Some of our newest Hoosiers offer their warmest thanks
Whenever we run into friends around the Indiana University campus, the range of greetings usually is pretty narrow. Most of us will say “hello” or “hi,” followed by an inquiry about their health or well-being. But with an international enrollment of more than 6,100 students, it’s not uncommon to hear greetings in other languages. Around […]
IU’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures has ‘never been more relevant’
EDITOR’S NOTE: The origins of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures were the subject of a previous article. Today, as the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures in Indiana University’s School of Global and International Studies celebrates its 50th anniversary, there were moments when that milestone seemed less certain. In 1979, at […]
Fifty years of Near Eastern scholarship at IU and the man who started it
The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures in Indiana University’s School of Global and International Studies is marking its 50th anniversary in 2015, beginning with a series of events this spring. Activities will include special lectures, an Arabic talent show and a film series, with more planned for the fall. At a time when […]
Former Iraqi ambassador directs IU’s Center for the Study of the Middle East
The Istrabadi name has been in Iraq for seven centuries and resided in Baghdad for many generations, before family members had to flee the country first after the monarchy was overthrown, and again after the Baath Party coup, which led to the rise of Saddam Hussein. About a decade ago, Feisal Amin al-Istrabadi, director of […]
Professor works to dispel misunderstandings about Islam through her research
Say the word “jihad,” and it often conjures up all kinds of negative imagery. But according to Asma Afsaruddin, chair and professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, it’s a word that has many different meanings for Muslims. In Arabic, “jihad” translates […]
