Monthly Discussion Forum
Held on the last wednesday of every month, the forum discusses the political situation of an Arab country.
February 27th, 2013: "Two Years of Revolution in Egypt"
April 24th, 2013: TBD
Weekly Arabic Conversation Hour
Held by Professor Ramadan and Professor Vanpee, the weekly Arabic conversation gives interested students an opportunity to practice their Arabic.
Held weekly on Tuesdays from 4 to 5PM next to the Commons Coffee Shop
Events in the Area
Come back for more updates!
Past Events
Arabic Students visit "Roads of Arabia" exhibit in Washington, DC on February 16th, 2013
After lunch at a Turkish restaraunt, where they feasted on mezzes, Turkish pides and baqlawa, our group took a guided tour of the Smithsonian exhibit "Roads of Arabia at the Sackler Gallery. This exhibit is devoted to the multiple civilizations that have inhabited or passed through Saudi Arabia in the pre-Islamic era. Excavations in Saudi Arabia have started only about 40 years ago, and it is the first time that these items are on display in the United States. While some of the artifacts date back as much as 5000 years, the students took the greatest interest in the room that displayed itemds related to the Islamic pilgrimage, such as a door from the Ka'aba. They equally tried to decipher the calligraphy on medieval Arabic tombstones.
The museum visit was followed by a break at an Arab cafe that doubles up as an Arabic bookshop. Severl students bought books or CDs. In the evening, we returned to the Sackler Gallery for the "New Sounds from Arabic Lands" concert; a performance by five of the most prominant contemporary musicians from the Middle East. The musicians, who are originally from Syria, Lebanon, and Tunisia, mixed western instrudments with the tabla and the qanun, and played tunes influenced by jazz as well as by the traditional maqam genre. For many students, it was the first time they heard "Arab Jazz."
Professor Katrien Vanpee
MEIS Student Club hosts Eid-al-Adha celebtration on October 25th, 2012
Muslims worldwide observe Eid-al-Adha (pronounced EED al-UHD-huh), also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, each year. Considered one of Islam's revered observances, the four-day religious holiday corresponds with the height of the Hajj -- the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that annually draws 2 million Muslims.
Eid-al-Adha commemorates when God appeared to Abraham -- known as Ibrahim to Muslims -- in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience. As Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, God stopped him and gave him a sheep to kill in place of his son. A version of the story also appears in the Torah and in the Bible's Old Testament.
Eid-al-Adha is also known as Greater Eid. It is the longer of two Eid holidays observed by Muslims. Eid-al-Fitr -- or Little Eid -- follows the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan.
Upd. 3/19/2013
April 4th, 2013
Arabic Drumming Performance
Time: 7:30-9:00PM
Location: Junction
Free event open to entire campus! Come see Jon Seligman, Chakib Hilali, oud, and Abderrahmin Amthqal, nay perform from 7:30 to 9:00PM in the Junction!
March 27th, 2013
Spring lecture: What's in a Date?
Speaker: Professor Molly Greene (Professor of History & Hellenic Studies at Princeton University)
Time: 5:00PM (Reception at 4:30 PM in Science Center second floor lobby)
Location: Science Center Room 200
