MANALAPAN — A lecture about the predicament of Israeli-Arabs caught between their Israeli and Arab identities will be conducted by Saliba Sarsar, associate president for academic program initiatives and professor of political science at Monmouth University, West Long Branch.
Sarsar will speak at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Drive, on Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. Sarsar, a frequent speaker on Middle East affairs, will base his talk on the recently published and favorably reviewed book “Dancing Arabs,” Sayed Kashua’s semi-autobiographical novel.
According to a press release from the library, the novel brings to light the dilemma of Israeli-Arabs, who number an estimated 905,000 constituting approximately 14.6 percent of Israel’s total population of 6.2 million. Israeli-Arabs are primarily Muslims who were residents before the establishment of the State of Israel or their descendents, the majority of whom are citizens of Israel. Defining the term Israeli-Arabs can be problematic. In some circles, according to the press release, the term Israeli-Arabs is not acceptable. Other terms such as
“Palestinian-Israeli” and “Arab-Israeli” also test the confines of political correctness. The dilemmas and conflicts faced by these individuals with a dual national identity are among the main topics of Kashua’s book, which sympathizes with the injustices faced by both his own people and Jewish Israeli society.
The speaker, Sarsar, was born in East Jerusalem and is a published author of books and journal articles and an expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the problems faced by Arabs with Israeli citizenship. He earned his doctoral degree from Rutgers University in political science, with specialization in international relations and Middle Eastern affairs. His dissertation focused on Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s policies toward Israel, especially his conciliatory approach between 1975 and 1977.
In 1993, Sarsar co-founded Project Understanding in Monmouth County, an organization that brings Arab Americans and Jewish Americans together for dialogue and peaceful coexistence activities. In September 2001, he received the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice, a human relations organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism in America.
This program is the third in the series “Voices From Around the World,” a forum for discussions focusing on the history and culture of various nations or groups of people. There is no charge for the program.