G.A. Lipton receives Newcombe fellowship

May 14th, 2012 | News
Religious Studies doctoral candidate Gregory “G.A.” Lipton, a doctoral candidate was one of 21 recipients of the prestigious Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships. His dissertation, “Making Islam Fit: Ibn ‘Arabi and the Idea of Sufism in the Secular Age,” explores “how the contemporary Western reception of the 13th century Muslim mystic Ibn ‘Arabi and the attendant post-Enlightenment understanding of Sufism have supported the construction of alternate, secular-liberal models for Muslim subjectivity.” Read more about Lipton’s work and award.

Nasser Isleem wins Tanner Award

April 30th, 2012 | News
Nasser Isleem, Arabic lecturer in the Department of Asian Studies, has been awarded the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. His teaching philosophy states: “I believe in filling the educational experience in class with energy, humor and variety, thus promoting a positive and vital learning environment. The immersion experience is not always easy for students having their first encounter with this method of language instruction. I believe in putting students at ease so that even the most timid learner is involved.” As one student wrote in their nomination letter, Isleem is “unmatched by any professor I’ve ever had or have heard about.” Read more on page 2 of the UNC Gazette.

Fall 2012 course list now available!

April 3rd, 2012 | News
Download the Center’s list of courses related to the Middle East and Muslim civilizations to guide your registration for Fall 2012!

“Safi urges broad look at social justice”

March 24th, 2012 | News
As part of Duke University’s Islamic Awareness Week, UNC professor of Islamic Studies Omid Safi spoke about social justice and Islam. Safi noted how “national Muslim organizations primarily exist to broadcast injustices and prejudice affecting Muslims equally emphasizing the positive accomplishments and daily concerns of Muslims” and urged that “[i]nstead, these groups should focus on broader social issues and also communicate the strengths of the Muslim community.” Click here for the full article.

Faculty Feature: Carl Ernst on the global significance of Arabic

March 23rd, 2012 | News

The First Annual Arabic Majors Distinguished Lecture was sponsored by the Duke Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Duke Islamic Studies Center on March 22. The lecture was given by Professor Carl Ernst of UNC on “The Global Significance of Arabic Language & Literature.” A response was provided by H.E. Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah (Kuwait), focusing on contemporary political affairs. Click here to read the Duke Chronicle article on the event, and click here for video of the speakers through iTunes U.

Faculty Feature: Carl Ernst discusses Sufism

March 12th, 2012 | News
This video is a recording of UNC Professor Carl Ernst and Columbia Professor Muhsin al-Musawi discussing Sufism. Prof. Ernst was at Columbia to lead a discussion on “Authorial Persona in the Poetry of al-Hallaj” organized on March 1, 2012 at Faculty House by the Middle East Institute’s Arabic Studies Seminar program.

You can also visit the Baraza Ijtihad blog, which hosts discussions and dialogues on “issues relevant to the past, present and future of the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.”

View photos from the recent lecture by Dr. Trita Parsi

February 25th, 2012 | News
View photos from Dr. Trita Parsi’s recent lecture on U.S.-Iranian relations, or read about the event here. Article (Katy Kosey) and photos (Alex Loizias) courtesy of UNC Global.

Jarrahi Family Library Fund for Persian Studies

February 24th, 2012 | News
UNC Libraries and the Persian Studies Program are pleased to announce the Jarrahi Family Library Fund for Persian Studies.

The $25,000 contribution will be the cornerstone of an endowment that Middle East and African Studies Librarian Mohamed Abou El Seoud can tap to purchase books, journals, films, and language learning resources. Through cooperative agreements, affiliates of Duke, North Carolina Central, and North Carolina State universities will also have access to the new materials.

Click here to read about the Fund in more detail. 

Muslim-American Terrorism “A Miniscule Threat” to Public Safety in 2011

February 10th, 2012 | News
UNC sociology professor Charles Kurzman has authored a study revealing that acts of terrorism by Muslim-Americans have decreased in the past two years, in sharp contrast to the expectation of counterterrorism officials.  The report, “Muslim-American Terrorism in the Decade Since 9/11,” is published by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security.  More information here.

Register for the Upcoming SERMEISS Spring Meeting at UNC

February 1st, 2012 | News
UNC’s Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations is proud to be hosting the SERMEISS Spring Meeting, March 16-18, 2012. All sessions will be held in the FedEx Global Education Center on the UNC campus in Chapel Hill.

To join SERMEISS or to receive information about registration materials for meetings, please write to sermeiss@georgiasouthern.edu. You can also check our Center’s SERMEISS Spring Meeting 2012 page for further updates.
« Previous