December 2011, Page 69

Bulletin Board

Upcoming Events, Announcements & Obituaries

—Compiled by Andrew Stimson

Upcoming Events:

The Middle East Children’s Alliance has found a new venue for the Child’s View from Gaza exhibit, previously censored by the Museum of Children's Art in Oakland (see p. 42). It will be on display through Nov. 27 on Fridays (10 a.m.-3 p.m.), Saturdays and Sundays (12 p.m.-6 p.m.) at 917 Washington St., Oakland, CA. For more information call (510) 548-0542, e-mail <>, or visit <www.mecaforpeace.org>.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Women's Initiative will present Turath: Celebrating Arab Culture in America on Nov. 10, 8 p.m., at the historic Lincoln Theater, 1215 U St. NW, Washington, DC 20009. The event will include a fashion show featuring the work of designer Hana Sadiq, and a musical performance by the Michigan Arab Orchestra Takht Ensemble. For more information call (202) 244-2990 or visit <www.adc.org>.

Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding will be hosting an Executive Briefing on the Middle East: Middle East Christians in Light of the Arab Spring at the Centerville Presbyterian Church, 4360 Central Ave., Fremont, CA 94536, on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Registration fee for the all-day event is $75. For more information, call (480) 628-5420 or visit <www.emeu.net>.

The Middle East Institute (MEI) will present its 65th annual conference, Game Changer: Politics and Policy for a New Middle East, Nov. 16 and 17 at the Grand Hyatt Washington, 1000 H S. NW, Washington, DC 20001. Speakers will include prominent diplomats, academic experts, and policy analysts. For more information call (202) 785-1141.

The Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California and The Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) will host a benefit concert by ASWAT Bay Area Arabic Music Ensemble, featuring music from Palestine and singer/songwriter David Rovics. The event will raise funds for MECA's Maia Project: Bringing Clean Water to the Children of Palestine, and will take place Nov. 20 from 3-6 p.m. at 1433 Madison St., Oakland, CA. For more information visit <www.mecaforpeace.org>.

The Middle East Studies Association will hold its 45th Annual MESA Meeting Dec. 1-4 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Rd, NW, Washington, DC 20008. For more information call (560) 621-5850 or visit <www.mesa.arizona.edu>.

The Palestine Center will host its Annual Souk and Olive Harvest Celebration on Dec. 11, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, Washington, DC. Enjoy an afternoon of music, tea, food and the opportunity to buy holiday gifts of textiles, pottery, jewelry and gifts from North Africa and the Middle East. Celebrate the annual olive harvest in Palestine and support Palestinian farmers by purchasing bottles of fair trade extra virgin olive oil imported from Palestine. This event is free and open to the public. For more information call (202) 338-1290 or visit <www.thejerusalemfund.org>.

The Muslim American Society (MAS) and Islamic Circles of North America (ICNA) will host their 10th annual MAS-ICNA Conference, Dec. 22-26 at the Downtown Sheraton in Chicago, IL. This year's theme is "Muhammed: Model of Faith, Justice and Liberty," and speakers will include Tariq Ramadan, Nihad Awad, Zaid Shakir and many others. For more information call (877) 627-1060 or visit <www.masicna.com>.

Announcements

Applications for American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) 2012-13 fellowships are now being accepted from undergraduate and graduate students, and scholars. Deadline for all applications is Feb. 1, 2012. Located in Amman, Jordan, ACOR is a private, non-profit academic institution dedicated to promoting research and publication in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, history, languages, biblical studies, Arabic, Islamic studies and other aspects of Middle Eastern studies. For more information about fellowship qualifications visit <www.acorjordan.org> or call (617) 353-6571.

The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) Multi-Country Research Fellowships are open to U.S. doctoral candidates and scholars who have already earned their Ph.D. in fields in the humanities, social sciences, or allied natural sciences and wish to conduct research of regional or trans-regional significance. Fellowships require scholars to conduct research in more than one country, at least one of which hosts a participating American overseas research center. It is anticipated that approximately 10 fellowships of up to $9,000 each will be awarded. The deadline for applications is Jan. 17, 2012. For more information and to download the application, visit <www.caorc.org/programs>. To contact CAORC, call (202) 633-1599 or write to CAORC, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 178, Washington, DC 20013-7012.

Obituaries

Said Jibrin, 91, died of natural causes Aug. 27, in Bethesda, MD. Born and raised in the Syrian mountain village of Nabaa Karkar, friends remembered him carrying his violin to school. He received his B.A. from the American University of Beirut in 1942, and his Master's in journalism and creative writing from the University of Iowa, where he met his wife, Barbara, who was also a violinist. Jibrin joined the Voice of America in 1950 and helped establish the Arabic section, living in Egypt, Greece and Lebanon with Barbara and their children Janis and Richard. He retired in 1984 but continued to write poetry and fiction, in both Arabic and English. His work has appeared in journals and anthologies, and in 2009 his brother Sami published a collection of his poetry. The Jibrins have been longtime supporters of the Washington Report.

Philo Dibble, 60, died Oct. 1 of a heart attack at his home in McLean, VA. A career foreign service officer, he helped secure the release of two American hikers, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, detained in Iran for more than two years and who were freed just 10 days before his death. Born in Egypt, where his father was an American diplomat, Dibble was a graduate of St. John's College and earned a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University. He joined the foreign service in 1980 and held a variety of positions in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Pakistan, Syria and Lebanon. On Oct. 6, 200 State Department employees gathered to pay their respects, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Deputy Secretary Bill Burns and others from the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA). President Barack Obama sent a letter to Dibble's wife, Liz Dibble, which was read at the service, saying that Dibble's "leadership proved indispensable" in U.S. relations with Iran.