There was standing room only in the amphitheater last night as students, faculty and community members packed into the auditorium to attend the Middle-East Teach-In.
The forum addressed Middle Eastern concerns in relation to Tuesday's terrorist attacks.
The event was originally scheduled to take place in the Wilson Auditorium, then Old Cabell Hall. When it became obvious that the 800 seats in Old Cabell were not enough to accommodate the people wanting to attend, the program moved to the amphitheater.
Candid sharing characterized the evening, as professors from the Middle East Studies Department shared thoughts, comments and reflections on the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. Many of the comments centered on racial and ethnic issues associated with the attacks. They also discussed what steps should be taken by the American government as well as by American citizens.
In his introduction to the teach-in, Government and Foreign Affairs Prof. David Waldner encouraged people to seek an understanding of the incidents, including American foreign policy that may have contributed to them.
Anthropology Prof. Hanan Sabea implored those in the audience not to generalize their reaction to the attacks and project their anger on all Arabs and Muslims.
"Thousands of people died because they had one thing in common: they were American," Sabea said. "Now we are targeting another group of people just because they are Arabs and Muslims."
Government and Foreign Affairs Prof.RuhiRamazani shared his experiences working with President Jimmy Carter during the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979.
Ramazani said Carter told his group, "We have a serious dispute with Iran about the diplomats, but let us not generalize this conflict to the whole Muslim world."
"We must remember those words today," Ramazani said.
Government and Foreign Affairs Prof. William Quandt said now is a time for "reflection, not instinctual reaction."
University Government and Foreign Affairs Prof. Michael J. Smith echoed this statement, saying that we must "avoid acting in ways which feed and escalate the cycle of violence."
Religious Studies Prof. Abdulaziz Sachedina, testified to the closeness which he said he believes currently envelops the University.
"I haven't ever seen U.Va. as beautiful as in the past three days," he said. "You and I have the opportunity to continue to turn negative energy and use it to produce more human awareness among our citizens."
Jewish Studies Prof. Peter Ochs followed Sachedina, and in an the two knelt together.
"To me, you are a saint," Ochs said to Sachedina. Ochs then stated the importance of Christians, Muslims and Jews working together and learning from one another.
History Prof. Elizabeth Thompson said two metaphors used by the media bothered her: the comparison of the terrorists to the soldiers who captured Jerusalem in 1079 and the comparison of the attack to Pearl Harbor.
"The soldiers [who captured Jerusalem] were known for honor and good soldiership, which is not a spirit those attacking the World Trade Center embraced," she said. "The Pearl Harbor analogy suggests that we are a sleeping giant."
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