The Center for Arab-West Understanding and our digital database, Dialogue Across Borders, have always relied significantly on talented staff and interns to advance our work. Although the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down our intern program, we are encouraged that things are finally returning to normal. In the first half of 2023, we welcomed several interns that are either graduates or current students in Middle East studies at Durham University (U.K.). Meredith Bashaarat (Durham, 2022) played a vital role as an editor for our database this spring. Lydia Doye (2024) and Rosie Pembroke (2024) helped out with editing and were able to participate in an important program we cosponsored on religion and environment with the Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding and Partnership in Zamalek. We are very pleased that our connection with Durham University has continued to grow since Lara Gibson (2019) interned with us in 2018. After graduation, Lara has continued to work with us on several writing projects.  

(From left: Meredith Basharaat, Lydia Doye, and Rosie Pembroke)

Earlier this year, Noha Heraiba, contacted our office about the possibility of contributing a book review. Following several conversations, we are pleased that she accepted a position as our lead database editor. Noha graduated from the University of Toronto (2014) and brings a strong commitment to intercultural and interreligious dialogue to our work. In August, Salma Seyam, an undergraduate at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology in Cairo, also joined our intern program. We were pleased to learn that Salma’s older sister, Sara, participated in our 2019 intercultural summer school. 

(From left: Salma Seyam, Noha Heraiba, Lars Harms, and Xanthe-Yalou Vije in our offices in Maadi). 

In recent weeks, we welcomed two graduate students to our intern program. Lars Harms is completing his M.A. at Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (Germany), while Xanthe-Yalou Vije is finishing at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), both in Middle East studies. We are scheduled to receive a doctoral student from Italy this fall. 

We are grateful for all of these talented individuals and the variety of ways they contribute to our work. In turn, the Center for Arab-West Understanding works to provide a unique window on religion and culture in the Middle East and seeks to help them meet their research and professional goals. It is worth noting that our intern program accepts participants from a wide diversity of cultural and religious (or non-religious) backgrounds. In line with our broader organizational vision, we strive to model an environment where sometimes very different perspectives on life and world affairs can live and learn together.