“What I am thinking is an exhibition created out to express my feelings regarding the U.S involvement in the Middle East” Rebecca Glotfelty, an American Film Maker said after the opening of her exhibition in the lobby of An-Najah Library. “I was especially sickened by the revelation of the U.S. army’s use of torture on detainees in Iraq at Abu Ghraib” she added.
The exhibition contained some images of people Mrs. Glotfelty interviewed in Michigan in order to get their perspectives towards the conflict in Palestine and war in Iraq. They expressed their opinions and points of view towards the mentioned issues. Many of the interviews highlighted the level of ignorance some Americans have about the Middle East, while some of them showed an unusual awareness. The questions and perspectives were focused on American cinema, Hollywood, popular culture as well as the Jewish lobby and its interferences in American foreign policy, internal politics and religion.
Some Americans expressed their rejection to their government policies, Dale Kenny, a Massage Therapist from Michigan said: “I have been kind of ashamed of America for the way we have handled things, and it is been kind of difficult because you don’t want to, you know, say that you are ashamed of what your county has done.” While some another interviewee said about the American troops in Iraq: “I think it is wonderful thing that they are over there and helping those people out, before, woman were oppressed and treated poorly and that kind of thing, so it is the best thing that could happen for them”.
The Exhibition was opened by the President Assistant for Planning and Development, Prof. Samer Abu Eisheh, Director of the Public Relations Department, Mr. Saed Abu Hijleh, and the Director of the Library, Mr. Hani Jaber.
Prof. Abu Eisheh expressed his appreciation for organizing such an exhibition at the university that will help our students to have better understanding of the American media and its influence on its audience. Mr. Abu Hijleh said there is much to be done in the field of media in order to show the other side of the coin that Americans do not have the chance to witness, he thanked the American and western volunteers who are doing their utmost to reveal the truth and organize awareness campaigns regarding the Middle East.
“I wanted an opportunity to express my outrage regarding the atrocities of the U.S army, I believe that communication and education is the way to achieve resolutions to conflicts, I feel it is important for Middle Eastern people to understand what Americans are thinking” Mrs. Glotfelty said.
Mrs. Glotfelty showed her film, Such a Normal Thing, a documentary produced three years ago. The film explains the story of six American visitors to the occupied territories, their impressions, feelings, perspectives and point of views towards daily Palestinian life. It shows another face of the situation in Palestine, different from the one shown in most western media.