LOC09:02
06:02 GMT
By Eman Al-Awadhi (with photos)
WARSAW, Dec 1 (KUNA) -- Among the language studies offered in major
universities in Poland is Arabic, and many of the Poles who major in Arabic
are working with NGOs to promote ties with the Arab world and to change the
negative stereotype image that some people have of Islam.
Arabia.pl was established in 2002 with the aim of informing the people in
Poland about the Arabic world objectively, using information obtained from
Polish, English as well as Arabic sources.
"This is the biggest portal on Arab issues in Poland, and now we have
expanded our work to offline activities," Secretary of Arabia.pl Association
Dr. Katarzyna Gorak-Sosnowska told KUNA.
An academic in the Sociology Department at Warsaw School of Economics,
Gorak-Sosnowska explained that the association conducted workshops for
teachers from Poland and the Baltic states about Islam and Arabs so that they
were better able to deal with these matters should they come up in their
classrooms.
"The workshops successfully changed the teachers' perspectives - they
stopped perceiving Arabs as exotic people from a faraway land and began seeing
them as closer psychologically," she explained.
The aim, she said, was to promote Arabic culture and knowledge about the
Arab world through organizing seminars, days of Arabic culture, exhibitions,
concerts, as well as Arabic film and fashion shows.
"We try to promote and support Polish-Arab and Christian-Muslim dialogue,"
Gorak-Sosnowska said.
She underscored the importance of student exchanges, noting that there were
Polish students studying Arabic in Syria, Yemen, Egypt and Kuwait, among other
countries.
Since 2005, in cooperation with the Polish National Commission for UNESCO,
the association has been leading an educational program for secondary school
students entitled 'In the World of Islam', aiming to promote Euro-Arab
dialogue and to combat the existing stereotypes.
Along with a colleague, Magdalena Kubarek, Gorak-Sosnowska prepared a book
of didactic material for secondary school teachers having the same name as the
program, offering material that could be used for non-formal education
purposes.
Other publications of the association, in Polish, include 'Kuwait: History
and Modernity' and 'Mirages and Oases: Su'ad Al-Sabah and other Kuwaiti Poets'.
Asked whether the association received any assistance from Arab embassies
or entities in Poland, she lauded the support of the Kuwaiti Embassy and its
staff, including Ambassador Khalid Al-Shaibani and his predecessor Ambassador
Jamal Al-Ghunaim.
Ambassador Al-Shaibani, on his part, said that the embassy was always happy
to provide all information that it needed for the website, noting that many of
those working with the association were speakers of Arabic.
"Some have studied Arabic at Kuwait University's Language Center, while
others majored in Arabic studies at universities in Warsaw of Cracow," he
explained.
He expressed his appreciation for the role that the Arabia.pl Association
played in projecting a positive image of Arabs and Arab culture in Poland.
Arabia.pl is not the only association working to promote relations between
Poland and the Arab world, and the Association of Independent Initiatives
'Mikuszewo' (www.mikuszewo.pl) is an NGO that has launched a project entitled
'The Gallery of Tolerance' (galeriatolerancji.org.pl) to tackle issues of
intercultural communication.
"During the workshops and activities offered, participants learn how
differences among people may change their behavior and attitudes. The main
goal is to raise awareness about the influence of stereotypes and prejudices
on our every day lives, to prevent acts of discrimination and to familiarize
participants with other cultures," Ewa Alicja Bajbak, who volunteers with the
NGO, told KUNA.
As with Arabia.pl, Mikuszewo launched a non-formal education program dubbed
'The Academy of Intercultural Dialogue' from October 2009 to July 2010.
"Experts and academics in human rights and anti-discrimination met with NGO
activists and educators to explain the diversity of Islam and Arabic culture,
language, literature, modern art, music and films."
Participants in the 90-hour workshops were acquainted with the phenomenon
of Islamophobia and its impact on media, public opinion and the life of every
citizen or immigrant.
Over 20 professional educators were trained. The project was supported by
the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. It was held
under the patronage of the 'European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008' and
the National Culture Center of Poland. (end)
ema.aj
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