General Information of the Department

The Middle East is the cradle of human civilization and the birthplace of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The region includes the Arab states – from Morocco in the west to Iran in the east, from Turkey in the north to Yemen and Sudan in the south. The Muslims constitute a fifth of the world’s population and are scattered between Indonesia, the largest of Muslim countries, and the minorities in India, Russia, the West and Israel. This is the space in which the State of Israel is located and operates, and its understanding is of great importance to its existence, its security, its economic development and its social and cultural prosperity.

The incidents of the “Arab Spring” which began in the end of 2010, the peace discussions between Israel and the Palestinians with mediation done by the United States, the nuclear empowering of Iran, the rise of political Islam and radical Islam, the immigration to Europe and the demographic change in a number of Arab countries because of it – all of these ensure that the Middle East will continue to be a center of Diplomatic, public, and media attention even in the 21^st century. The area is found in an unprecedented jolt when military regimes, Islamic forces, strong factors and liberal foundations are struggling with each other for their own character and future. There are many worrying risks but many chances for Israel in the Middle East.

The Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Civilization, which is one of the oldest departments in the University of Haifa, provides extensive interdisciplinary knowledge of the Middle East and the Muslim world in general. Understanding the historical, political, diplomatic, economic, social and cultural procedures happening in the center of events which occur in this region is essential for the policy makers in Israel, academic researchers, public servants, business people, teachers, civic organizations, and anyone who wants to understand the region. Acquiring the broad knowledge in the department is followed by a unique learning experience in the university and in the leading inter-cultural and inter-religion in the country.

The department grants BA degrees, MA degrees- with or without thesis, and PhD degrees in Middle-Eastern and Islam studies. The rich curriculum of the department offers introductory courses about classic and modern history of the region, Islam, Arab nationality, Palestinian society, family and women’s status, law and society, media, tourism, and so forth. An important emphasis in these studies is on the study of one of the region’s languages: literary and spoken Arabic, Persian, or Turkish.