The oil-rich northern districts of Iraq were long considered a reflection of the country with a diversity of ethnic and religious groups: Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Assyrians, and Yezidi, living together and portraying Iraq's demographic make-up. Yet the territory has suffered from heightening ethno-political influence and sectarianism throughout its…

One of the great challenges of teaching in the post-9/11 United States is contending with persistent stereotypes and misinformation about Islam, "Arabs," "Arab Americans," and the "Middle East" within student bodies. Since 2003 the authors have been employing Iranian author Marjane Satrapi's work in the classroom as a…

Four years after the 9/11 attack on the United States, the country continues to be in considerable turmoil. Children have lived through the devastation of the September 11th attacks, the panic over the anthrax mailings, the hunt for terrorists in Afghanistan, elevated homeland security threat levels, the war in Iraq, the tsunami disaster, and…

In an article in 2004 on Islamist movements in Iraq, "Social Education" pointed out that Iraq might be headed toward a juncture from which "one road leads to sectarian and ethnic strife and the other to the establishment of a new Islamic republic in the Middle East." The events of 2005 propelled Iraq further in that direction.…

On May 6-7, 2006 FPRI's Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education hosted 44 teachers from 16 states across the country for a weekend of discussion on teaching about Islam. Speakers were drawn from the disciplines of religious studies, anthropology, political science, history, law, and journalism. The institute, held in Bryn Mawr, Pa., was…

On October 15-16, 2005, FPRI's Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education hosted 45 teachers from 14 states across the country for a weekend of lectures and discussion on Teaching 9/11 and the War on Terrorism. Sessions included: (1) Presidential Leadership in Times of Crisis (David Eisenhower); (2) Terrorism in Historical and Comparative…