Category Archives: Blog

I finished my Friday teaching a class on al-Ghazali & Sufism–a peaceful ending to a beautiful week here in Beirut…

Today in my Sufism class in Beirut, we looked at appropriations of Sufism in pop culture–including this video by Madonna (in which the “dervishes” whirl in the wrong direction)…

Here’s a video about the history of the 25th Dynasty that my Egyptology students in Beirut discussed and critiqued today in our class on Sudan, archaeology, and colonialism…

Today, I had a wonderful time introducing students in Beirut to Classical Ethiopic grammar–we’re gaga for Ge’ez…

After whirling today in Beirut, my Sufi friends served me up a cup of the best coffee in town–an old mystic tradition…

Gamelan Laras Tentrem and the Tufts University Gamelan Ensemble (Rinengga Sih Tentrem), directed by Barry Drummond, invite you to a concert of traditional Javanese music on Sunday, November 23rd, 3:00 pm, in Distler Performance Hall, Tufts University, Somerville/Medford Campus. Admission is free. The performance will feature guest artist I.M. Harjito, a renowned Javanese musician and composer currently on the faculty of Wesleyan University (and my personal gamelan guru for over a decade!). Currently, the groups are looking for new members to join the ensemble–there’s opportunities for adults to play and middle and high school students too. Prior Javanese gamelan experience, while welcomed, is not a prerequisite. If interested in joining please send an email to barry.drummond@tufts.edu for more information.

Tonight’s “Czech Gypsy & World Music Concert” at the American University of Beirut was presented by the Czech Embassy in Lebanon to mark the 25th anniversary of the “Velvet Revolution” in Czechoslovakia. Because of my personal and academic Czech background, I got a real thrill out of hearing Czech spoken and sung in Beirut. I was very grateful for the opportunity to join with Czech diplomats and other members of the academic community to commemorate the Velvet Revolution and the legacy of Vaclav Havel in Beirut…

Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for the better in the sphere of our being as humans, and the catastrophe toward which this world is headed — be it ecological, social, demographic or a general breakdown of civilization — will be unavoidable…We are still incapable of understanding that the only genuine backbone of all our actions, if they are to be moral, is responsibility…

— Vaclav Havel

As a Czech and fan of Roma (gypsy) music from Bohemia, I’m excited to czech out this concert tonight in Beirut. Perhaps the Czech foreign minister will be there too, since he’s in town today to meet with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil…

If you have the chance to visit Wadi Bani Khalid in Oman, take a hike down the rocks for a tranquil swim through the beautiful boulders of its winding waterways and explore the wadi’s hidden caves…

One of my favorite things to do in Oman is to go for a dip in Wadi Bani Khalid–a serene spring legendary for its natural beauty high up in the Eastern Hajar Mountains…

Although Oman has many fine luxury hotels, my favorite place to stay in Muscat is Al-Bustan Palace (a Ritz Carlton Hotel)–a stunning resort overlooking the Sea of Oman and the Al Hajar Mountains…