RESOURCES
ON ARABIC/ISLAMIC CULTURE: A Selective
List
Starter
List of Arab/Islamic Fiction:
Scattered Like Seeds, Shaw J.
Dallal (Syracuse U., 1998).
Arab-American Thafer Allam "tries to reconcile the pull of his
Palestinian heritage with his ties to America." The reader experiences the frustration and anger of the
Palestinian diaspora, from a Beirut refugee camp to the "ghetto" of
Kuwait. Revealing insights into the
thought processes of the character, from a Palestinian-American author.
Habibi, Naomi
Shihab Nye (Simon & Schuster, 1997).
Beautifully-designed book for young adults, by a
Palestinian-American, featuring a teenage girl, Liyana, who moves with her
family from St. Louis to Jerusalem and develops a relationship with a Jewish
boy.
Distant View of a Minaret, Alifa
Rifaat, Egyptian (Heinemann, 1985).
Understated short stories that capture the flavor of life for women in a
Muslim society.
The Map of Love, Ahdaf
Soueif (Anchor, 2000). Fascinating
multi-generational love story interwoven with history. The author is Egyptian but wrote the book in
English.
The
Holy Qur’an:
For
background on the Qur’an, please consult “The Qur’an: An Introduction,” by Thomas Cleary, included in The Arab World Studies
Notebook and reprinted from Cleary’s translation, The Essential Koran: The Heart of
Islam (Harper Collins, 1993).
http://www.mepc.org/public_asp/workshops/quranintro.asp
Book Lists and Publishers/Distributors :
Americans for Middle East Understanding
Online
source for books and videos; also published monthly in The Link.
The Arab World and Arab Americans
http://www.ala.org/BookLinks/v09/arab.html
Annotated guide to books for
children and young adults prepared by Kristin Lems for Book Links.
Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding
Highly-respected
source for authoritative publications, including books by CMCU director, Prof.
John L. Esposito.
“Discovering Arabic Fiction”
http://lfkhome.northstarnet.org/ArabFic.html
Reading list developed in conjunction with the “Arab Voices”
series sponsored by the Library Community Foundation of the North Suburban
Library System. Since 9/11, this page on
the Lake Forest Library’s Web site has been visited upwards of 400 times a
month.
Interlink Books
http://www.interlinkbooks.com/Mideast.html
Publisher of fiction and non-fiction titles; their Mideast
catalog features an “Emerging Voices” series with translations from numerous
countries, from Morocco to Iran.
“A Misunderstood Faith,” Martha Cornog and Elizabeth Plantz;
Library Journal, November 15, 2001
http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/
(use search feature to locate article)
This is the most up-to-date
listing of books on Islam suitable for the general public.
L.A.-based publication dedicated to
contemporary Arab/Islamic arts.
BBC News online
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/default.stm
Focused,
timely online news coverage.
Jordan Times
Gives
another point of view on news of the region.
MERIP Report: Arabs,
Muslims and Race in America (Fall 2002)
http://www.merip.org/mer/mer224/mer224.html
Authoritative
articles on Arabs in a post-September 11 United States.
Beautiful
color photographs and high-quality articles provide a survey of various facets
of Arab life and culture. Please send
subscription requests to Box 469008, Escondido, CA 92046-9008 (no charge).
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
Produced by
former State Department officials who seek to provide balanced reporting.
College of Lake County
http://geocities.datacellar.net/Athens/Oracle/3439/melinks.html
Variety of sites covering Middle Eastern humanities and politics;
developed for the late Prof. Stephen Infantino’s Middle Eastern Civilization
class.
Encyclopaedia of the Orient
http://lexicorient.com/e.o/index.htm
Handy, concise definitions for ready reference; also Atlas of the
Orient, http://lexicorient.com/e.o/atlas/index.htm
North Park University
http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/Islam/Islam.html
Chronology of Islam.
Prof. Alan Godlas, University of Georgia
http://www.arches.uga.edu/~godlas/
Music, art, architecture, Arabic language.
University of Pennsylvania
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~rs143/map.html
Maps: Islam’s historical
development.
48-minute documentary, available in VHS
or DVD format, in English and French from Victoria Vorreiter of DePaul
University, c/o Resonance Productions (1337 W. Lunt #1KL, Chicago, IL 60626 ;
773-274-3990).
On Boys, Girls and the Veil
Humorous,
intimate look at contemporary life in Egypt; perfect for young adults.
Arab Film Distribution:
http://www.arabfilm.com/item_print.html?itemID=111
Umm Kulthum: A Voice
like Egypt
Splendid
documentary about the legendary singer; a glimpse into Egyptian history and
culture, with original footage and interviews.
http://www.aramusic.com/htmls/afd023.htm
Note: extensive
film/video annotations by Prof. Ellen-Fairbanks Bodman are included in The
Arab World Studies Notebook, cited below.
CURRICULUM
SUPPORT/TEACHER TRAINING:
Dr. Louise Cainkar (Illinois
Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights) recently consulted with the
Chicago Council on Foreign Relations (in cooperation with the Chicago Community
Trust) to conduct an assessment of educators’ needs in the Chicago Public
School System. The resulting report,
titled A Post-September 11th Curriculum for the Chicago Public
Schools, is a goldmine of information for decision-makers. Among the
findings: the realization that teachers
had a critical need for information about the Middle East, especially the
Islamic world; major gaps existed in teachers’ knowledge base, including points
of geography.
The report
was published by:
The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations
116 South Michigan Avenue, 10th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60603-6097
Phone: (312)726-3860; fax:(312)726-4491; http://www.ccfr.org/
AWAIR: Arab World and Islamic Resources (http://awaironline.org/; awair@igc.org)
Their well-organized, comprehensive binder (The Arab
World Studies Notebook) belongs in every elementary and high school
classroom! (Each page is
ready-to-copy). Audrey Shabbas, with
many expert collaborators, has gathered a treasury of information and
activities about cuisine, history, music, art, religion, literature, geography,
sociology, etc. that will delight and inform students. Ms. Shabbas also conducts teacher workshops
under the sponsorship of the Middle East Policy Council (http://www.mepc.org).
AAAN (Arab American Action Network)
Chicago social
service/education/advocacy non-profit.
The Arab Arts Council coordinates cultural activities throughout
Chicagoland, including events for Arab Heritage month in November.
ADC (American-Arab Anti-Discriminatory Committee)
“Grassroots
civil rights organization” that promotes the welfare of the 3 million+
Americans of Arab ancestry. The Chicago
chapter sponsors programs featuring major leaders of the region.
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, North Park University
http://campus.northpark.edu/centers/middle/default.htm
Dedicated
to advocacy of the Arab Christian community, in Chicago and the Middle East.
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Chicago
Interdisciplinary
research center that offers enrichment programs and resources for educators.
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Includes a “mosque open house kit” intended to promote
understanding and communication (http://www.cair-net.org/downloads/aa311openhouse1.pdf);
this document includes a helpful glossary and Q&A section. CAIR also publishes a very helpful guide for
teachers and administrators who have Muslim students in their schools.
Also see “The Muslim Student in
the American Classroom,” http://4dw.net/besteacher/muslim.html
Cynthia Percak Infantino is Head of Reference
Services at the Lake Forest Library.
Cindy lived in Jordan in the spring of 1996 and has traveled widely in
the Middle East. She is on the staff of
the Arabic Music Retreat and is president of Xauen Music, Inc., a company
dedicated to the preservation of classical Oriental music. She serves on the
MVP (Multicultural Voices and Perspectives) committee for the Chicago
Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as the National Council of Americans
for Middle East Understanding. This resource list was adapted from “Humanizing
Islam,” an article written for Social Studies Review (California). Please contact to have this document sent by
e-mail.
Web site: http://c.infantino.home.att.net/
e-mail: c.infantino@att.net