Key Events        

Opening Session

Opening speeches of the Congress by the Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate, Kurt Beck, the Lord Mayor of Mainz, Jens Beutel, the President of the University, Prof. Dr. Jörg Michaelis and the President of WOCMES, Prof. Dr. Günter Meyer.
The opening speech on "The Inter-religious Dialogue after September 11" is presented by HRH Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan at Monday, September 9, at 10:00 am, at R1 (Building R, Jakob-Welderweg 9, Campus of the University)

Keynote Addresses

• Dale F. Eickelman (Dartmouth College) : "Social Science under Siege" MON 4:30pm- 6:30pm, Room R1
• Roger Owen (Harvard University) : "The Study of the Middle East Economies and their History, 1960- 2002 : The State of the Art then and now" TUE - 11:00am-1:00pm, Room R1
• Annemarie Schimmel (Bonn): "Changing Ideas about Sufism" TUE - 4:30pm - 6:30pm, Room R1
• Jon W. Anderson (The Catholic University of America): "New Media in the Arab Middle East and Diaspora" THU 11:00am - 1:00pm, Room A
• R. Stephen Humphreys (University of California): "Can the Medieval speak to the Modern? Historical Scholarship and the Middle East at the Beginning of the Twenty- first Century" THU 4:30pm - 6:30pm, Room A

General Reception on Monday, 9 September

The general reception of WOCMES, including a dinner buffet will take place in the pleasant surrounding of the Landesmuseum (located in the city center, Große Bleiche 49-51). Participation is free for all WOCMES attendees, who officially registered and paid the regular congress fee; they should have received a ticket or - in case of special reductions of congress fee - may buy tickets for the General Reception at the WOCMES Registration at a price of 20 Euro (depending on availability). Please show your badge and your ticket at the entrance of the Landesmuseum.

Dinner Cruise on the Rhine on Tuesday, 10 September

The dinner cruise on the Rhine will begin on Tuesday, 10 September at 7:30 pm.
Boarding starts at 6:45 pm. The cruiser will anchor near the City Hall (Rathaus).
The Palestinian singer and musician Reem Kelani will present traditional and contemporary songs from Palestine, both sacred and secular. Tickets for the dinner cruise are available at the WOCMES registration at a price of 48 Euro.

Commemoration of September 11

Mainz Cathedral, Wednesday, 11 September 2002, 5:30pm
An ecumenical commemoration on the occasion of the first anniversary of the terror attacks in the USA takes place in the context of the First World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies.
The service for peace will be held by Karl Cardinal Lehmann and the President of the Protestant Church of Hessen and Nassau, Prof. Dr. Peter Steinacker. The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Paul Spiegel and the Chairman of the Central Council of Muslims,Dr. Nadeem Elyas, will speak as well.

WOCMES Award Celebration

Edward W. Said (Columbia University) will receive the "WOCMES Award for Outstanding Contributions to Middle Eastern Studies" on Wednesday, 11 September, at 8:00 pm in the State Theater of Mainz (Staatstheater, Gutenbergplatz).
Speakers will be Minister of State Jürgen Zöllner, Kamal Abu-Deeb (School of Oriental and African Studies, London), Samir Khalaf (American University Beirut) and Edward W. Said.
There will also be a musical performance by Inaam Wali and her band.
The number of seats in the State Theater is limited. Tickets are available at the WOCMES registration. The entrance fee of 10 Euro minimum is a donation which will be entirely used for the support of children in Bethlehem/Palestine.

Concert of Inaam Wali: The Voice of the Mediterranean

The Iraqi singer Inaam Wali and her musicians combine classical Arab music with European baroque music and Afro-American elements.
Their concert will take place in the Frankfurter Hof (Augustinerstr. 55) on Thursday, 12 September, 8:00 pm. Tickets are available at the WOCMES registration.

Najem Wali: People in Iraq - Beyond War and Dictatorship

The Iraqi writer Najem Wali, journalist and cultural correspondent of the Arab newspaper Al Hayat, belongs to the leading literary figures of the younger generation in the Arab World. He reads in Arabic from his own novels and stories in the City Hall (Rathaus) on Friday, 13 September, at 8:15 pm (free admission).

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