Bethlehem University Honoring the Legacy of Edward Said

On Tuesday, 21 September, Bethlehem University students, faculty and staff, commemorated the first anniversary of the death of Prof. Edward Said. The ceremony was held in the Auditorium, and started with words of tribute to the legacy of Edward Said by Ms. Vera Baboun, Assistant Dean of Students. Dr. Qustandi Shomali made a PowerPoint presentation about the life of the great author and literary critic.

Prof. Manuel Hassassian spoke about the Palestinian state as envisioned by Edward Said. He also spoke about Edward Said’s view on the political situation as a whole and the feasibility of binominal state.

Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouti spoke about his friendship with Prof Said. He said that you cannot distinguish between Edward Said, the person, and Edward Said, the critic and the thinker. Dr Barghouthi said that Edward Said felt that he still had lots of work to do and that he had done very little.

Mr. Walid Atallah spoke about the study of the Middle East, also known as Orientalism, as seen by the late Professor. Dr. Atallah spoke of the importance of the book and how it is perceived by different critics.

Edward Said died on September 2003 after a long battle with cancer. He was the author of many renowned books on the question of Palestine, and he was an outspoken advocate of justice and peace. He was also well known as a literary critic. His book, Orientalism, deals with how the Middle East is perceived by Western scholars who studied the region and is considered one of the most important books written in the 20th century about the relations between Arabs, Islam, and the West.