Bridgewater State College is going to be introducing a new program, the Middle Eastern program. It is an offspring of the Asian program that is also offered to students. In the future it is hoped that Middle Eastern classes will be offered in the curriculum.
Dr Attallah Al-Roud, for Tafila Technical School of Jordan, Dr. Abul Sattar, BSC professor of math and computer science and Dr. Mahmoud El-Hashash, BSC associate professor of math participated in a discussion about this addition to BSC. Professor of communications, Dr. Jabbar Al-Obaidi moderated the event.
The discussion touched such topics as the religion, business and economics, education, and the Muslim-American community.
The Middle East is made up of twenty six countries, according to speakers at the event. Now that there is a middle ground, the 26 leaders of these nations are moving towards reform in education and economics.
“The Islamic religion is about peace, not terrorism,” said Al-Roud. “The Middle East is an area, not an area of religious conflict. The war between Israel and Palestine is a political war.”
The education rate continues to increase. In Egypt the number of student enrollment went up from being 637,000 in the 1982 to 1,638,000 in 2002. Since 1994, nine private universities have opened, making it 27 universities in Egypt. Women have the same education rights, as they do in employment. The education system is very similar to the system used in the United States. “The people are hungry to learn,” said Al-Roud.