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NPR Mideast Correspondent to Speak on Syria in Boulder

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:22:47 +0100

National Public Radio (NPR) Foreign Correspondent Deborah Amos will share experiences and insights from covering the Arab Spring in appearances at CU-Boulder on January 16 and the Colorado School of Mines on January 17.

Amos’ lecture, “The Arab Spring and Islamism: Stories from the Syrian Frontline,” is especially timely given the civil war in Syria and its potential impacts worldwide.

She will speak at the University of Colorado Boulder on Wednesday, January 16 at 5 p.m. in Room 250 of the Eaton Humanities Building. She will appear at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden the following day, January 17, from 5 p.m-7 p.m. in Ballrooms B and C of the Student Center.

Her appearances are jointly sponsored by the Center for Media, Religion and Culture at CU Journalism & Mass Communication, and the Hennebach Program in the Humanities at the Colorado School of Mines.

“The Arab Spring is the largest geopolitical event to affect the Middle East since the end of the colonial era some five decades ago. This popular movement succeeded in bringing about rapid regime change in some countries but has taken a more tortured path in Syria,” said Mirna Mattjik of the Hennebach program. “Were the Assad regime to fall, it would have significant impacts on many countries in the region and on America’s interests there. Deborah Amos provides insights and analysis from her firsthand encounters.”

Nabil Echchaibi, director of CU’s Muslims in the Mountain West Project, welcomed the collaboration with the School of Mines to provide the public with timely and authoritative new information about the situation in Syria.

“The road to free rule in Syria has proven arduous and deadly,” Echchaibi said. “The unfolding tragedy in Syria today is a real litmus test for the resilience of authoritarian rule in Arab lands, and what happens there might have even larger repercussions for politics and U.S. interests in the region.”

As a journalist, Amos has covered the Middle East for decades and has published two books on the region. Among her many accolades, Amos was recognized with the Edward Weintal Prize for Diplomatic Reporting from Georgetown University (2009) and was awarded the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award by Washington State University (2010). Since 2010, Amos has served as a Shorenstein Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Messy Democracy Theater in Egypt

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:28:44 +0100

An interesting photo from the ongoing protests in Egypt against President Mursi's recent power grab.

A protester applies saline solution on soldier's face to heal him during clashes between CSF and protesters in Simon Bolivar Square, near US embassy and Tahrir Square, 28 November 2012. Photo by: Tarek Wageeh

Muslim Voices in the Heartland

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:51:59 +0100

The Muslims in the Mountain West Project is pleased to announce “Muslim Voices in the Heartland”, a 3-day event featuring discussion panels with local, regional and national Muslim writers, journalists, scholars, and activists. This event is hosted by the Center for Media, Religion and Culture and the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.Click here for the full schedule.

Things Only Changed to Stay the Same in Egypt

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 05:52:40 +0100

It's hard to believe in change in Egypt these days. The military is using the same lame tactics to derail the democratic process. Using an exaggerated fear of religious war (Muslims against Christians) to deflate attention from deficient leadership. This is sad.

The Arrogance of Rumsfeld and the tactless Al-Jazeera

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:30:17 +0100

I'm not sure what to make of Donald Rumsfeld's recent raucous interview with Al-Jazeera's Washington bureau chief, Abderrahim Foukara. Foukara didn't mince his words and asked Rumsfeld some tough questions about American responsibility in the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis because "American troops did not properly secure the borders of Iraq." Rumsfeld's answer as Foukara kept insisting on an answer was to tell the reporter that it's in his "being" and nature to be disrespectful "because that's what you people do". I can't believe the arrogance of Rumsfeld, as if nobody, particularly from that part of the world, could ever question his judgment. Foukara should have kept his cool and just reframed the question without slightly raising his voice, but it was a remarkable moment of truth about a man whose reckless war policies and vicious rhetoric many years after the fact had never been submitted to the grinding of a frank journalism interview in American media.

Series on Muslims in Colorado in the Denver Post

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:19:04 +0100

I'm delighted to see the Denver Post step up its coverage of the Muslim community in Colorado. The 3-day series "Muslims in America" by Eric Gorski chronicles the experience of Somali Muslim refugees in Fort Morgan and the impact of 9/11 a decade after. A quick look at the comments section online validates why this kind of reporting is much warranted. (it's amazing to me how someone can link Roe v. Wade to Somali refugees in Colorado). I believe most DP readers will appreciate the nuanced realities of Muslims in their state. I wish these features could continue throughout the year to lift the veil of secrecy that often shrouds Muslim communities and their places of worship in America. We're excited that the Center for Media, Religion and Culture and the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado will be revealing their website on Muslims in the Mountain West in September. We'll be featuring podcasts, stories, profiles, and a rich archive of old articles on Islam in the West. In the Spring of 2012, we will host a mobile multimedia installation in Denver to showcase the findings of our research through video, audio and text narratives.

Egypt's Jon Stewart to Begin Show in Ramadan

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 15:47:06 +0100

Bassem Youssef, an Egyptian heart surgeon turned media celebrity, will begin his new show Al Barnamag (the Show) on private channel On Tv tomorrow, the first day of Ramadan. The Show, a satirical take on news a la Jon Stewart, follows a remarkably successful show on Youtube Youssef hosted in his Cairo apartment in March in which he exposed the hypocrisy of political life and mocked the reaction of celebrities during the revolution. Youssef will have to thread carefully as he attempts to restore the accountability of politics and media in Egypt, but his contribution will certainly make a difference in a society where all ideologies can finally participate (not equally) in the political process.

Arab American Stand-Up Comic's Portrait on AJE

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:04:34 +0100

Arab and Muslim-American stand-up comedy is making some large inroads and AJE's One on One program has just featured one of its most prominent comedians, Ahmed Ahmed. Very interesting broadcast.

Netanyahu's War on Peace

Thu, 26 May 2011 02:47:14 +0100

It was extremely painful to listen to Netanyahu's speech to Congress on Tuesday and see how U.S. representatives and senators eagerly cheered the Israeli prime minister's defiance and political arrogance. His categorical refusal to deal with the Palestinians now that Fatah and Hamas have united is reckless at best. Yes, Hamas is a radical organization that uses violence to achieve its ends, but it does play a critical role in Palestinian society, at times providing better social and economic services than the moderate Fatah. I certainly don't condone Hamas' tactics, but they must be engaged like any other political force and maybe their inclusion in the negotiation process will force them to make compromises. That's how the PLO was brought to the negotiating table. But Netanyahu is not interested in peace as much as he's bent on finding hurdles not to negotiate with Palestinians. This is not the right time to be defiant on this issue, now that the Arab world is erupting from the bottom up. Netanyahu could have extended a peaceful hand but unfortunately chose not to. He came to Washington to flex Israel's muscles in complete disregard of the fate of Palestinians and the hopes of peace for his own people. Both Fatah/Hamas and the Israelis must understand that peace in their land requires fresh thinking much like millions of Arabs have taken to the streets to tell their leaders they must part with their old ways or leave. There was no vision for peace in Netanyahu's declarations and I wonder how he plans to break the stalemate in the negotiation process. This conflict has been bloody enough on both sides and nobody should cheer an official who is clearly fanning the flames of tension and perpetual discord. This is typical of Bibi.

Congress sent the worst message to Palestinians and Arabs at this important historical juncture as they looked in awe of Netanyahu, honoring his speech with 30 standing ovations, a reception the prime minister couldn't dream of back home. The more he insisted on Jerusalem never again falling in the hands of Palestinians, the more applause he got. The applause became even more rapturous when Netanyahu used biblical names (Judea and Samaria) to refer to the West Bank. Jews are not foreign occupiers of Judea and Samaria, he said. Are these words part of the "painful concessions" Israel is willing to make? And how could there be any peace if Netanyahu still thinks that the West Bank is part of Israel? How could there be any hope for peace with no compromise on Jerusalem. Everyone knows Palestinians cannot consider any deals that do not include concessions on Jerusalem. As Carlo Strenger said on Haaretz today, "Netanyahu's win is Israel's loss". Israelis cannot afford more isolation when Palestinians force a vote at the UN in September to welcome an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with the 1967 borders, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Germany, France and Britain all agree negotiation should be based on 1967 borders with equivalent land swaps. The vote could indeed go through. As Israeli former prime minister and current defense minister Ehud Barak said, "It [the UN vote] is a very dangerous situation, one that requires action...Paralysis, rhetoric, inaction will deepen the isolation of Israel.”And rhetoric is the only thing Netanyahu delivered in Washington.

Israel Is Stuck On Hamas Mode

Mon, 23 May 2011 04:19:39 +0100

Obama's Mideast speech this week has pleased no one, it seems. Some Arab commentators said President Obama should have apologized for the U.S. unwavering backing of the region's most brutal dictators over the years. Israelis had a fairly usual Israeli reaction. "The 1967 borders are indefensible," said Prime Minister Netanyahu on Friday at the White House. Many others said Obama only reacts to changes in the region and has proven unable to change or guide them. "Leadership in the passive voice," as one columnist headlined on Aljazeera English today. Yes, there were things Obama could have said. I found his failure to mention Saudi Arabia, for instance, to be a reckless omission and he should have said that Israel should accept criticism and respect international law. The speech was still minimally courageous and that should be recognized, particularly by Arabs at this juncture in the history of the region. Just listen to Netanyahu on Friday almost pleading with Obama not to take Israel again to the 1967 lines. I can't remember any other time when an American president has explicitly put an Israeli prime minister in this delicate situation and one day before his arrival to Washington.Obama stood firm by his position on the 1967 lines today when he addressed the AIPAC conference, although he emphasized any negotiations should involve land swaps. Let's be clear about this. The principles for negotiation Obama has proposed on Thursday are not new. Going back to the 1967 lines, including East Jerusalem, has been called for by the United Nations (more than 130 countries), the European Union, and many other international organizations, but Israel has always shrugged them off as a non-starter. Palestinians will not give up Jerusalem and no land swaps can be a worthy substitute.

I firmly believe in a two-state solution, but It's hard to understand exactly what Israel wants. Mahmood Abbas has never been a serious negotiating partner for Israelis. He was weakened until Hamas took over Gaza. Hamas is a terrorist organization and should not even be spoken to. Now that Hamas and Fatah have united, then there can be no peace anymore. Will the conditions ever be good enough to negotiate? Even Hamas once accepted to negotiate with Israel if the 1967 lines were acknowledged.

I understand that Palestinians have their part to play, but it's time an American president spoke some sense into the Israeli government. I hope Obama can stay the course and not retreat once the criticism from Israel, the Jewish lobby and the republican party heats on. What I like about Obama's speech on Thursday is that it took away some of the firm grip the Israeli government has had on the framing of this conflict in the United States. It might not be much to some, but I think it's some progress in the right direction. Israel needs to draw some lessons from the tectonic events of the last six months in the region and adopt a different, smarter, and more accommodating policy to resolve this conflict. This generation of young Arabs is amazingly media savvy and if there is anything they've learnt from the spring events is that framing your position well and defending it peacefully through media and street campaigns works better than anything else. Israel is still stuck in Hamas mode, but the ground is changing all around them and all they tell us is we have to watch out for the extremist elements that might emerge out of this transition in the Arab world. This is exactly the Muabarak-Ghaddafi-Ben Ali rhetoric millions of Arabs have revolted against.

Another important change Israelis have to watch for is that young American Jews are much more critical and less willing to adopt an Israel-no-matter-what-support like their parents or grandparents. We saw some of these changes play out around the Gaza assault of 2009. Young Jews are willing to talk and avoid a group think mentality, which is exactly what young Arabs have articulated through their protests recently. I hope President Obama is responding to these changes too by putting some pressure on Israel.