Islamic Studies

Joins a U.S. congressional delegation, led by Congressman Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia) and former South Dakota Senator James Abourezk, that traveled to Iraq in September 2002 to meet with Sa'doun Hammadi, Speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly, and Tariq Aziz, former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, to discuss the re-admission of UN arms inspectors in the hope of averting war.

Produced in collaboration with a distinguished group of historians, archaeologists, art historians and political scientists, explores the history and cultural heritage of the Middle Eastern world.

Portrays life in Aqabat Jaber in the West Bank, one of sixty Palestinian refugee camps built "temporarily" by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) in the early 1950s. The film portrays daily life in the camp, and includes interviews with representatives of three generations of Palestinians.

Examines the controversial historical issues surrounding the Israeli destruction of Palestinian villages and the confiscation of Arab-owned land during and following the Arab-Israeli War.

This documentary focuses on the experience of a young woman doctor who in August 1993 returns to her village in South Lebanon to find it badly damaged after a massive Israeli attack which destroyed fifty villages and displaced 450,000 people.

This video examines the ancient Red Sea port of Jeddah, one of the oldest commercial waterways in the world, and renowned in the Middle East as "the Bride of the Sea."

Profiles Hanan Ashrawi, former spokesperson for the Palestine Liberation Organization during the Middle East peace talks with Israel, but who later turned down a position in the new government in favor of continuing her efforts on behalf of peace and human rights.

Examines the impact of Islamization on women in Pakistan, revealing the oppression and injustice which has led Pakistani women to the forefront of the political struggle for equal rights.

Reveals a hidden dimension to the media coverage of the Gulf War, showing how a group of wealthy Kuwaiti citizens hired the American PR firm Hill and Knowlton to develop a multi-million dollar ad campaign to promote U.S. military intervention in the Gulf on behalf of Kuwait.

Celebrates the traditional art of storytelling through profiles of three storytellers--Judith Black, whose stories explore the Jewish immigrant experience; Michael Cotter, a Minnesota farmer whose stories focus on the extraordinary qualities of ordinary people; and Rex Ellis, whose stories deal with the historical period of enslavement of Afro- Americans.

Profiling the acclaimed Italian film director, blending clips from his films- The Battle of Algiers, Burn!, etc - with an interview in which he discusses his wartime experiences, the influence of Italian neo-realism, his philosophy of filmmaking.