News

Carolina’s Persian Studies program has experienced significant growth since its launch in 2010, now enrolling over 150 students annually and ranking 14th nationally in Persian language enrollment. Dr. Shahla Adel, the University’s first full-time Persian language instructor, played a key role in establishing the program. Supported by a 2016 [...]

Shamim Hossain, as the Center's Digital Humanities Podcasting Intern, engaged in planning, developing, and implementing digital podcast resources for educator use in the classroom at the high school and beginner undergraduate level. He worked under the supervision and alongside CMEIS’s Associate Director, Dr. Micah Hughes during 2024. Shamim is [...]

As the Arabic Translation and Interpretation Intern, Dahna Buheis, engaged in translating and interpreting Arabic, working closely with TABLE during October and November, 2024.  This internship offered a unique opportunity for Dahna to enhance their language skills and cultural literacy while contributing to meaningful community activities. During my [...]

Dear CMEIS Students, Faculty, Staff, and Community, The Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies strongly condemns the intrusion and assault that occurred at the Muslim Student Association meeting yesterday. Such acts of violence and intimidation have no place on our campus or in any community. We [...]

Kris Evans, our Middle East and Islamic Cultural Heritage Preservation Intern, worked closely with local historical societies and museums to document and preserve cultural artifacts. As a CMEIS undergraduate intern Kris worked with the Center’s outreach manager during October and November 2024. The internship offered a unique opportunity for [...]

What a lovely event celebrating World Arabic Language Day with the community in North Carolina! The day was filled with activities, including an Arabic spelling competition and calligraphy lessons for attendees. People enjoyed listening to Arabic music, savoring delicious food, and reciting poetry. The Arabic spelling competition was a [...]

We had an incredible experience delving into the mesmerizing art of Ebru with the talented Hatice Erbaş Sorkunlu! The event began with an insightful presentation by Dr. Micah Hughes, Associate Director for the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, who provided an overview of Islamic art. This set [...]

The Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies hosted Professor Nadine Sinno, who shared insights on space, belonging, new artistic forms in Lebanon in her talk "Beirut is a Cement Paradise/بيروت جنة إسمنت,” based on her new book, A War of Colors: Graffiti and Street Art in Postwar Beirut.  [...]

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, in collaboration with the area studies centers at UNC and Duke, has successfully hosted a transformative professional development event focused on global education!  This year's theme, "Engage, Educate, Empower: Elevating K-12 Learning through Global Perspectives," brought together expert speakers to discuss the [...]

The Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies (CMEIS) successfully conducted a professional development training for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) staff at the Teaching & Learning Conference Day. The training was offered to 15 Language and Social Studies Teachers. Alaa Hammouda, the Outreach Manager for CMEIS, presented on [...]

GEEO-UNC Turkey Trip, July 2024.  This summer the UNC Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies partnered with GEEO to send U.S.-based teachers to Turkey for 15 days. GEEO, alongside their partner, G Adventures, offered an educational 15-day journey through Turkey, exploring its rich multi-faith & multi-ethnic history, its [...]

In the summer of 2023, I received a FLAS fellowship and had the opportunity to study traditional Arabic in Rabat, Morocco, at the Qalam wa Lawh language institute. My time there was intense and transformative; I immersed myself in advanced Arabic studies, dedicating three hours each day to rigorous [...]