Michele Richinick’s column in the Feb. 10 issue of The News titled, “Citizens should educate themselves on Egypt” prompted me to offer my thoughts on ways to help students learn about other people and cultures in more realistic, objective ways. At first, it would appear that the only way to gain knowledge about other countries and cultures is to take one of the many culture, language, religion or politics courses offered by Northeastern University. Students can also participate in one of the many Dialogue of Civilizations trips to gain firsthand experience in different countries including Egypt, Morocco, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Ghana, Kenya and China. However, the question remains, are there options to educate students about the rest of the world other than those mentioned?
The answer is yes. There are several ways involving regular interactions between students and educators in and outside of classrooms, including lectures open to the public such as the one given by Professors Denis Sullivan and Ilham Khuri-Makdisi that Richinick attended on campus. More student participation in these events would lead to increased involvement of various departments. In addition, social and political groups on and off-campus would become more involved, such as the Arab Student Union (ASU), Saudi Arabian Student Organization (SASO), the Islamic Society of Northeastern (ISNU) and Project Nur for which I serve as academic adviser. Furthermore, students could benefit from interacting with visiting professors and guest speakers. It is also important that students and professors utilize enhanced teaching methods and the availability of up-to-date visual and written materials including text books, eBooks and articles.
The rapid and successive events in Tunisia and Egypt that surprised most should be a justification for increased and genuine exposure to societies, cultures and political systems around the world, including Arab and Middle Eastern regions. The popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia did not only turn political and social theories upside down, but also showed that analysts, experts and theorists whose works focus on this region of the world are out of touch and lacking in veracity and imagination.
Moreover, the popular uprisings that metamorphosed into full-blown revolutions were clearly initiated and guided by Arab youths and not by boggy men such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, or the al-Nahda Islamic party in Tunisia, that experts in Middle Eastern studies keep telling us about. Ironically, these same experts were oblivious to signs of growing restlessness among Arab youths. They, following the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, found themselves scrambling to catch up or inexplicably jump on the bandwagon so they wouldn’t “miss the boat” and risk being marginalized by the rapidly evolving events. The youth revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia have been a wake-up call to Arab regimes and populace. They should also be a wake-up call to programs focusing on Arab and Middle Eastern studies to initiate changes by seeking accurate information and scholars who have academic credentials and training as well as hands-on expertise in Arab culture and politics.
– Fathi El-Shihibi is a 1990 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences and an adjunct lecturer in the Philosophy and Religion department.
