Middle East experts

New England Journal of Higher Education, The, Spring 2002 by Lootens, Abigail E

New England Higher Education's Links to the Middle East and Islamic World

Since September 11, U.S. colleges have been criticized for under-emphasizing the Middle East and Islamic world-producing too few Arabic translators, underplaying Arab-- American and Middle Eastern studies and generally neglecting Islamic culture and politics. But New England universities boast extraordinary connections to the Middle East and Islamic World. Those connections are likely to prove crucial as Americans try to understand yet another new world order and the U.S. government prepares to spend an additional $21 million this year on languages considered key to national security.

In the months following the attacks, the CIA turned to Harvard for expertise on Islamic finance, according to a report in the Boston Globe. The Boston University Afghan Media Project, which had attracted little attention since the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, was suddenly flooded with requests for video and photos taken by BU-trained Afghan refugees. Tufts University opened its Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies, which is dedicated to creating a better understanding of the region.

University news offices pitched lists of scholars available to discuss topics ranging from Middle East politics to psychological and emotional reactions to terrorism. When American John Walker Lindh was captured fighting for the Taliban, a media advisory from the University of New Hampshire asked "Is the Taliban a Cult," and offered the opinions of Associate Professor David Frankfurter, an expert on religious sects and charismatic leaders.

Ingrid Mattson, an American Muslim on the faculty at the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations of Hartford Seminary discussed "Religion and the War on Terrorism" on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation. Her colleagues did interviews, speeches, Web courses and town meetings on issues from gender in Islam to American foreign policy in the Muslim world.

Northeastern University began offering a course in Arabic. The course filled up quickly and was forced to turn many students away. Campus-based Muslim student associations offering daily prayer drew new curiosity.

Student exchange

New England's links to the Middle East and Islamic world are well established.

Of the 40,000 foreign students from the Middle East and Islamic nations enrolled at U.S. college campuses during the 2000-2001 academic-year, 4,000 study in New England, according to a New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) analysis of data from the New York City-based Institute of International Education (IIE). And not all these international students travel to New England's famous research universities. Of the 400 international students enrolled at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, 80 are from the Middle East.

"New England has a more liberal atmosphere especially in academia," says John S. Schoeberlein, a professor in Harvard's Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. "People come here expecting more understanding and tolerance."

The region has attracted quite prominent figures from the Middle East. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and former Saudi oil minister Sheik Yamani both attended Harvard University

But September 11 has taken its toll on foreign enrollment. Some foreign students, particularly from the Middle East, returned home. Boston University, which draws one of the highest numbers of international students with close to 4,400, reported that 35 of 354 students from the Middle East chose to return home after September 11, though 25 returned for the spring semester.

Myrian Fizazi-Hawkins, a program officer with AMIDEAST, a U.S.-based organization that promotes academic exchange between the Unites States and Arab world, says new challenges could further restrict foreign enrollment. "New visa regulations for students coming from the region are going to make it difficult to obtain a student visa," says Fizazi-Hawkins, "and the discourse after September 11 about intolerance will deter people from even thinking of coming to the United States."

The number of American students traveling to the Middle East was already small. Just 4,000 students from all of the United States traveled to the Middle East during the 19992000 academic-year, and most of them studied in Israel, according to the NEBHE analysis of data from the IIE.

Again, the outlook is grim. "We're going to see the number of Americans going over to Arabic countries plummet from an already low amount," says Fizazi-Hawkins.

Enduring mark

The Middle Eastern students who have studied in New England have left an enduring mark on the region, often building business partnerships with friends they met in college or making big gifts to their alma maters.

Aga Kahn, who became the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims a year before his graduation from Harvard, donated $11.5 million in 1979 to establish the Aga Kahn Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT and Harvard. Aga Kahn's brother, Prince Amyn, and daughter, Princess Zahra, also graduated from Harvard. His eldest son, Prince Rahim, graduated from Brown University and his younger son from Williams College.