Members of "Shamis," a new student organization founded to address the needs of Arab and Arab-Americans on campus, hope to promote awareness of Arab culture and end what they formerly saw as the conspicuous absence of an Arab group on campus.
According to Malik Mehr Ali '04, Shamis vice-president, the need for an Arab organization has existed at Dartmouth for years, but became more apparent after the events of Sept. 11.
Leyla Kamalick '02, who founded and chairs Shamis with Mohamad Bydon '02, remembers that before Shamis she "felt isolated," especially after Sept. 11. Finding other people with Arab heritage alleviated some of this isolation, she said.
While other Ivy League schools have had pan-Arab groups available to students for some time, Dartmouth has not had an organization like Shamis until now.
Bydon believes that Shamis, whose name is the Arabic word for "sun", could be the "guiding light" for Arab and Arab-American students in times like these while helping to alleviate what he perceives as a lack of understanding that often exists in mainstream America.
Bydon noted that, contrary to popular perception, not all Arabs are Muslims -- 10 to 15 percent of Arabs are Christian and 80 percent of Muslims are not Arab. Thus, Shamis fills a gap between groups like Milan, the South Asian cultural group, and Al-Nur, the Muslim student group.
A planned "Shamis Culture Night" similar in structure to events planned by other campus cultural groups may help the entire Dartmouth community learn more about Arabic cooking, music, dance, art and customs.
According to Kamalick, student panel discussions, such as the one held last term -- entitled "Is Islam to Blame?" -- will also help to increase awareness about Arab cultures.
Bydon says it is important to remember that the word "Arab" has become similar to the term "Latin America" in that many different countries, cultures and experiences are lumped together under one label.
In fact, Bydon noted that there are 22 different Arab countries, each with their own dialects, cultures and customs.
On Monday, approximately 20 people attended the first official meeting of Shamis. According to Shamis treasurer Amanda Gharghour '04, the meeting went well.
With so many enthusiastic members, Shamis has already created a sense of family, she said, adding that she hopes the group will continue to grow over the course of Winter term.
Like other Shamis leaders, Gharghour expressed her satisfaction at finally having an Arab organization.
Last year, Gharghour said she attempted to meet Arab students though Al-Nur and Milan, but not until this winter has there been a convenient opportunity to socialize with both Christians and Muslims within the Arab community.
