NEWS
Ahmad Hijazi
Our community lost one of its outstanding members, our dear friend, Ahmad Hijazi. Ahmad was a very special individual. God graced him with many talents. He did not allow his tremendous business success and social ascendency to make him forget who he is and where he came from. His love and care for his community were exemplary. His life journey took him from Tamra in Palestine to England and to the Gulf States before coming back to the US. I had the pleasure and honor to have known him intimately. He served tirelessly on the AAEF board for years during the difficult times in the history of the organization. Through his extensive network in the Gulf, he secured an invitation from the State of Kuwait for representatives of the AAEF to visit. The delegation included Dr. Alan Matusaw, myself, and Ahmad. This allowed the three of us to travel to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in order to raise funds for the Arab Studies Chair at Rice University. Because of him, the Kuwaiti Foundation for Scientific Advancement donated one hundred thousand dollars to the organization. He will be missed by all he loved and cared for. His presence at the AAEF board was meaningful and had a lasting impact.
--Abdul Fustok, MD
Ussama Makdisi's Book Wins Franklin Prize
Dr. Makdisi, Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University, has won a prize with his book on 19th-century US-Arab encounters. "Artillery of Heaven: American Missionaries and the Failed Conversion of the Middle East" received the John Hope Franklin Publication Prize from the American Studies Association on Nov. 6.
The AAEF Co-Sponsors a Presentation by Helen Zughaib at The University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas
On October 22, 2009, renowned Arab-American artist Helen Zughaib presented her work to the community at the University of St. Thomas. The activity was sponsored by Al Nadi and the AAEF. Approximately 60 people, of all cultural backgrounds, attended the lecture; some people had to stand in order to attend. She presented pieces that were inspired from her recent diplomatic trip to the Palestinian
Territories and from Stories My Father Told Me, her well-known series. Her experiences moved audience members to tears as she spoke to them on a different level. Her work has been collected by several leaders of state, large corporations, and several museums. Most recently, President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have gifted her work to other world leaders.
Ms. Zughaib went through the each story and spoke about the significance behind each painting. Her lecture was brought to life by the vivid pictures on the screen behind her displaying the piece she was explaining. The mood quickly switched from upbeat to somber as she spoke about the situation in the Middle East and the hope that lies in her work for a better tomorrow.
After the talk, audience members were privileged to be able to meet the artist and to see most of the work that was included in her presentation in person as a small exhibit of her pieces was available. Overall, people were able to come together as Ms. Zughaib spread the universal theme of unity and hope for a turbulent world.
She has expressed great gratitude for being invited to one of Houston’s prestigious universities and plans on returning next year for a formal exhibit. We hope to be able to welcome her back into our city as she continues to promote good intentions into the lives of those she comes into contact with on a daily basis. Hopefully, we will all be able to accept her message and be able to be.
Reception for Dr. Makdisi, Carnegie Scholar at Rice University
On October 27, 2009, the AAEF held a reception and dinner in honor of Dr. Ussama Makdisi, the AAEF professor of Arabic studies at Rice University, for being nominated as a Carnegie Scholar. The reception was attended by Dr. Darrow Zeidenstein, Rice University Vice President for Resource Development, representing president Leebron, and Mrs. Zeidenstein, Dr. Malcom Gillis, the Past President of Rice Univeristy, and Mrs. Gillis, and the AAEF board members. Read the press release about the award.
Dinner Lecture
Feasting – The Taste of Power – Tuesday May 4, 2010
A Mesopotamian Royal Feast
Cosponsored by The Arab-American Educational Foundation
7:00 p.m., Café Byblos, 6134 Richmond
Dr. Lauren Ristvet, Dyson Chair, The University of Pennsylvania
Ah, it’s wonderful to be king! Forget long drawn-out foreign wars or costly construction programs, one Mesopotamian king chose another strategy to strengthen royal power: feasting. He hosted a mind-boggling spread for 69,574 loyal subjects that included 1,000 oxen, 1,000 calves, 14,000 sheep, 1,000 lambs, and 10,000 fish. Then he commemorated royal largesse on a stele to remind everyone of a memorable day of gluttony. While we won’t duplicate such extravagance at our dinner, we will learn about the nature of food and feasting in ancient Mesopotamia and how feasting was an important part of ancient politics. Our celebration will also recreate a few ancient Mesopotamian dishes.
AAEF Becomes Founder Benefactor of Friends of the Arts of the Islamic World
This year the Arab American Educational foundation (AAEF) became a Founder Benefactor of the Friends of the Arts of the Islamic World, the principal support group of the Islamic art initiative at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. By pledging $15,000 the association is the first cultural group in town to sustain the ambitious goal of the MFAH to develop a permanent collection of Islamic art.
Teacher Professional Development Workshop
A Teacher Professional Development Workshop about Arabic and Islamic culture and history was offered on October 17, 2009, on the Rice University campus, through the sponsorship of the AAEF and the Bilateral Arab U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
AAEF Professor named Carnegie Scholar
Professor Ussama Makdisi, who occupies the AAEF chair at Rice University, was awarded the prestigious Carnegie Corporation award.