AN EXCITING START FOR OU’S ASA

By Dr. Steven Salaita

It has been an exciting year for the University of Oklahoma’s Arab Student Association. Although the organization is only beginning its second year, it has a number of activities to its credit, with much more in the planning. As a cofounder and acting vice president of the ASA, I would like to recount some of the group’s successes and share some of our future aspirations in the hope that we can encourage members of the Oklahoma community to participate and offer advice.

The ASA was, in a sense, formed by chance. During the Spring, 2002, semester I was presented with an opportunity to display on OU’s campus an exhibit of Palestinian children’s artwork from Jerusalem. Once I had been notified of the exhibit, I contacted a few members of OU’s Arab community to see if an exploratory committee might be formed. It soon became apparent that a diverse community of Arabs--Palestinians, Jordanians, Lebanese, Muslims, Christians, and Arab Americans--sought a fellowship through which they could partake in the rituals of their cultures and express often-muted political concerns.

It became even more apparent that a boundless energy existed within OU’s Arab student body. A group of five students decided to bypass the children’s exhibit and concentrate on a larger, campus-wide event. This ultimately led to a forum titled “54 Years of Struggle,” in which OU professors and graduate students came together in April to discuss the life of Palestinians under military occupation. The event attracted a crowd of nearly 300 and was covered by a variety of local media.

The students who had organized the forum decided that if it was possible to produce such a successful event without the benefit of university funding, faculty leadership, and other perquisites offered to student groups by OU, then we could organize an array of exciting cultural and political activities with those perquisites. The ASA was registered with OU by the start of May. Mohammad Ramahi, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, was asked to serve as its president. I assumed the role of vice president, while Kristin Shamas, an Oklahoman of Lebanese origin, defined and then filled the position of communications liaison.

At present, the ASA has over 50 members on its rolls and a budget that will allow us to sponsor numerous events. We hope to build from the success of last year with a number of proposed activities for the spring semester and beyond. During the Fall of 2002, the ASA organized and hosted various campus events. As part of our first biennial Palestine Week, we sponsored a free Middle Eastern dinner that attracted more than 200 guests. We also screened to an audience of 75 the powerful documentary People and the Land, which chronicles the lives of Palestinian Christians and Muslims in the West Bank. The flagship event of Palestine Week, however, drew the most excitement: Internationally renowned scholar and activist Norman Finkelstein delivered a lecture in OU’s Meacham Auditorium. In addition to Palestine Week, the ASA integrated itself into campus life by participating in numerous inter-organizational dinners, blood drives, and fundraisers.

This semester, the ASA joined forces with OULA to bring The Arabian Night to OU. The Arabian Night is a spectacular exhibition of Arab culture, including authentic Middle Eastern food, a slide show, live music, debke, argeela, Arabic coffee, and belly dancers. We hope to incorporate more student organizations into the planning for The Arabian Night in order to make it a greatly anticipated annual event.

Most important, however, we have taken steps to initiate a study abroad program in Lebanon and Jordan. Although we are still discussing the vision with various professors and campus administrators, we hope to raise the adequate funds to subsidize student travel to the Middle East to learn Arabic and gain familiarity with Arab culture. This hope was bolstered recently by a $5000 donation to OU from the Saint Elijah Antiochian Orthodox Church of Oklahoma City. The donation assists us greatly in our desire to integrate the Saint Elijah community into the affairs of the university.

The ASA is thrilled to have a group of diverse and dedicated students to conceptualize projects and work hard to make them a reality. We are especially thrilled to welcome feedback and support from members of the Saint Elijah parish the Arab/Arab American community throughout the state of Oklahoma.