Le Moyne hosts first annual Middle Eastern Studies Symposium

Nour Sahraoui, Staff Writer
October 6, 2011
Filed under News & Features

On Thursday, Sept. 22, scholars from Loyola Chicago University, SUNY Oswego, Syracuse University, Simon Fraser University, Wayne State University, Colgate University and Brooklyn College gathered for Le Moyne College’s first annual Middle East and Beyond Symposium, sponsored by the Center for Peace and Global Studies.
The theme for the inaugural conference, “Thinking about 9/11 Ten Years After,” served as a backdrop for discussions on Islamophobia, international policy, popular uprisings in the Middle East and Arab- and Muslim- American identity.
The event was divided into three panel discussions in the Reilley Room, followed by a keynote address by Moustafa Bayoumi, professor of English at Brooklyn College and author of “How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?”
“The idea [for the symposium] came from events related to the Arab Spring and consecutively with commemorating 9/11,” said Farha Ternikar, assistant professor of sociology and director of the Peace and Global Studies program at Le Moyne.
The first panel on “Islamophobia, Surveillance and 9/11” featured Saher Selod of Loyola University Chicago, Neelika Jayawardane, associate professor of English at SUNY Oswego, and Carol Fadda-Conrey, assistant professor of English at Syracuse University.
In the second panel, Lisa Bhungalia, a PhD candidate in geography at Syracuse University, and Dana Olwan, assistant professor of gender studies at Simon Fraser University, discussed changes in international policies since Sept. 11, 2001. The first part of the discussion focused on the media response to the murder of Ontario, Canada. native Aqsa Parvez in 2007, in which the act of violence was directly attributed to culture and religion.
“I participated in the Middle East Symposium because I felt it was important to discuss the global dimensions of 9/11 and the implications of this event for those living beyond U.S. borders,” said Bhungalia.
“The [panel] helped me to understand my ever-evolving thoughts on culture and Western intervention,” said Alexander Shepard, a junior philosophy and religious studies major. “A crime is a crime, and a right is a right; necessary human rights and the violations enacted upon them are not bound by the ‘culture’ that happens within,” he added, elaborating on the panel discussion of Parvez’ death.
Discussions on the future of Egypt and on Turkey’s modern relations with Arab states fueled the final panel discussion on social movements and uprisings in the Middle East.  Abdullah Al-Arian, assistant professor of history at Wayne State University, challenged dominant views of political Islam as he examined the role of religion as a socially motivating force in the Egyptian revolution and in the future development of the country.
“My aim in coming to Le Moyne was to contribute to an important conversation surrounding two main themes: first, the extraordinary developments in Egypt over the course of the past year, and secondly, how we as Americans relate to these events, especially in light of the so-called ‘9/11 decade’ and the strong presence that the US has maintained in the Middle East during that period,” said Al-Arian. “It is my hope to have identified some of the positions around these issues that are not often articulated in the public sphere, and by doing so, allowing people to question some deeply-held assumptions about the Middle East.”
Bruce Rutherford, associate professor of political science and Middle Eastern and Islamic civilization studies at Colgate University, expounded on the many challenges that Egypt will face in its transition to a new government.
“Egypt faces formidable challenges in the near term,” said Rutherford, “particularly with regard to demography and the economy.” According to Rutherford, 50 percent of the Egyptian population is below the age of 30, and 32 percent of the population is below the age of 15, resulting in a massive demand for jobs in the future.
“Unfortunately, Egypt’s economy is not currently able to generate the jobs to accommodate [young people],” said Rutherford. In order to maintain Egypt’s current unemployment rate, said Rutherford, the government will need to create 600,000 new jobs per year. “If the new government doesn’t create jobs quickly, we may see public confidence in democracy fall and, possibly, a return to authoritarianism,” he said.
Rutherford also touched on the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming parliamentary elections in November and the tentative presidential elections in January. He noted that the large demographic of first-time voters and the limited political polling information makes it difficult to predict an outcome.
In the final discussion of the third panel, Le Moyne College associate professor of history Robert Zens shifted the focus to Turkey and its modern ties to the Middle East as a remnant of the Ottoman Empire. Zens spoke of the recent emergence of Ottoman influence in modern Turkish culture while explaining the development of the AK political party, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“One of the main issues that I tried to get across in my presentation was that for four hundred years the Ottomans controlled the Middle East and were the dominant voice in Sunni Islam, and in recent years, under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan they have resumed this position of power; being a model of stability, modernity and moderation for their Arab neighbors,” said Zens.
Bayoumi’s keynote address brought the symposium to a close with a discussion on his award-winning narrative of seven young Arab-American Muslims living in Brooklyn. The book explores what it means to be an American, who defines it, and who is subsequently included or excluded. Bayoumi emphasized the pluralistic nature of Muslim-American society as he delved into issues of racial profiling, Islamophobia and surveillance.
“The symposium brought out many thoughts that have been swimming in my head for a while, among the definitions of ‘multiculturalism,’ ‘assimilation’ and ‘integration,’” said Shepard.
“I think the high turnout to this symposium was a testament to the strong interest by the Le Moyne community in issues that affect peace and justice in other parts of the world, as well as our own,” said Al-Arian.
“I hope that the college and community have become more aware of issues related to commemorating 9/11, Islamophobia and current events in the Middle East regarding the Arab Spring,” said Ternikar. “The attendance exceeded our expectations, especially from the Syracuse University campus, our local community and our students.”
Zens echoed Ternikar’s sentiments, stating that the symposium was an excellent platform for students to be exposed to “contemporary issues dealing with Islam and the Middle East that are very relevant to both U.S. domestic and foreign policy.”
According to Ternikar, the Peace and Global Studies Board will meet next month to work out a more diverse theme for next year’s Middle East and Beyond Symposium.