AJ Naddaff, Class of 2019
Dedham, MA
Arab Studies and Political-Science
As a Belgium citizen, I have grappled with questions related to Muslim integration since I first witnessed the “taste-based” discrimination expressed towards the Moroccan community in Brussels at a young age. During my most recent stay in Brussels, I met with Olivier Vanderhaeghen, a specialist on de-radicalization efforts in Molenbeek recommended by the bourgmestre.
In addition, my perspective and identity as a Belgian-Lebanese-American has motivated me to form relationships with the Arab world. Last year, I tutored ESL to refugees in the Charlotte area, and I co-initiated a Syria awareness series . While in Jordan over the summer, I volunteered with Syrian refugees and presented multiple times on higher education to refugee groups at the American language center and the British Council in Amman. Many of the refugees coming to Europe and Austria are Syrian and Iraqi and thus the Arabic language skills and cultural awareness is necessary for understanding these groups. This is especially true in a time where anti-immigration sentiments are rising, largely in part because of far-right extreme rhetoric from parties like the Freedom Party (FoP) in Austria. I provide a valuable perspective with prior knowledge and personal connections, both cultural and linguistic, to the topics that will be studied first-hand in an Austrian context.
I love backpacking, journalism, traveling, living in occasional solitude with monks, Belgian beer, and spending time with my amazing family and friends.
