Fifth in a six-part series examining ethnic and cultural groups of students at Boston University.
Arab students at Boston University come from places as diverse as southwest Asia and North Africa and hold a range of different religious beliefs, but a few student groups still focus on using culture to unite the small community.
Because ‘Arab’ encapsulates such a diverse group of people, the exact number at BU is unknown, but Arab Students Association Treasurer Madiha Ashour guessed BU may have about 300 Arab students.
Reginald Pryor, BU’s director of Multicultural Affairs, highlighted the diversity within the cultural group.
‘There is a whole spectrum of who Arab students are,’ he said. ‘You could be from any one of many different countries or religions, have dark or light skin, and still be Arab.’
The Office of Multicultural Affairs has tried to foster Arab culture at BU, including organizing various speakers each year for BU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day program. In 2002, they hosted BU professor Farouk El-Baz, an Arabic speaker of Muslim faith.
Pryor said the OMA also tries to promote cultural exchanges, such as Ramadan celebrations open to more than just Islamic students and 1 p.m. prayer services every Friday at Marsh Chapel.
On campus, groups like the Arab Students Association and the Society for Middle Eastern Students work to provide access to Arab culture and a way for Arab students to meet.
Though registered at the Student Activities Office as active, the Society for Middle Eastern Students did not return emails and had no listed telephone numbers, and members of the Arab Students Association said they believe it is inactive.
ASA President Dana Kadrie said the group aims to form a ‘tight-knit community’ both at BU and within Boston by hosting events with other groups at Boston-area schools such as Tufts University, Northeastern University and Harvard University.
‘We try to promote our culture, awareness about politics and the social aspects of the Middle East,’ Kadrie said. ‘And for the Arab students, we create sort of a home away from home.’
Ashour said she is unsure of exactly how many members the club has, but it does have one non-Arab member and everyone is welcome.
‘Our mailing list is huge,’ she said. ‘The numbers of the active ones vary from one event to another. For example, a Palestinian-Israeli event would attract the most participants because of all the controversy.’
In addition to hosting upcoming cultural and social gatherings, the group held a panel debate on Thursday to discuss the current situation in Iraq.
‘The Iraq issue is a big thing for the Middle East in general, and we feel like it has died down a lot and there is not as much dialogue of ‘what next?” Kadrie said. ‘Ever since 9/11, we have just been combating negative stereotypes and perceptions.’
‘We’ve been trying to promote what we see as issues that matter to the Middle East, open dialogue with the Boston community and introduce understanding about Arabs, the Middle East and Muslims,’ she continued.
However, the group leaders also said the Arab community’s exposure still needs improvement at Thursday’s panel, more than half the seats in the Tsai Performance Center remained empty.
Kadrie said the Arab culture and community is ‘not really evident on campus,’ and Ashour shared a similar opinion.
‘Unfortunately the Arabs are not as united as we should be,’ Ashour said. ‘I usually only see them at classes or at these events.’
Nevertheless, students remained eager as they prepared for the panel. Most people that trickled into the debate exchanged warm greetings, a few joked with one another in Arabic and all listened attentively.
Ashour said the Arab Students Association would eventually like to have a place similar to the Jewish community’s Hillel House for Arab students at BU
The association has also become more active on campus this year, as Kadrie said a 2000 fashion show is the only event she could remember prior to this year.
‘Before they might have done, like, one cultural and one social event,’ she said. ‘I guess now you could say it’s a lot more than just a social club.’
Shakir Mustafa, a professor of Irish, Arab and Islamic literature who taught in northern Iraq for 11 years, described the group as flourishing and enterprising.
‘I love them,’ Mustafa said. ‘They volunteer to come to my classes and help my students with Arabic. I am grateful for what they have been doing.’
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