October 1, 2004: Volume 62, Number 4

Fulbright visitor to talk on 'Fear in Arab World'

Michel G. Nehme, a dean at Lebanon's Notre Dame University, is on campus to explain the Muslim world to the West, and vice versa.

The Fulbright Visiting Specialist will speak on "Fear and Anxiety in the Arab World" on Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Nott Memorial.

Nehme will address the atmosphere of politics in the Arab world and how it affects individuals, nationalism, religions, minority groups and relationships with the foreign world.

His talk is free and open to the public.

He will also be a panelist on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Nott Memorial on "Hidden Drives of Islamic Politics." (Other panelists are Laury Silvers, professor of philosophy and religion at Skidmore College; and Fareed Z. Munir, professor of religious studies at Siena College.)

A visiting scholar at Union College through Oct. 15, Nehme's one-month visit is funded by the Fulbright Visiting Specialists program, which seeks to promote dialogue between Americans and representatives of the Muslim world.

Lebanese college students respect and admire U.S. society for the values of democracy, freedom and protection of rights, Nehme said, but they are disappointed with U.S. foreign policy. "As Lebanese, they feel neglected and negated in the Middle East," Nehme said. "They feel the U.S. is more concerned with nations that are petroleum wealthy."

There has been hopeful change, however. With the September 2 passage of United Nations Resolution 1559, the U.S., England and France have shown renewed interest in addressing the domination of Lebanon by Syria, Nehme said.

U.S. foreign policy deals mainly with Muslims in three regions: Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel, Nehme said. The Muslim world is large, about 1.2 billion, he noted, and only a fraction of them live in the Arab world.

Muslims in each region have unique problems, Nehme said. Students don't ask about Muslims in Kashmir, for example, where Indian rule has suppressed the Muslim population.

Nehme said he urges American students to read scholarly books on Islam, watch documentaries and use the Internet to find balanced news sources.

Nehme holds a doctoral degree in comparative politics from Rutgers University. He has been visiting or adjunct professor at Columbia University, American University, Kean College and Madonna University.

He is published widely on issues including Arab political identity, the political economy of Saudi Arabian development and Lebanese politics. His most recent book is Fear and Anxiety in the Arab World (University Press of Florida, 2003).

Nehme is dean of the faculty of political science, public administration and diplomacy at Notre Dame University in Lebanon.

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