RSS: Encounter

Sa’ed: Childhood in Nablus

Chelsey Berlin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:23:58 -0500

Like many six-year-old boys, Sa’ed Abu Zeid is missing his front teeth and likes to play soccer. He wears black sneakers, jeans,
and a jacket in the fall. A cowlick over his left eye parts his hair just slightly, highlighting his deep black eyes. However, Sa’ed has contended with more trauma than most of us face in a lifetime, let alone in our first six years. Daily, he lives with fear and witnesses death. This is the burden that he carries and its weight causes his presence to be far heavier than his six years
would suggest.

From Khartoum to Meroe

Andrew Watkins — Mon, 6 Oct 2008 10:50:45 -0400

Recently, I took a journey with the English language professors of the University of Al-Neelain in Khartoum to the Pyramids of Meroe, some 300 kilometers away. While the pyramids are a testament to the power of the ancient civilizations that produced them, this is not a story of those civilizations but rather a view into modern Sudan.

Shopping for Head Scarves, Jordanian Style

Liana Paris — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:11:33 -0400

*Before I left for my Rotary International scholarship year in ‘Amman, I had many conversations like this:

“So … you are going to live in … Jordan?”

At which point I would explain about Rotary, Rotary scholarships, and my interests in Arabic, the Middle East, and intercultural dialogue.

Then invariably one of their real concerns emerges: “How will you figure out what to wear?”*

Finding Familiarity in Cairo’s Garbage City

Zachary S. Kineke — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:59:37 -0400

Artificial islands. Buildings that change shape. Skyscrapers that seem to literally scrape the sky. Most people have heard about the stunning projects in the Gulf born of unimaginable wealth. Where else in the world can one find fine powdered ski slopes in the desert? But while wealthy tourists enjoy the life of luxury on one side of the Middle East, one of the region’s oldest states sees poverty like few can imagine.

Oman's Dress Identity: Preserving a Part of History

Aisa Martinez — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 11:09:58 -0400

Muscat, Oman is a place of contrast. Newly constructed tarmac roads wind through gaps in ancient mountain passes. Luxury cars zoom past trucks carrying goats and camels. Old fishermen’s dhows silently bob in the Muttrah harbor, in the shadows of oil tankers and cruise ships. These contrasts of the old and the new are embodied in the black and white of the local dress: Omani men proudly don the traditional crisp white dishdashas, and Omani women flaunt the latest style of flowing black abayas. Abayas originated from ancient times. In the past 20 or so years, this ubiquitous symbol of the modern Gulf woman is fast replacing traditional Omani dress.

High Tea and High Hopes in Riyadh

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 11:23:35 -0400

We met for high tea in the Globe, the restaurant with a panoramic view of Riyadh atop the Faisaliyah Center, in the heart of the Saudi Arabian capital.

I was the guest of two Saudi women — professionals in their early 30s, one a journalist, one a hospital administrator, both with advanced degrees from Saudi universities, both married, one with children, the other not. Neither was veiled.

This was the first time in more than 30 years of visiting Saudi Arabia that I had a social encounter with any Saudi woman outside her own home, and it dramatized the contradictions and absurdities that Saudi Arabia faces in trying to maintain its rigid old social rules in an increasingly modern and educated society.

Carnival of Justice: Military Commissions & Guantanamo Bay

Keith Petty — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:42:29 -0400

Every trip to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) brings with it a strange cocktail of emotions. The excitement of prosecuting before a historic military tribunal, the nervous energy when delivering an oral argument before the judge, and the dread of reading the inevitably negative headlines the following day are all part of the experience. But it seems that the commissions’ proceedings are merely a sideshow in this carnival-like atmosphere. As famously described by Binyam Mohammed at his arraignment in 2005, the second iteration of the military commissions were simply the “same circus, different clowns.”

Libyan Minister in Charge of Repatriation is an Expatriate Himself

Adam Shaffer — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:45:09 -0400

The dialogue developed by the Middle East Institute’s conference, “Libya, Africa & the West,” proved insightful about the future of Libya’s relations with the rest of the world, but more particularly, with the United States. One distinguished speaker and a member of the 30-person Libyan delegation was Dr. ‘Ali Richi. A Libyan-American, he is Libya’s Deputy Secretary General of Foreign Liaisons and International Cooperation in charge of migration. Much of his responsibility involves the repatriation of Libyans worldwide. While living in the US and performing many duties from there, he maintains valued connections to the expatriate community throughout the country.

Missing Pages: 9/11 and the Battle Over Textbooks

Eric A. Lukas — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:00:20 -0400

Japanese historians Nozaki Yoshiko and Inokuchi Hiromatsu once described school textbooks as an “important site” for “creating and disseminating narratives.” By projecting a specific viewpoint of an event on the impressionable minds of students, the books can “readily reinforce dominant ideologies.” It was while reading an essay by these authors for a class on Asia-Pacific wars that I first became aware of the power of textbooks to not only educate our youth but construct an entire ideological mindset.

Marriage Advertisements in Saudi Arabia

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 10:45:04 -0500

At no time in the modern history of Saudi Arabia have women enjoyed more liberties than they do today. There are now prominent women physicians, professors, journalists, and business owners. In early 2008, the Saudi government responded to pressure from Saudi businesswomen who frequently travel by lifting the ban preventing single women from renting hotel rooms, and they have even talked about lifting the ban against female drivers by the end of the year. Increased freedom has now reached into family relations and marriage customs as well, but in ways that generally go unnoticed in the West...

A Wall Between Them: Experiencing the Separation Barrier

Andy Watkins — Tue, 4 Mar 2008 11:21:10 -0500

It is rare to discuss any personal interactions with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict without encountering exceptionally passionate verbal exchanges, particularly amongst those living in or emigrating from the region. Living in the city of Beit Sahour in the occupied West Bank, it was very clear to me that these passionate conversations with the local population — both Palestinian and Israeli — were inevitable and not always entirely enlightening. Looking for new ways to understand the nuances of a conflict that spans generations, I came upon a new phenomenon, the Separation Wall, through which I encountered a different face of the conflict and the people involved in it...

An Interview with Iran Conference Panelist Ibtisam al-Kitbi

Dr. Ibtisam Al-Kitbi and Naomi Stone — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:45:08 -0500

MEI: Dr. Al-Kitbi, you’ve written and spoken on political and social reforms like education and democratization in the UAE. To what degree are the Emirati people being impacted on the ground by these changes?

Al-Kitbi: The Emirates was the last country in the GCC to conduct elections. In elections, if you look at it, the people ask for more political rights. But you don’t find this here actually; maybe because of the economic situation. It’s not like Bahrain or Saudi Arabia in the UAE. For one, the population (of native Emiratis) is very small; its only 20% of the total population. Another difference is that the Emirates have not had any type of violent incident; when you compare it to Saudi Arabia, there is nothing. There are none of those violent Islamic groups in the Emirates like in Saudi Arabia. So, you cannot say that there is pressure from the inside towards democratization except from some people, like me.

To read the entire interview please download the .pdf file.

An Interview with Iran Conference Panelist Sami Al-Faraj

Dr. Sami Al-Faraj and Naomi Stone — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:37:43 -0500

MEI: Dr. Al-Faraj, you founded the Kuwait Centre for Strategic Studies in 1997. Can you tell me what led you to develop this particular think tank?

Al-Faraj: The history of Kuwait basically changed dramatically in 1990 when Saddam Husayn invaded. My personal history changed as well; in that period I got involved to counter the invasion. During the occupation of Kuwait, I was also given some tasks with regard to strategic planning. I got involved in the crises happening with the regime of Saddam Husayn after the liberation of Kuwait. During the occupation of Kuwait I was given management responsibilities of certain aspects of civilian life in the country and of the steps to be taken on the day of liberation to restore civil government and civil services to Kuwait.

To read the entire interview please download the .pdf file.

UAE National Day Celebrations in Abu Dhabi

Kristin Anderson — Mon, 4 Feb 2008 17:01:16 -0500

Perhaps the defining activity of the entire National Day holiday is the drive down Corniche Road. It is more or less a parade of vehicles moving bumper to bumper while making the most noise and commotion possible. Many people who join in this informal parade decorate their vehicles with flags, ribbons, balloons and images of the ruling Sheikhs. As the vehicles drive slowly up and down the Corniche, drivers blare Emirati music, honk their horns and rev their engines...

Reform at the University of Qatar: A Profile of Female Leadership

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 16:10:21 -0500

The story of the University of Qatar in the last three and a half years is one of success, and the lessons learned from it should be an inspiration for other national universities in the region. This success story is the result of the work of a striking woman, Dr. Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad, President of the university. Dr. al-Misnad is also a close advisor of Moza bint Nasir al-Misnad, wife of the ruler of Qatar, Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, also a trendsetter in the Persian Gulf. Dr. Sheikha and Princess Moza are also related; Dr. Shaikha is Moza’s aunt.

Dr. Shaikha al-Misnad became President of Qatar University (established 1977) in August 2003, an event making headlines in the Persian Gulf media since she was the first woman to head a national university in the Gulf. Few people had any idea she would change so much at the university in such a short period of time. Her changes aim to make the university more functional and to create an instrument that would support the speedy pace of economic, social and educational development in Qatar.

When Dr. al-Misnad was appointed President of the University, the institution was notoriously dysfunctional. All registered students were virtually assured of obtaining a degree after a few years, even if they did not attend classes regularly. Students who failed tests were rare and cheating on exams was common. Qatari faculty were exempt from any evaluation or scrutiny and were appointed for life while foreign professors, comprising some seventy percent of the faculty, were appointed with contracts renewable every one or two years; they were rarely kept on for more than four or five years, leading to considerable turnover and instability. The fear and sense of insecurity among foreign professors as they faced yearly contract reviews and possible termination without any explanation, made for low faculty morale and opened a window for pressure on grades.

After a year in office, the new President shocked everyone in Qatar when she expelled some 700 students (out of a total of 10,500) from the university. She then retired or fired some 800 employees who were underperforming, doing little work or were otherwise unnecessary. In addition, Dr. al-Misnad reduced the retirement age for Qatari professors from 65 to 60, with the effect of putting some tens of older Qatari professors on retirement. Her actions were considered so radical that she was called before the country’s Shura Council- an appointed advisory body that plays the role of a parliament- to explain her actions in a session that lasted several hours. In the end, the Shura Council could do little to change her course, mainly because she was supported in her reform efforts by Princess Moza, and the Amir himself.

Dr. al-Misnad is trying to reshape the University of Qatar fundamentally and to make it a model for universities in the region, especially those in the six countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council. “The University of Qatar, as a national university, should be an important engine for developing Qatari society…. Our university should be a source of experience in Qatar when it comes to scientific research and preparing students for the challenges of Qatar society,” she said in an interview with the author in November 2007. Thus the curricula in various departments were changed so that new ones could focus on the development of Qatar and serve the local economy and as well as the social and political changes Qatar is currently undergoing. “We are trying to make students think and analyze instead of making them memorize descriptive information … the students must know English in addition to the Arabic language…. They must know the history of their country and they should know that they are living in a society based on the exploitation and export of oil and gas. They should also know the impact of changes taking place in the Middle East and the Gulf…. We are trying to change the University of Qatar from a traditional university to one based on international standards,” she said in the same interview.

To transform the University of Qatar into a functional institution, Dr. al-Misnad has decentralized the administration by giving the heads of departments and the deans of colleges more authority and freedom of management. The hierarchical structure of the university was a major problem facing the colleges and departments before Dr. al-Misnad’s reforms. To improve faculty standards, salaries for professors were increased significantly and most important, foreign professors were offered renewable three-year contracts instead of annual renewals. This has raised faculty morale and provided a needed sense of security among the overwhelming majority of faculty who are foreign.

In November 2007, I talked to a number of Qatari students about how they thought things were going at the university. They told me they were aware of the new changes, and also told me that they are learning material that is more practical and that attendance at their classes is higher than the generation before them. Since 2006, Qatari students have established a Student Union and the faculty has formed a Faculty Senate; both of these institutions are innovations in the university’s history.

These university reforms should be understood within the framework of the reform of the entire educational system in Qatar. Since 1998, Princess Moza bint Nasir al-Misnad has made the issue of educational reform in Qatar her central objective. She has been the driving force behind the establishment of Education City, officially inaugurated in 2003. This complex hosts branches of a number of foreign universities (mainly American but including other Western institutions) including Cornell Medical School, Carnegie Mellon University, Texas A and M, and the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, among others. There has also been substantial reform below the university level in grades K-12, including changes to the way teachers are trained; teaching methods in the classroom; reform of administration, and a reshaping of the curriculum. There are two kinds of primary and high schools in Qatar today--the older, traditional schools and the “new, reformed” schools called “independent schools”. Princess Moza aims to have the new independent schools replacing all the traditional schools by the year 2014.

Dr. Shaikha al-Misnad was born on September 30, 1955 in the town of al-Khur in northern Qatar. Her father, Abdulla al-Misnad, was a well-known merchant and shaikh (leader) of the Misnad tribe. Despite his tribal origins and the conservative customs and attitudes of Qatari society in those days, especially toward women and women’s education, he treated all the women in his family well. He encouraged the young Sheikha to study and even to travel abroad for graduate studies after she received her BA in Education from the University of Qatar in 1977. Shaikha al-Misnad then went to England and obtained a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Durham in 1984. She was then one of only a handful of Qatari women with a doctorate in any field. Upon her return to Qatar, she became Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Qatar. Since that time, Dr. Shaikha’s professional career has been tied to the University of Qatar where she became Head of the Department of the Fundamentals in Education in the Faculty of Education (1992); then Vice President of the University for Research and Community Service (2000), and finally President of the University in 2003. Dr. al-Misnad has published extensively in the field of education in Qatar and sits on the boards of several institutions of education in Qatar and the GCC. She has also obtained honorary degrees from abroad.

As President of the University of Qatar, Dr. Sheikha is setting an example for young Qatari women, particularly among her student body. Some seventy percent of the students at the University of Qatar are women. Dr. al-Misnad's message for Qatari women is one of support and encouragement for them to follow their dreams. She says to them, “You have to chose what is right for you. Do not bow to pressure to fit a special role that does not fit you. Do not follow others; choose what is right for you.”

The Modernization of Daily Life in Qatar

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 11:03:41 -0500

Having just returned from a research trip in Qatar in November 2007, I am astonished how much change the country has undergone since my last visit in June 2004. Qatar’s gas revenues are rapidly being spent to construct a twenty-first century country that was, just ten years ago, little more than a sleepy sheikhdom on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

Signs of modernization are everywhere. As an American citizen you need a visa to enter Qatar, but this can now be issued at the airport. Instead of waiting in long lines, a female officer at a booth now issues visas on the spot. Credit cards are welcomed, and as a bonus the visa will allow you to visit Oman as well. Interestingly, all the passport officers and luggage screeners are now Qatari women.

In the fashionable al-Dafna district of Doha, the vista is one of rising skyscrapers. There are now tens of them in different stages of construction. The imposing City Center shopping mall in the heart of al-Dafna is thriving with shops and business. When it was opened in 2001, it was said to be the sixth largest mall in the world. Three years ago it hosted one bank branch but now it has five, as well as money exchanges which allow over 600,000 foreign workers to send remittances to the Phillippines, India, Nepal, Egypt, Sri Lanka and other foreign destinations.

The new luxury mall Villagio was opened in 2006 with an interior similar to those of the five star hotels and casinos of Las Vegas. It has its own artificial sky with clouds and a Venetian-style canal complete with gondolas. It is not unusual to see traditional Qatari women covered in black from head to toe, sitting in the gondolas while the air is filled with Italian opera. Shopping centers are now so central to Qatari culture that on the weekends they are crammed full with families strolling in their best clothes. They go not only to shop but to dine, snack and above all to “see and be seen”.

This modernization has a few downsides, too. The hundreds of privately owned taxis that used to compete for fares have disappeared and been replaced by a single company, Karwa. While Karwa’s taxis are more modern and comfortable, they are harder to find and more expensive. Doha tried to counter this by starting a public transportation service in 2006, also run by Karwa, with bus service to various areas in the city. But the absence of covered bus stops means customers often have to wait under a sizzling sun. With the radical expansion of Doha has come the nightmare of enormous traffic jams, especially during rush hours. Traffic problems are exacerbated by endless roadwork and detours. Traffic police and heavy fines have forced a fundamental change of attitude among Qataris toward traffic rules. At one time drivers routinely ignored the rules, but now violation of a red light signal, for example, brings a fine of QR 10,000 (about US $3,000)!
The biggest surprise on this trip was the total remodeling of Doha’s old downtown market area--Suq Waqif. The narrow streets and winding alleys of the old suq are now clean and newly paved. Open-air shops are numbered and keep their merchandise inside the premises instead of spread out on the street. The remodeling has preserved the character of the traditional Arab suq, with each area specializing in merchandise such as textiles, clothing, souvenirs, kitchen utensils, sweets and toiletries. The main street of the suq now contains several remodeled cafes and popular restaurants with names like al-Bandar, Beirut, Istanbul, Umm Fatima and Umm Abd al-Aziz. Some serve traditional Qatari cuisine and the coffee shops offer tea, coffee, soft drinks and the traditional Arab water pipe.

Suq Waqif is now one of the hot spots to visit in Doha. Males and females, Arabs and foreign visitors can enjoy a water pipe while sipping tea and sitting on traditional long wooden chairs. Much of the credit for the historical renovation of the suq goes to Qatar’s ruler, Amir Hamid bin Khalifa Al-Thani. It is rumored that the Amir is so fond of the new Suq Waqif that he ordered all high buildings around the Suq to be demolished so that he could have an unrestricted view of it from his diwan.

One result of the rush to modernize is that finding a newspaper is no easy task unless you are staying at a first class hotel. Gone are the ubiquitous young Egyptian vendors who used to hawk newspapers on streets and at the roundabouts as one drove into the city. Now one has to go to a bookstore or gas station for the morning edition. Since 2004, two new dailies have been added to Qatar’s journalistic repertoire: an English language daily, the Qatar Tribune (2006), and a new Arabic language paper, al-Arab. Al-Arab is a revival of Qatar’s first Arabic language newspaper, which restarted again in November 2007 after a hiatus of eleven years. There are now four Arabic dailies (al-Sharq, al-Raya, al-Watan and al- Arab) and three English language papers (The Peninsula, The Gulf Times and The Qatar Tribune).

With its vast construction projects, improvement in infrastructure, and modernization of the education system, Qatar is trying hard to compete with Dubai as the Gulf center for investment and tourism. Ahmad Abd Allah al-Nuaimi, Head of the Tourism Office in Qatar, stated on November 4 that by 2012 Qatar would have 26,000 hotel rooms and that this number would double by the year 2016. Qatar Airways is already using Doha International Airport as a hub for passengers traveling between the United States, Europe and the Indian sub-continent and East Asia. By November 2007, Qatar Airways was serving some 55 destinations worldwide and had just signed a contract with Boeing for some 70 new planes. Qatar is building a new air terminal to handle this additional traffic.

Qatar has even bigger ambitions and dreams for the future. Doha intends to be a candidate to host the 2016 international Olympics and has already successfully hosted the 2006 Asian Olympic games, for which it built a huge sports city. The city’s boulevards are already filled with flags and banners welcoming the 2016 Olympic games. Qatar is also expanding industrially. In November, Crown Prince Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani laid the first brick for a new aluminum factory to be the largest of its kind in the world. This project is the result of a partnership between Qatar petroleum and the giant Norwegian company Hydo Aluminum. Qatar has altered is property ownership laws to allow foreigners to buy real estate in certain areas and is focusing on luxury and upscale real estate development.

Everything in Doha from its vast boulevards, new luxury cars, large malls and its modern infrastructure bespeaks prosperity and affluence. It says louder than words that Qatar, with the third largest natural gas reserves in the world, is rich--and enjoying its bounty.