The Middle East Forum is pleased to announce the appointment of Phyllis Chesler, Mark Durie, Cynthia Farahat, Gary Gambill, and Dawn Perlmutter as Shillman/Ginsburg Writing Fellows.
The Writing Fellowship Program is made possible by the generous support of Dr. Bob Shillman and Stan and Arlene Ginsburg.
Expanding on the Forum’s research and writing on the Middle East, Islamism, and related issues, the Shillman/Ginsburg Program provides timely analysis by specialists on the most pressing problems. Shillman/Ginsburg fellows shine a light on controversial and difficult issues others avoid – questioning assumptions, provoking thought, and offering new solutions for policy makers.
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Phyllis Chesler is an analyst of gender issues in the Middle East. A psychotherapist and feminist, she co-founded the Association for Women in Psychology in 1969 and is emerita professor of psychology at The City University of New York. She has published 15 books, most recently The New Anti-Semitism (2003) and An American Bride in Kabul (2013). Chesler’s articles have appeared in numerous publications, including the Middle East Quarterly, Encyclopedia Judaica, International Herald Tribune, National Review, New York Times, Times of London, Washington Post and Weekly Standard. She has served as an expert courtroom witness for Muslim women facing honor-based violence and her works have been translated into 13 languages.
Rev. Mark Durie is a theologian, human rights activist and pastor of an Anglican church. He has published on the language and culture of the Acehnese (a Muslim people of Indonesia), Christian-Muslim relations, and religious freedom. Rev. Durie holds a PhD in Linguistics from the Australian National University and is a graduate of the Australian College of Theology. He has held visiting appointments at the University of Leiden, MIT, UCLA and Stanford, was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1992, and was awarded an Australian Centennial Medal in 2001 for contributions to linguistics. He has spoken for the Middle East Forum.
Cynthia Farahat is an Egyptian political activist, writer and researcher. Co-founder of the Misr El-Umm (2003-06) and the Liberal Egyptian (2006-08) parties, which stood for secularism, anti-Islamism, and peace with Israel, she was under long-term surveillance by the State Security Intelligence Service before seeking political asylum in the United States in 2011. Ms Farahat worked with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty in Cairo, and the Center for Security Policy and Coptic Solidarity. She has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives and received an award from the Endowment for Middle East Truth. She is co-author of two books in Arabic and, among other journals, has published in the Middle East Quarterly, National Review Online, and The Washington Times.
Gary C. Gambill, formerly editor of Middle East Intelligence Bulletin (1999-2004) and Mideast Monitor (2006-09), is a political analyst specializing in the Arab world, particularly Syria and Lebanon. He has a BS in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin and an MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University. He is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy and The National Interest, among other publications.
Dawn Perlmutter is an expert in religious violence and terrorism. She is an adjunct professor in the Forensic Medicine Department at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is the author of True Believers, A Symbolic Anthropological Study of Islamist Culture (CRC Press forthcoming 2014) and Investigating Religious Terrorism and Ritualistic Crimes (CRC Press 2004). Her writings have appeared in numerous publications, including the Middle East Quarterly. She has been interviewed by the Fox News Channel, NBC, CBS, NPR, CBC, BBC, and The Learning Channel. Ms. Perlmutter frequently advises and trains law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, and presents expert witness testimony. She is founder and director of Symbol & Ritual Intelligence and a member of the Vidocq Society, an exclusive crime-solving organization.
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“We are pleased to add these five analysts of diverse experience to the already strong Shillman/Ginsburg Writing Fellowship Program,” said Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum. “Each one of them brings the expertise to offer solutions to critical issues at a momentous time.”
The Middle East Forum promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects Western values at home through intellectual, activist, and philanthropic efforts.
For more information, contact Amy Shargel at Shargel@MEForum.org
