Resources for 911

WEBSITES

*Note that these Resources were first published as part of our special “War, Terrorism, and Our Classrooms” issue following the events of September 11, 2001. Over time, some of these sites may have been taken down or links broken. We are working on updating the list. 

FOR EDUCATORS

Rethinking Schools Online www.rethinkingschools.org. The articles in this special “War, Terrorism, and America’s Classrooms” insert are available at the Rethinking Schools website, many in pdf format. The website also includes many valuable links, including this web resource guide with hotlinks.

GENERAL BACKGROUND

AlterNet, a project of the Independent Media Institute www.alternet.orgIncludes some of the best alternative points of view on social issues, including special coverage of the “war against terrorism.” Drawn from various publications.

American Civil Liberties Union www.aclu.orgResources on the threat to civil liberties in the U.S. during the crisis.

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting www.fair.orgExcellent articles critiquing media coverage of the crisis. Good links.

Foreign Policy in Focus www.fpif.orgValuable background readings on foreign policy issues – special analyses on the current crisis.

The Independent (UK) www.independent.co.uk. Offers some of the best reporting on war and terrorism. Articles by Robert Fisk are among the finest in the world. See also reporting by The Guardian in Great Britain, www.guardian.co.uk , and Outlook India in India, www.outlookindia.com.

Independent Media Center www.indymedia.orgThe CNN of movements for social justice, IndyMedia has resources for linking the current crisis to issues of global inequality.

Media Workers Against the War www.mwaw.org. A British site offers alternative perspectives on the current war.

The Nation magazine www.thenation.comWell-written, provocative articles on the crisis. Some classroom-friendly. Helpful links.

NY Teachers, Educators, Youth Workers and Students Against the War www.topica.com/lists/NYTeachAgainsttheWarThis group has a very active listserv of New York area educators who are organizing and teaching against the war. Click on “read this list” to see archived posts.

Z Magazine and Z-net www.zmag.orgA treasure trove of articles and resources from a progressive perspective. Authors include Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Edward Said.

MIDDLE EAST/CENTRAL ASIA

Arabic Daily Newspapers arab2.com/n/a/non-arabic-daily-newspapers.htmArabic daily papers in English and French.

Arab Film Distribution www.arabfilm.comPromotes and distributes films from the Arab world.

Harvard University/Center of Middle Eastern Studies www.fas.harvard.edu/~mideast/inMEres/inMEres.htmlOne of the most extensive collection of links to journals, newspapers, and organizations.

Human Rights Watch report www.hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/afghan-bck1005.htmA who’s who of the Northern Alliance opposition in Afghanistan, focusing on human rights records.

Middle East Research and Information Project www.merip.orgMERIP has been around for years, providing alternative perspectives on events in the Middle East. Useful links.

Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) www.rawa.org. The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan was established in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1977 as an independent political/social organization. Offers hard-to-find perspectives of Afghan women.

University of N. Carolina/Middle East and Islamic World Film Collections www.lib.unc.edu/cdd/crs/foreign/meiw/films.htmlExtensive annotated listings of films and videos.

University of Texas at Austin Middle East Network Information Center http://inic.utexas.edu/menic/islam.htmlDetailed country-by-country information on the Middle East and Central Asia.

University of Utah/Middle East Center www.hum.utah.edu/mec/mesorgs.htmlListing of university-based Middle East Studies Centers around the world.

University of Virginia/Middle East Study Program www.faculty.virginia.edu/mesp/mideastre.htmlEspecially helpful are links to newspapers in the Middle East.

CLASSROOM RESOURCES

Beyond Blame www.edc.org/spotlight/schools/beyondblame.htm“Beyond Blame” is a free downloadable curriculum from Education Development Center, “in response to the terrorist tragedy of September 11 and subsequent attacks against Arab-Americans.” One lesson draws comparisons between recent events and the internment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor.

The Arab World in the Classroom: Who are the Arabs? by Steve Tamari. www.ccasonline.org/publications/teachmodule_whoarabs.htm#classroom. Also available in print form from www.teachingforchange.org, this is a short, helpful curriculum guide to teaching about Arabs.

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. www.adc.orgAn essential resource for materials countering bias and stereotypes against Arabs. Website includes many educational resources.

“Boondocks” comic strip www.ucomics.com/boondocksThe Boondocks comic strip has been critical and profound during a period when much of American popular culture seems cowed by conformist pro-war pressures. Excellent to use with students.

Mark Fiore Gallery www.markfiore.com/animation/fresh.html. A clever, student-friendly interactive cartoon called “Find the Terrorist in Your Neighborhood.” Confronts stereotypes about “terrorists.”

Maps www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/afghanistan/maps.htmDetailed maps of Afghanistan.

University of Arizona www.u.arizona.edu/ic/humanities/september11/pages/EducationCurricula and teaching resources, sometimes uneven, but definitely worth a look.

“Scarves of Many Colors: Muslim Women and the Veil” distributed by Teaching for Change, www.teachingforchange.org. An award-winning audiotape and accompanying curriculum that examine stereotypes of Islamic women who cover.

The Arabs: Activities for the Elementary School Level by Audrey Shabbas, Carol El-Shaieb, and Ahlam Nabulsi. (Arab World and Islamic Resources and School Services, 1991) Grade K-7/ 60 pp. $16.00. Hands-on projects and exercises. Arab World and Islamic Resources and School Services. (505-685-4533) http://www.telegraphave.com/gui/awairproductinfo.html#notebook2

Women Make Movies www.wmm.com/news/against_hate.htm A multicultural, multiracial media arts organization which has generously offered to provide free rentals for selected titles of Middle East and Arab culture videos. Also included are two documentaries on the U.S. internment of Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II.

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

The Day of Ahmed’s Secret, by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland. (NY: Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard Books, 1990) 32 pp. Ahmed carries a secret in his pocket as he spends a day wandering the streets of Cairo. Only at the day’s end is the secret revealed. Illustrations provide a glimpse into the lives of the city’s people. Grades 1-5.

Oasis of Peace: Neve Shalom – Wahat Al-Salam, by Laurie Dolphin. Photographs by Ben Dolphin. (Scholastic, 1993) 48 pp. Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam is the name – in Hebrew and in Arabic – of an Israeli village where 20 Arab and Jewish families have chosen to live together. This is the story of two boys who come to the village school, learn each others’ languages and customs, and become friends. A moving story, illustrated with color photos. Grades 1-6.

Sami and the Time of the Troubles, by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland. (Clarion Book, 1995). Ten year-old Sami begins to explore war-torn Beirut and finds hope in the midst of the ravages of war. Grades 1-5.

Sitti’s Secrets, by Naomi Shihab Nye. (Four Winds Press, 1994). 32 pp. Set in a small West Bank village, this is the story of a young Arab-American girl and her Palestinian grandmother. Local traditions and some Arabic words are introduced. Grades 2-6.

FOR OLDER STUDENTS

The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis. (Groundwood Books, 2001). 170 pp. A book about a family living under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The central character is an 11-year-old girl who becomes the family breadwinner by cutting her hair and passing as a boy. Grades 5 and up.

Habibi, by Naomi Shihab Nye. (Simon and Schuster, 1997). 259 pp. When 14-year-old Liyana Abboudâ’s family moves from St. Louis, Missouri to Jerusalem her whole world shifts. She discovers a grandmother that she has never met before, aunts and uncles in a West Bank village and a history much bigger than she is. Grades 6 and up.

The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures, by Malba Takan. (W. W. Norton, 1993). 244 pp. 34 gracefully told stories, each with a mathematical puzzle to solve, set in the 10th century Islamic world. (Depicts Arab and Muslim contributions to the history of mathematics, “Arabic” numerals and algebra, for example.) Grades 5 and up.

The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East, by Naomi Shihab Nye (editor). (Simon and Shuster, 1998). Poems and paintings of more than 100 writers and artists from 19 countries. Exquisitely beautiful, painfully direct, and ultimately a joyful book.

FOR ADULTS

9-11, by Noam Chomsky. (NY: Seven Stories Press. 2001) (Also available as an e-book from www.sevenstories.com.) Chomsky is a brilliant analyst of global political realities. In this new book he probes the roots of the September 11th attacks, the historical precedents for it, and possible outcomes. Responses to 9/11 is a free e-book from Seven Stories Press, with essays by Noam Chomsky, Russell Banks, Howard Zinn, Assia Djebar, and Alice Walker.

Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict, by Michael Klare. (NY: Henry Holt. 2001) U.S. foreign policy is still driven by a quest to control valuable resources. Klare’s book helps expose the economic roots to today’s military interventions.

Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, by Ahmed Rashid. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 2000) By a Pakistani journalist, this is one of the best books to understand the history of the Taliban and its social context.

Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World, by Edward Said. (NY: Vintage. 1997). All of Edward Said’s books are excellent. This one is an incisive critique of media bias and Islam.

The Question of Palestine, by Edward Said (NY: Vintage, 1992). A summary of the Palestinian conflict from the perspective of world-renowned Palestinian-American scholar.

MAPS

Middle East PDF

Winter 2001 / 2002