Interview with Professor Linda Pappas Funsch.
Linda Pappas Funsch is Adjunct Professor of Middle East Studies at Frederick Community College, Maryland USA. She has lived in in several countries throughout the region and traveled widely. She talked to North Africa United about how Americans perceive the Mena region and her thoughts on the US and Morocco.
A popular teacher, public speaker, and writer, Ms. Funsch resides in Frederick, Maryland, USA. She is currently writing a book on the history and culture of the Sultanate of Oman.She can be reached at: lindafunsch@gmail.com.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Interview-with-...
As a lifelong student of Middle Eastern culture and Islamic history, Linda Pappas Funsch has lived, studied, and worked in many countries throughout the region, traveling extensively in search of both the unique and unifying qualities within each society.
Introduced to the Middle East during a Junior Year at the American University in Cairo,Ms. Funsch completed a Master’s degree in Near Eastern Languages and Literature at New York University. Having served with the Office of the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations, the Ford Foundation in both Beirut, Lebanon, and New York, and the American Research Center in Egypt, U.S. office, she has taught at a variety of colleges and universities in the United States.
In the summer of 2012, she visited Morocco for the first time as a Joseph J. Malone Fellow of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, a Washington D.C. non-profit organization committed to building bridges of understanding between the U.S. and the Arab world.
As part of a delegation of seven university educators, Ms. Funsch had the opportunity to experience Morocco on a level not generally available to the commercial traveler. During the course of twelve days, she traversed the country, meeting with diplomats and politicians, writers and journalists, students and teachers, feminists and human rights advocates … all in an effort to understand the rapidly unfolding dynamics of Moroccan society, particularly in the context of the unprecedented events surrounding the Arab Awakening.
North Africa United : Do you think awareness of Morocco has increased in the US and if so why?
Linda Pappas Funsch : In fact, I do not think that Americans are particularly aware of Morocco or, for that matter, many of the other individual countries of the MENA region. In my experience, most U.S. citizens perceive the area as a vast monolith, beset by extremism, wars, and bloodshed. Regrettably, they fail to appreciate the astonishing diversity which contributes to the rich cultural mosaic.To a great extent, this explains my passion for education and dialogue.
NAU :How do you think English language teaching can be increased in Morocco? Do you think the American Universities have a role to play?
LPF: For better or for worse, there can be little doubt that proficiency in the English language is an important component to success in our increasingly globalized world. Historically, Moroccans have demonstrated a remarkable facility for mastering languages, insofar as many speak Arabic, Tamazight, and French.
Through the implementation of English-language instruction in primary and secondary curricula, the publication of newspapers and magazines in English, and the introduction of English-language television programming, mastery of the language could be achieved within a generation.
Further, Moroccan universities, such as Al-Akhawayn University, have a wonderful opportunity to prepare their graduates to assume a leading role in teaching English across a wide swath of Moroccan society.
NAU : What attracts you to Morocco and what makes it special?
LPF: Morocco is a country of many textures. Visually, it excites the senses with a great variety of landscapes, from vast deserts to fertile plains, and forested mountains. Historically, it offers stunning evidence of successive empires. Morocco’s role as a refuge for myriad ethnic and religious groups, combined with a legacy of respect and multiculturalism, is reflected in an impressive array of linguistic, artistic, and culinary traditions. It is a place of welcome for all who visit.
From the perspective of U.S. history, we honor Morocco as a long-time friend, the first sovereign nation to formally recognize America’s independence.
NAU: What do you feel America can do to help the revitalization of the Arab Maghreb Union (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania ) ?
LPF: As the region experiences an explosion of young citizens seeking gainful employment, it seems to me that increased assistance toward high-quality education, as well as vocational training, would greatly assist young Maghrebis in attaining a high level of global competitiveness.
In addition,increased infusions of foreign investment including American, in both small and large-scale business ventures, would greatly contribute to regional revitalization. In this context, Morocco, has the advantage of being recognized as one of the most stable countries in North Africa.
NAU: Do you think American support for democracy in the region has been effective?
LPF: I think one has to distinguish between the American “ideals” of democracy and American “support” of democracy. If “democracy” means that the rule of law applies to all and that every citizen has the right to basic freedoms - freedom of assembly, speech and press, freedom from unlawful imprisonment, and freedom to elect government representatives and leaders – then I think that the peoples of the MENA region have embraced these ideals which, after all, are those on which our Republic is based.
On the other hand, I do not think that the recent history of U.S. support for dictators and corrupt autocrats has endeared it to the masses.
It is regrettable that western governments which purport to support democracy frequently appear to abandon their core values, often quite dramatically, when the outcomes of free, fair, and transparent elections in other countries do not coincide with particular political agendas.
NAU : As a University Professor teaching a course on the Arab Awakening what are the main points you cover?
LPF: First, as one who has spent a long career studying the region, I am struck by the largely unexpected tsunami of revolutionary fervor which has discredited the static paradigms of Arab culture and society upon which many assumptions had been based for decades. To a large extent, even the “experts” were caught unaware by this grassroots eruption.
More importantly, the elements of the Arab Awakening which are of particular interest include the relative spontaneity of each individual uprising, transcending age, gender, religion, education and social class. In class, we explore the problems endemic to many of the deposed regimes, including human rights violations, limits on freedoms, rampant corruption, lack of transparency, and the failure to provide increasingly frustrated young people with viable choices and opportunities.
Above all, we emphasize that the Arab Awakening, in its many manifestations, represents a turning point in the modern history of the region in which the yearning for freedom, dignity, and justice has triumphed. “The proverbial genie,” as the saying goes, “is out of the bottle.”
NAU : How do you feel America is perceived in the region?
This depends on who you ask and when you ask the question. In general, I think that most people of the MENA region get along well with individual Americans, admire American technology, and yearn for American freedoms. There are, however, those in the region who take issue with what they perceive as a culture of “moral relativism” in U.S.; in fact, within America itself, there are many who are troubled by this trend.
Unfortunately, I have discovered that where policy is concerned, the almost-universal perception of America in the region is that it is far from “even-handed,” particularly in the context of the Palestine-Israel issue. Espoused values notwithstanding, the consistent failure of the United States government to use its considerable power to alleviate the suffering of and seek justice for the Palestinian people is a source of profound disappointment, even for our greatest friends in the region.
Linda Pappas Funsch has written articles in the Frederick News Post (Maryland) USA on the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations delegates' visit to Morocco and her impressions of the country and its culture:
Part I Morocco: Crossroads of Culture
Part II Morocco: Date Palms and Camel Meat..
Part III Morocco: Desert Adventure... Into the Sahara
Introduced to the Middle East during a Junior Year at the American University in Cairo,Ms. Funsch completed a Master’s degree in Near Eastern Languages and Literature at New York University. Having served with the Office of the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations, the Ford Foundation in both Beirut, Lebanon, and New York, and the American Research Center in Egypt, U.S. office, she has taught at a variety of colleges and universities in the United States.
In the summer of 2012, she visited Morocco for the first time as a Joseph J. Malone Fellow of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, a Washington D.C. non-profit organization committed to building bridges of understanding between the U.S. and the Arab world.
As part of a delegation of seven university educators, Ms. Funsch had the opportunity to experience Morocco on a level not generally available to the commercial traveler. During the course of twelve days, she traversed the country, meeting with diplomats and politicians, writers and journalists, students and teachers, feminists and human rights advocates … all in an effort to understand the rapidly unfolding dynamics of Moroccan society, particularly in the context of the unprecedented events surrounding the Arab Awakening.
North Africa United : Do you think awareness of Morocco has increased in the US and if so why?
Linda Pappas Funsch : In fact, I do not think that Americans are particularly aware of Morocco or, for that matter, many of the other individual countries of the MENA region. In my experience, most U.S. citizens perceive the area as a vast monolith, beset by extremism, wars, and bloodshed. Regrettably, they fail to appreciate the astonishing diversity which contributes to the rich cultural mosaic.To a great extent, this explains my passion for education and dialogue.
NAU :How do you think English language teaching can be increased in Morocco? Do you think the American Universities have a role to play?
LPF: For better or for worse, there can be little doubt that proficiency in the English language is an important component to success in our increasingly globalized world. Historically, Moroccans have demonstrated a remarkable facility for mastering languages, insofar as many speak Arabic, Tamazight, and French.
Through the implementation of English-language instruction in primary and secondary curricula, the publication of newspapers and magazines in English, and the introduction of English-language television programming, mastery of the language could be achieved within a generation.
Further, Moroccan universities, such as Al-Akhawayn University, have a wonderful opportunity to prepare their graduates to assume a leading role in teaching English across a wide swath of Moroccan society.
NAU : What attracts you to Morocco and what makes it special?
LPF: Morocco is a country of many textures. Visually, it excites the senses with a great variety of landscapes, from vast deserts to fertile plains, and forested mountains. Historically, it offers stunning evidence of successive empires. Morocco’s role as a refuge for myriad ethnic and religious groups, combined with a legacy of respect and multiculturalism, is reflected in an impressive array of linguistic, artistic, and culinary traditions. It is a place of welcome for all who visit.
From the perspective of U.S. history, we honor Morocco as a long-time friend, the first sovereign nation to formally recognize America’s independence.
NAU: What do you feel America can do to help the revitalization of the Arab Maghreb Union (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania ) ?
LPF: As the region experiences an explosion of young citizens seeking gainful employment, it seems to me that increased assistance toward high-quality education, as well as vocational training, would greatly assist young Maghrebis in attaining a high level of global competitiveness.
In addition,increased infusions of foreign investment including American, in both small and large-scale business ventures, would greatly contribute to regional revitalization. In this context, Morocco, has the advantage of being recognized as one of the most stable countries in North Africa.
NAU: Do you think American support for democracy in the region has been effective?
LPF: I think one has to distinguish between the American “ideals” of democracy and American “support” of democracy. If “democracy” means that the rule of law applies to all and that every citizen has the right to basic freedoms - freedom of assembly, speech and press, freedom from unlawful imprisonment, and freedom to elect government representatives and leaders – then I think that the peoples of the MENA region have embraced these ideals which, after all, are those on which our Republic is based.
On the other hand, I do not think that the recent history of U.S. support for dictators and corrupt autocrats has endeared it to the masses.
It is regrettable that western governments which purport to support democracy frequently appear to abandon their core values, often quite dramatically, when the outcomes of free, fair, and transparent elections in other countries do not coincide with particular political agendas.
NAU : As a University Professor teaching a course on the Arab Awakening what are the main points you cover?
LPF: First, as one who has spent a long career studying the region, I am struck by the largely unexpected tsunami of revolutionary fervor which has discredited the static paradigms of Arab culture and society upon which many assumptions had been based for decades. To a large extent, even the “experts” were caught unaware by this grassroots eruption.
More importantly, the elements of the Arab Awakening which are of particular interest include the relative spontaneity of each individual uprising, transcending age, gender, religion, education and social class. In class, we explore the problems endemic to many of the deposed regimes, including human rights violations, limits on freedoms, rampant corruption, lack of transparency, and the failure to provide increasingly frustrated young people with viable choices and opportunities.
Above all, we emphasize that the Arab Awakening, in its many manifestations, represents a turning point in the modern history of the region in which the yearning for freedom, dignity, and justice has triumphed. “The proverbial genie,” as the saying goes, “is out of the bottle.”
NAU : How do you feel America is perceived in the region?
This depends on who you ask and when you ask the question. In general, I think that most people of the MENA region get along well with individual Americans, admire American technology, and yearn for American freedoms. There are, however, those in the region who take issue with what they perceive as a culture of “moral relativism” in U.S.; in fact, within America itself, there are many who are troubled by this trend.
Unfortunately, I have discovered that where policy is concerned, the almost-universal perception of America in the region is that it is far from “even-handed,” particularly in the context of the Palestine-Israel issue. Espoused values notwithstanding, the consistent failure of the United States government to use its considerable power to alleviate the suffering of and seek justice for the Palestinian people is a source of profound disappointment, even for our greatest friends in the region.
Linda Pappas Funsch has written articles in the Frederick News Post (Maryland) USA on the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations delegates' visit to Morocco and her impressions of the country and its culture:
Part I Morocco: Crossroads of Culture
Part II Morocco: Date Palms and Camel Meat..
Part III Morocco: Desert Adventure... Into the Sahara
A popular teacher, public speaker, and writer, Ms. Funsch resides in Frederick, Maryland, USA. She is currently writing a book on the history and culture of the Sultanate of Oman.She can be reached at: lindafunsch@gmail.com.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Interview-with-...