| University of Washington | Site Index | Contacts |
 |
| Home | | Admissions | Resources for Students | Resources for Faculty & Staff | About the Graduate School | |
2003 Medal Recipient -- Maha El-Taji
|
General Information about the Medal The Graduate School Medal Announcement The Graduate School Medal Nomination Procedures
The Graduate School Medal Nomination Form
|
MAHA EL-TAJI Maha El-Taji’s interdisciplinary doctoral program allows her to combine her professional experience as an international human rights attorney with her desire to better understand the complex political dynamics of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Having grown up as a Palestinian refugee herself, Maha has focused her scholarship and citizenship on finding ways to better understand what “citizenship” means for ethnic minority groups.  At 2:00 p.m. on March 5, 2003, UW graduate student Maha El-Taji caught a bus to the university in Haifa, Israel. Fifteen minutes later, a suicide bomber boarded a bus on the same route and killed 15 people. While this tragic incident was deeply upsetting for El-Taji, it also reminded her why she is pursing her doctoral degree in the first place. “The brush I had with death only served to strengthen my belief in the importance of fostering the understanding of the ‘other’ as a means to stop the violence in the Middle East,” El-Taji says. El-Taji’s doctoral research on the Palestinian citizens of Israel and their status as an indigenous minority stems from her longstanding person and professional interest in international human rights. Born a Palestinian refugee, El-Taji grew up amidst the uncertainty and lack of stability faced by many who have been uprooted against their will. After earning her US citizenship, an undergraduate degree, and a law degree, El-Taji became the Assistant Attorney General with the Social and Health Services division o f the Washington state Attorney General’s Office. The work was satisfying, but El-Taji found herself increasingly pulled towards the Middle East and the ongoing struggles there. She felt compelled to pursue a graduate degree in order to explore and more fully understand the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Upon completing her degree, she was selected to complete an internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, the Netherlands. The combined experiences cemented her desire to pursue an academic career focused on international human rights. The Interdisciplinary PhD. Program in Near and Middle Eastern Studies provided the perfect opportunity for Maha to combine her background in law and political science to address the issue of how local governments navigate their relationship with an ethnic state. And by all accounts, she is excelling in her pursuits. “Fluent in both Arabic and Hebrew, Maha has demonstrated a remarkable ability to integrate her intellectual achievement with social concern in her attempt to bridge a chasm between Jews and Arabs in the US and in Israel,” says Ellis Goldberg, the Director of the Near and Middle Eastern Studies PhD program. El-Taji’s social concern also has led her to the board of the Compassionate Listening Project, a nonprofit organization that encourages dialogue between groups who have historically been in conflict. She has worked for the Washington State Human Rights Commission, and takes every opportunity she can to speak out on the importance of understanding the “other,” both in the Middle East and beyond. “I have learned that no one particular ethnic group has a monopoly on atrocities and that anyone is capable of committing crimes against humanity,” El-Taji warns. “In all my activities, I am consciously working to foster understanding and to heal the wounds that were created through violent encounters.”
|
||
| The Graduate School gspff@u.washington.edu Telephone 206-543-9054 Modified: 02/23/05 |
|
The Graduate School G-1 Communications Building Box 353770 Seattle WA 98195 Phone: 206-543-5900 Copyright 2006 |