War, Terrorism, and America's Classrooms
Websites for Teachers
| Rethinking Schools Online The articles on teaching war and terrorism are available, many in pdf format. The website also includes many valuable links, including this web resource guide with hotlinks. | Teaching for Change/Network of Educators on the Americas One of the best sites on teaching about Sept. 11th and the "war against terrorism." Excellent articles, links to other important sites, resource suggestions, etc. | Educators for Social Responsibility Numerous resources for children of different ages for teaching about the current crisis including a guide on "Talking to Children About Violence and Other Sensitive and Complex Issues in the World." |
General Background Websites
| AlterNet Includes some of the best alternative points of view on social issues, including special coverage of the "war against terrorism." | Independent Media Center The CNN of movements for social justice. Resources for linking the current crisis to issues of global inequality. |
| American Civil Liberties Union Resources on the threat to civil liberties in the U.S. during the crisis. | Media Workers Against the War A British site offers alternative perspectives on the current war. |
| Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting Excellent articles critiquing media coverage of the crisis. Good links. | The Nation Magazine Well-written, provocative articles on the crisis; some classroom-friendly. Helpful links. |
| Foreign Policy in Focus Valuable background readings on foreign policy issues-special analyses on the current crisis. | NY Teachers, Educators, Youth Workers and Students Against the War This group has a very active listserv of New York area educators who are organizing and teaching against the war. |
| West Fear of Islam An article written for a left-wing publication entitled The Independent in November, 1999. | |
| The Independent Offers some of the best reporting on war and terrorism. Articles by Robert Fisk are among the finest in the world. | Z Magazine and Z-Net A treasure trove of articles, resources from a progressive perspective. Authors include Chomsky, Zinn and Said. |
Middle East/Central Asia Websites
| Arab-American Institute Facts and statistics about the Arab-American population, notes on anti-Arab racism, teachers' modules for teaching about Islam and Muslims. Not all Arabs are Muslim. | Middle East Network Information Center If you have time to check only one site, this should be it. Categories include: Energy, Government and Politics, Maps and Travel, News and Media, Religion, Society et.al. |
| Arabic Daily Newspapers Arabic daily papers in English and French. | Middle East Research and Information Project MERIP has been around for years, providing alternative perspectives on events in the Middle East. |
| Council on Islamic Education Provides services, resources, and research-based tools. It offers a very easy to understand introduction to Islam at About_Islam. | Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan The RAWA was established in Kabul in 1977 as an independent political/social organization. Offers hard to find perspectives of Afghan women. |
| Global Connections: Put World Events in Context Designed to help educators and the generally curious understand events occurring in the Middle East. | University of Georgia Islamic Studies, Islam, etc. Links to recent online commentaries and news articles about terrorism, the Taliban, and being Muslim. |
| University of N.Carolina/Mid-East and Islamic World Film Collections Extensive annotated listings of films and videos. | |
| Human Rights Watch Report A who's who of the Northern Alliance opposition in Afghanistan, focusing on human rights records. | University of Utah/Middle East Center Listing of university based Middle East Studies Centers around the world. |
| Iraq
From the U.S. Department of State; pulls together most of what is being
covered in newspapers. |
University of Virginia/Middle East Study Program Especially helpful links to newspapers in the Middle East. |
Websites for Classroom Resources
| American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee An essential resource for materials countering bias and stereotypes against Arabs. Website includes many educational resources. | Mark Fiore Gallery A clever, student-friendly interactive cartoon called "Find the Terrorist in Your Neighborhood." Confronts stereotypes about "terrorists." |
| Arab World in the Classroom A short, helpful curriculum guide to teaching about Arabs. | University of Arizona Curricula and teaching resources, sometimes uneven, but defintely worth a look. |
| Boondocks Comic Strip Boondocks has been critical and profound during a period when much of American pop culture seems cowed by conformist pro-war pressures. | Scarves of Many Colors: Muslim Women and the Veil An award winning audiotape and accompanying curriculum that examine stereotypes of Islamic women who cover |
| Beyond Blame A free, downloadable curriculum from the Education Development Center "in response to the terrorist tragedy of 9/11..." One lesson draws comparisons between recent events and the internment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor. | Women Make Movies A multiculutral, multiracial media arts org. that has offered to provide free rentals for selected titles of Middle East and Arab culture videos. Also included are two documentaries on the US internment of Japanese Americans. |
| Maps Detailed maps of Afghanistan |