EDUCATOR RESOURCES on the MIDDLE EAST
Recommended by the Research Journalism Initiative

HISTORY:

CURRENT AFFAIRS, POLITICS AND EYEWITNESS REPORTS:

SOCIOLOGY:

GENDER:

BIOGRAPHY AND FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE:

LITERATURE:

ON THE WEB

SCHOLARLY SITES:

MENIC 
The Middle East Network Information Center is probably the premier academic site in the United States, which is maintained by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas, Austin.   From here you can get to libraries, Middle East centers, and associations, such as the Middle East Studies Association. Many sites have bibliographies. There is also a list of countries. This is an enormous but well organized site. Worth browsing.  The subheading for the Israel-Palestinian conflict is excellent.

MERIP
The Middle East Information and Research project publishes Middle East Report. The site offers a chance to search the archive of the magazine and some "Press Information Notes."

Middle East Studies Association
The Middle East Studies Association is the leading scholarly organization in the field of Middle East Studies.

Mapping the Middle East
Gary Sick has created a set of rudimentary country maps coupled with basic information.  The site includes a bit of information about the distribution of Muslims in the MENA and elsewhere in the world.  An Israeli site provides a set of maps of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Arab Social Science Research
ASSR is the network engine of the Arab Institute for Studies and Communication (AISC). Founded in 1998, by a group of senior Arab social scientists, AISC is dedicated to develop research organizations and assist researchers in the Arab world and beyond. This web site of ASSR provides a platform for the AISC's centers and pools resources designed to facilitate social science research in the region. Its virtual library serves as a gateway for Arab social scientists and for others studying the Arab world.

Middle East Directory
A guide to web sites about the Middle East produced in the United Arab Emirates.

World Values Survey
Web site permits online analysis of data from about 80 countries of the world, including some from the Middle East and North Africa.  Ronald Inglehart, author of Sacred and Secular and many other books, has been the driving force behind the World Values Survey.

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS:

Human Rights Watch (Middle East and North Africa)
This American organization monitors human rights issues the world over.  By going up a level in the web site one can focus on children's issues or women's rights.    The organization criticizes the policies of many governments including our own.

The World Bank
The site offers some information on World Bank activities in the MENA as a whole and in individual.   For access to its store of data, please talk to reference librarians.

ICAHD: Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
Jeff Halper directs this peace and human rights organization based in Israel.  Among other very important endeavors, ICAHD organizes non-violent resistance to house demolitions all over Israel, but mainly in East Jerusalem.  Along with up-to-date facts and figures about Palestinian status in the West Bank, find easy to use chronologies and very helpful maps on this site, as well as ways to get involved.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES/CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT:

Taking IT Global--For Educators
In addition to offering educational social networking for young people across the world, Taking IT Global also provides extensive curricular support, country-specific resources, virtual classrooms and networking opportunities for teachers.  Visit RJI's Teacher Forum on TIGed for support materials offered by the Research Journalism Initiative.

Middle East Policy Council
Run out of Washington DC, MEPC was founded to foster public discussion of the political, economic, cultural, and security issues that affect the policies of the United States in the Middle East.  "Tools for Teaching the Middle East and Islam: Perspectives, Strategies and Resources" is the title of the Middle East Policy Council's national program of Teacher Workshops. MEPC runs the innovative website, TeachMideast.org, as part of their new free workshop program to provide resources on the Middle East and Muslims for middle and high school teachers.  Educators should contact Educational Director Barbara Petzen at bpetzen@mepc.org for excellent resources.
           
Facing History and Ourselves
Facing History and Ourselves delivers classroom strategies, resources and lessons that inspire young people to take responsibility for their world.  Internationally recognized for their quality and effectiveness, Facing History harnesses the power of the Internet to provide educational networking, workshops, and a wide variety of other resources that promote critical thinking and moral behavior.
Media Construction of the Middle East: Project Look Sharp           
Project Look Sharp is a media literacy initiative of Ithaca College to provide materials, training and support for the effective integration of media literacy with critical thinking into classroom curricula at all education levels.

MISCELLANEOUS SITES:

Anna in the Middle East
Anna Baltzer is a Jewish American, graduate of Columbia, a Fulbright scholar and granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor.  Almost a decade ago, while teaching English in Turkey, she began to hear stories about the Israeli Occupation of Palestine, which did not coincide with the history she'd traditionally known. She spent months researching, growing increasingly unsettled as she learned more. Still incredulous, she decided to visit the Occupied Territories. She documented her findings in her book Witness in Palestine and is one of the foremost advocates for peace and justice in the region.  Her film, “Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories and Photos” is a very good introduction to the various modes and methods of the Occupation and the effect they have on the Palestinian people.

Recitation of the Qur'an
Here is a place where you can listen to the Qur'an being recited by ulama in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.  There are also translations.  Offered by an organization called al-Mizan.

Islam FAQ
A few pages from a 2003 issue of Aramco World.  Articles prepared by Professor John Esposito of Georgetown, one of the most prominent and prolific of contemporary American scholars of Islam.  Esposito offers brief responses to a number of questions about Islam.

Islamic World
This is an Islamist site.  On its primary page it asserts:  "It is our firm belief that the unique social and historical conditions of our time, combined with new knowledge in the fields of science and technology, make it not only possible but highly likely that within a generation or so we will live in a fully and truly Islamic World. This website has been created to help achieve that goal."

Gush Shalom
A web site of the Israeli peace movement.  The web site says:  'Gush Shalom (Translated from Hebrew, the name means "The Peace Bloc") is the core of the Israeli peace movement.  Often described as “resolute,” “militant,” “radical” or “consistent,” it is known for its unwavering stand in times of crisis, such as the al-Aksa intifada.