Gibran Chair Interviews

The George and Lisa Zakhem Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace was recently invited to participate in a cultural program on the television station Al-Mayadeen [USA]. The session was devoted to the newly published anthology entitled The Literary Heritage of the Arabs [London, Dar al-Saqi; 2013] edited by Professor Suheil Bushrui and Professor James Malarkey.

Description of the book

“The breadth of Arabic literature produced by Arab writers from pre-Islamic times to the contemporary period reveals a world of thought and feeling largely unseen and unheard in the English-speaking world. In this wide-ranging and unique anthology, works by Christian, Jewish, and Muslim authors show the genius of Arab civilization through the prism of literature.

Through odes (or Mu’allaqat); selections from the Qur’an; samples of Hadith and the poetry of rivalry, love, adventure, and mystic transcendence; and prose conveying scientific innovation, philosophical inquiry, theological disputation, and historical analysis, this extraordinary collection provides an authoritative overview of Arabic literature.”

The Chair was also invited to participate in a live radio broadcast hosted by the internationally recognized Arab speaking station, Asharq Alawsat. The one-hour interview discussed new developments in Arabic literature and poetry, as well as the important role of the Arab-American authors such as Ameen Rihani, Kahlil Gibran, and Mikhail Naimy. These authors introduced a new form of Arabic literature written in English, demonstrating  the development of a global thought linking East and West.

In this interview, reference was also made to the need for unity among the various minorities in the Middle East and the need for reconciliation between Christianity and political Islam. There was a strong emphasis on using the concepts of unity of religion and unity in diversity to resolve the problems in the Arab world. The complete eradication of all forms of prejudice was also emphasized. Professor Bushrui called for the immediate resolution of persecution of Christians in the Middle East, an area whose tradition and thought have always been defined by openness and acceptance of the other. Professor Bushrui stressed that the Prophet Muhammad himself guaranteed the freedom of worship for all Christians, and assigned each Muslim the duty of protecting the Christian believers.

The radio program was very well received and publicized.