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Student forum
opens eyes and ears
By Sarah Langford
On-line Forty-Niner
The lobby of the
Faculty Development Center was jam-packed with about 150 people
Thursday as students and faculty met to discuss issues surrounding
the bombing of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon two
weeks ago.
Five professors from the history department at Cal State Long
Beach spoke for about 10 minutes each, then answered questions
from the audience for another hour.
Houri Berberian, who has a doctorate of history and is the
director of Middle Eastern Studies at CSULB, briefly explored
some of the possible reasons behind the bombings.
"We have to ask ourselves, why is the U.S. so disliked
by some?" Berberian said. "One reason might be that,
while we claim to support freedom and liberty for all, we
often do not extend those principles globally. For example,
we've been exploiting foreign workers in sweatshops for years.
"A few cult-like figures put aside all Islamic conventions
but acted in its name," she said. "We need to avoid
framing what happened as a battle between the West and Islam."
A major theme to the debate is the idea of American exceptionalism,
said Arlene Lazarowitz, director of Jewish studies.
"Instead of looking at the events of the last two weeks
from an American view, instead of using our culture's values,
experiences, and the policies of D.C., we need to take an
international perspective to truly understand all that's going
on," Lazarowitz said.
"The U.S. often just makes foreign policy and assumes
other countries will follow," she said. "There is
a dichotomy between the moralistic rhetoric used in international
relations, and the actual events that take place."
Sherna Gluck, director of the oral history program at CSULB,
discussed the relationship between Palestine and Israel, concluding
with, "The issues around the topic are extremely complex."
Near the end of the forum, one student raised his hand and
asked, "Does it take something as big as an attack on
our nation to make Americans care about international affairs?"
A comment made earlier in the forum by audience member Linda
Alkana, who has a doctorate of history and teaches at CSULB,
seemed appropriate then.
"Take advantage of this time to educate yourselves,"
she said. "Question your professors on everything. Don't
blindly accept what you hear. It is up to you to make a difference."
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