User:Jacob J. Walker/Education for Americans about the Culture of Arab Israelis Project/Grant Proposal

The following is a generic proposal to gain funding for part of the project. This proposal can be modified to be sent to specific funders.

Due to the fact that this project is attempting to keep an NPOV and not be political in nature, the project will not seek funding from groups that are viewed to be related with terrorism.

Potential Funders

Criteria for Potential Funders

They are interested in educating the world about Arab culture
They believe that education is a path to peace
They are not tied or suspected to be tied to any terrorist organization (As defined by the U.S. Government)
They are not affiliated with any group which is against the existence of the state of Israel

List of Potential Funders

Arab Organizations Within the United States

Arab Organizations Outside the United States

United States & United Nations Related Organizations

General Grant Proposal

Abstract

The Arab world and the United States of America are linked to one another in many ways. Economically the two worlds are tied tightly to each other with oil as the bond. Technologically the present day Arab world benefits from many of the advances developed in America, but these advances are built upon much of the mathematics whose roots lead back to the Arab world. Further there are 3,500,000 Arabs living in the United States, and many Americans living in the Arab world.

Yet, with the bond that exists between these two worlds, the population of both do not have a good understanding of the other. Most Americans do not have a good understanding of Arabs. This is primarily caused by Americans seeing only a small distorted view of the Arab world through their media.

No place is this phenomenon greater than with the Palestinians and Arab Israelis (“1948 Arabs”). The American media, which focuses on the suicide bombers, the political conflict, and a few key political leaders, usually ignores the cultural history of the Palestinians and Arab Israelis. In fact less than 0.5% of the articles about Arab Israelis deal with “Arab Israeli culture”, compared with 85% of the articles that deal with “Arab Israeli conflict”.^[1] In fact, there are less than 5 books that focus on the culture of the Arab Israelis or Palestinians, and all of these books are academic texts that the general American populous are not likely to read.^[2]

President George Bush Sr. once wisely said, "Think about every problem, every challenge, we face. The solution to each starts with education." ^[3] This could not be more true than with the problems and challenges shared by the United States, the Arab world, and specifically the problems and challenges faced in Israel.

I am seeking a grant of $10,000 to help educate Americans about the Arab Israeli culture. This grant will support a project that creates and distributes a documentary specifically about the culture, including the food, sports, music, art, festivals, and traditions of the Arab Israelis. This video will not be political in nature, and will not focus on the conflict; there are other sources of that information. There are not enough sources of information about the culture. And understanding culture is a bridge to understanding people, and understanding people is the only way that conflicts can ultimately be resolved.

Introduction

Most Americans do not realize that over 20% of Israelis (not Palestinian by Israeli legal definition) are Arab. Further, most Americans are not aware of the diversity of beliefs and religions that Arab Israelis have. For example while a little over two-thirds (68%) are Muslim, there are a large minority of Christians (7%) and Druze(7%).^[4]

While most Americans have heard of Nazareth, most would be surprised to learn that Nazareth is primarily an Arab city, and that nearly one third of the Arabs living in Nazareth are Christian.

Most Americans are not aware of any of those facts, nor do they know about the culture of Arab Israelis and/or the Palestinians. Further, many Americans have misconceptions about parts of Arab Israeli culture. Most Americans know little about the art of Arab Israelis, with a few more knowing about the customs.

More Americans believe they know about the clothing and culture of Arab Israelis, but there are many misconceptions. One of the primary misconceptions center around the Hijab, or head scarf that may be worn by Muslim women. In Nazareth, most Arab women do not wear a Hijab, and those who do, usually do so because of their own choice and will, not unlike how a Catholic nun may choose to wear their Habit. Islam is practiced in a variety of ways, with only a small minority practicing more fundamentalist forms.

Creating a video documentary of Arab Israeli culture will help teach people about the diversity in the Arab Israeli culture, to paint a more accurate picture of the whole. It will also show people the wonderful art, music and food that Arab Israelis have. And teach people about the interesting customs within Arab Israeli society, such as the Arabic Coffee customs, where coffee is used as a greeting, as a good-bye, within negotiations, for ceremonies, and more. By doing so, Americans and others will be able to understand more, and the ability for dialog to happen will increase.

Content

The documentary produced will contain footage of different aspects of Arab Israeli culture. It will be entertaining and at the same time educational. It will focus on the food, clothing, sports, music, art, customs, festivals, and ceremonies of Muslim Arab Israelis. It will be shot partly in the style of a "travel video", showing some of the local sights along with the culture.

By showing this side of Arab Israeli society it will help build a connection of commonality from the viewer to the Arab Israeli culture. The video will focus on the Arab citizens of Israel, it will not have any footage from the West Bank or Gaza Strip.

Production & Post Production

The production of the documentary will involve a six week trip to Nazareth. Footage will be shot on location throughout Israel. No footage will be shot within the West Bank or Gaza Strip. Post production and final editing will occur in America.

Distribution

The goal of the project is to have the documentary viewed by at least 10,000 people. In order to accomplish this goal, various forms of distribution will be used:

The video will be placed on free Internet video services such as YouTube and Google Video
DVDs will be sent to PBS and educational stations throughout the United States
DVDs will be sent to Arab American organizations throughout the United States
The project is being created on Wikiversity so that it will be freely available

Determining Effectiveness and Initiating Dialog

Distributing the video is a good first step towards having Americans more educated about Arab Israeli culture. The next step is to allow for interaction and dialog to occur. A website will be created that will contain a quiz/survey that people who have watched the video can visit and fill out. Further the site will allow for dialog to occur about the culture of Arab Israelis.

Qualifications of Participants

Jacob Walker, who started this project, is a uniquely qualified person to accomplish it. He is not Arab Israeli by heritage or culture, he is of European descent and has lived in California most of his life. His sister married an Arab Israeli man a little over a year ago and moved to Nazareth, and since that time he has learned a tremendous amount. He traveled last year to his sisters wedding and was impressed by the rich culture that he found. But he was dismayed to find that so many people that he knew did not have any understanding of Arab Israeli culture, and many had negative misconceptions. As an "outsider", he will have the perspective of an American, and can show the Arab Israeli culture in a light that can be understood by American viewers.

Jacob's primary vocation is as a Technology Teacher for Adults. He brings with him a strong background in computers and multi-media. He is involved with a video production company and he will soon be instructing a course for teachers in video production.

While Jacob started this project, given that it is being created in a Wiki environment on the Internet, there is the potential for many collaborators. There has already been interest expressed by several people, and the project may expand further in the future.

Use of Funding

Any funding received will strictly be used for expenses directly related to this project. For example, funding will not be used to buy equipment, as equipment may be used for other projects. It will only pay for supplies that directly relate. This video is being made purely voluntarily and no wages will be taken from the grant.

Planned Budget

Airline Ticket: $2,000
Other Travel Expenses: $2,000
Media for Taking Video: $500
Website: $500
DVD Burning: $2,000
PR, Marketing & Distribution: $3,000

Notes

↑ "Search for "arab israeli", "arab israeli culture", and "arab israeli conflict"". Google. Retrieved 5/19/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
↑ "Search for "arab israeli culture" and "palestinian culture"". Amazon.com. Retrieved 5/19/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
↑ "What Work Requires of Schools" (PDF). United States Department of Labor. April 18, 1991. Retrieved 6/30/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
↑ "CIA World Factbook, Israel". U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. May 15, 2007. Retrieved 5/31/07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

Other Resources

[1] "Search for "arab israeli", "arab israeli culture", and "arab israeli conflict"". Google. Retrieved 5/19/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[2] "Search for "arab israeli culture" and "palestinian culture"". Amazon.com. Retrieved 5/19/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[3] "What Work Requires of Schools" (PDF). United States Department of Labor. April 18, 1991. Retrieved 6/30/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[CIA-4] "CIA World Factbook, Israel". U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. May 15, 2007. Retrieved 5/31/07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

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