional “brick and mortar” universities, online course platforms, and global networking

opportunities. Delivering quality education at reasonable cost to such a large demographic

demands a high level of ethical decision-making by African educators. The consideration of

ethical questions surrounding 21st century higher education in Africa aligns well with many

global signature programs that encourage ethical attitude in decision-making and outcomes. As

scholars and students interact through global networking, they are challenged by issues of

quantity versus quality, value versus efficiency, transparency versus privacy, and the local versus

the global. One of the most daunting challenges of a academic network is how to ensure the

application of rigorous ethical standards in its functioning. This workshop provides a valuable

platform to unpack these issues.

Sponsors

Duke Islamic Studies Center, the Duke Center for International and Global Studies, Asian and

Middle Eastern Studies, Duke Africa Initiative, The Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke Office of

Global Affairs & Research Africa

April 30, 2018 Panel Discussion: The Future of the JCPOA and Iran’s Nuclear Program

Time 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Park Shops 210

NC State University


Description

A panel of experts will discuss the future of the Iran nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan

of Action (JCPOA) that was agreed between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent UN Security

Council members – the United States, the UK, France, China, and Russia – plus Germany).

President Trump has expressed a willingness to pull the United States out of the deal unless Iran

agrees to significant changes to its terms. The panel will consider the implications of the

administration’s position on the Iran deal, the future of the JCPOA, and the politics of Iran’s

nuclear program more broadly. Panelists include:

Ariane Tabatabai, Director of Curriculum, Security Studies Program, Georgetown University

Jon Wolfsthal, Director, Nuclear Crisis Group

Annie Tracy Samuel, Assistant Professor of History, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Martin Malin, Executive Director, Project on Managing the Atom, Harvard Belfer Center

Sponsors Consortium for Nonproliferation Enabling Capabilities

May 4, 2018 Community Event: Heart of a River Concert

Time 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Location Reedy Creek Middle School

930 Reedy Creek Road, Cary, NC 27513

Categories Concert

Description

Join the Association for India’s Development – NC RTP Chapter for an evening of Mystical

Santoor, Sufi and Bollywood music to help rejuvenate Rivers & Streams in drought affected

Jharkand and West Bengal, India. Featuring: Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya – Santoor, Afroz Taj and

John Caldwell – Original Sufi Compositions, Cosmic Horizon – Band playing Sufi Songs,

Dharayen – An Adivasi musical on moods of a river, and Bollywood Melodies by the

Mayur Jharna Project. An Exhibition of Clothes and Jewelry from the region will be available for

sale at the show. Spice & Curry is sponsoring the event and will have a stall for snacks and

dinner for purchase. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit here. AID is a

registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all donations are tax-deductible.

Sponsors Association for India’s Development - NC RTP Chapter and Spice & Curry.

May 6, 2018Persian Art Center in Carolina: “Subjectivity and Transgression in ‘Attar’s Works” with Dr.

Claudia Yaghoobi

Time 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm



Categories Presentation, cultural event, concert

Description

Join the Persian Art Center in Carolina for a presentation by Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi, Coordinator

of the UNC Persian program and Roshan Institute Assistant Professor in Persian Studies on

subjectivity and transgression in ‘Attar’s Works. The program will begin with a social from 5:00-

5:30pm. There will be a welcome and introduction by Dr. Amir Rezvani, 5:30-5:40pm. From 5:45-

6:45pm, there will be a presentation by Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi followed by discussion. From 7:30-

8:00pm, there will be live Persian music and poetry readings by the audience.


May 6, 2018 Literary Forum: Urdu Majlis on the life and works of Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi (1916-2006)

Time 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Lecture

Description

Please join us on Sunday, May 6, for the next monthly meeting of Urdu Majlis, the

Triangle’s Literary Forum. This Urdu Majlis will concentrate on the life and works of Ahmad

Nadeem Qasmi (1916-2006), Urdu and English language Pakistani poet, journalist, literary critic,

dramatist and short story author. Participants are invited to bring refreshments to share.


May 8, 2018Public Talk: “The Politics of Rationalist Philosophy in Arab Andalus, and the Reception of Hayy

ibn Yaqdhanin Britain” by Samedin Kadic

Time 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm


UNC Chapel Hill

Categories Presentation, lecture

Description

Join us for a presentation by Samedin Kadic, Visiting Fulbright Scholar from the Faculty of Islamic

Theology, University of Sarajevo. Kadic will discuss “The Politics of Rationalist Philosophy in Arab

Andalus, and the Reception of Hayy ibn Yaqdhan in Britain.” In 1671 a bilingual text in Arabic and

Latin was published at Oxford, entitled the Philosophus autodidactus. The translation was made

by Edwarde Pococke under the supervision of his father Dr. Edward Pococke. Philosophus

autodidactus became literally a best-seller within a short period of time. The text was Hayy b.

Yaqzan’s, a philosophical novel that was written in Arabic in a twelfth century by Abu Bakr

Muhammad ibn Tufayl. Historical impact of this book in world’s intellectual culture was massive.

We can find it all over Europe — in philosophy, science, and in educational doctrines. Samedin

Kadic is a visiting scholar at the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim

Civilizations.

Sponsors Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

May 22, 2018 Cultural Event: Ramadan Dinner (Fast Breaking) at IITS/Divan Center

Time 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm (Recurring, May 23, May 30, June 6, June 9, June 12, June 13

Location 1391 SE Maynard Road

Cary, NC


Description

The Institute of Islamic and Turkish Studies (www.iitsnc.org) and Divan Center are two non-

profit organizations located in Cary. One of our goals is to bring together different communities

in order to promote compassion, cooperation, partnership, and community service through

interfaith activities. We would like to invite you, members from your congregation and your

friends to break bread together with our Muslim community members in the lunar Islamic

month of Ramadan in an interfaith setting. We will gather around the same table to enjoy

delicious Turkish meals and to share a spiritual, interfaith atmosphere in this sacred month.

Please kindly let us know whether you could honor us with your presence in one of our

Ramadan dinners.

If so, please RSVP through this link by May 18th, Friday. The dinner will start with a short pre-

dinner presentation on various topics related to Islamic faith and also our organizational

background. This will be followed by a question and answer session. You will have a chance to

interact with our community members during the dinner at sunset (around 8:15 PM). Program:

7:30 pm: Presentation by IITS/Divan Center

8:00 pm: Question and Answer

8:15 pm: Iftar Dinner (Fast Breaking)

Sponsors Institute of Islamic and Turkish Studies and Divan Center

June 3, 2018 Persian Art Center in Carolina: “Hallaj: Poems of a Sufi Martyr” with Dr. Carl Ernst

Time 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm



Categories Presentation, cultural event, concert

Description

Join the Persian Art Center in Carolina for a presentation by Dr. Carl Ernst, William R. Kenan, Jr.,

Distinguished Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and

co-director of the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, on

the poetry of Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, an early Sufi mystic. The program will begin with a

social from 4:00-4:30pm. There will be a welcome and introduction by Dr. Amir Rezvani, 4:30-

4:45pm. From 4:45-6:00pm, there will be a presentation by Dr. Ersnt followed by discussion.

From 6:45-7:30pm, there will be live Persian music and poetry readings by the audience.


June 3, 2018 Ramadan Iftar: Serve Hope

Time 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Location Mediterranean Deli, Bakery & Catering

410 West Franklin Street Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Categories Cultural event, dinner

Description

Proceeds from this special Iftar will send food and relief to families in Palestine and Lebanon.

Come mingle and enjoy a meal with old and new friends. We are featuring Teen Vogue’s Abeer

Najjar, who will demonstrate and share a delicious dessert creation.

Sponsors ANERA and Mediterranean Deli

June 16, 2018 Cultural Event: "Eid al-Fitr Panel Discussion"

Time 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Location Museum of Durham History

500 W. Main St., Durham, NC


Description

Please join us Saturday, June 16 from 4:00pm-5:30pm at the Museum of Durham History (500

W. Main St.) for a program to mark the end of Ramadan. The Museum, in collaboration with Ar-

Razzaq Islamic Center, will host a panel discussion focusing on the African-American Muslim

experience in the United States, particularly the South and North Carolina. This discussion is part

of the Museum’s ongoing programming surrounding our current exhibition Building Bridges

through Good Faith, which chronicles the Ar-Razzaq community and its contributions to

Durham. This FREE event is open to the public and will feature scholars, educators, and spiritual

leaders, sharing their thoughts and insights on a range of topics, from the roots of African-

American Muslims in America to addressing their concerns in today’s social climate. The event is

part of a greater community celebration of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fast of

Ramadan. Guest Speakers include:

Rashida James-Saadiya (Moderator), Rhonda Murray Muhammad, PhD (Panelist), Imam Abdul

hafeez Waheed (Panelist), Youssef Carter (Panelist), and Imam Greg Rashad (Panelist).

Sponsors Museum of Durham History, supported by the Building Bridges 2016-17 Grants Program of the

Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA), and the North Carolina Arts Council

June 30, 2018 Cultural Event: Eid Around the World

Time 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location Islamic Association of Raleigh

808 Atwater St., Raleigh, NC 27607


Description

The Islamic Association of Raleigh invites you to the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr – the celebration

marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Come with your family and friends to learn

about how Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, the most joyous time of the Islamic year. As diverse as

the Muslim world is, the celebrations for Eid are also full of variety and traditions. Join us for an

afternoon of culture, colorful costumes, festive displays, delicious food samples, and a chance to

connect with our diverse Muslim population from around the globe.


event archives july 2017 - august 2018 › files › 2018 › 07 › event-archives...event archives...

Documents