Morocco Board News Service publishes Anouar Majid's column on the aftermath of the North African and Middle Eastern uprisings

Anouar Majid, Ph.D., associate provost for global initiatives and director of the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Center for Global Humanities, wrote a column for the March 1, 2011 on "the fever for freedom" that has seized the minds of Arabs and others across the world and what needs to follow.

Majid suggests that Arabs and Muslims should turn to 14th-century Muslim scholar Abderrahman Ibn Khaldun for inspiration. "To Ibn Khaldun, protecting the right to free labor and property is absolutely fundamental to the well being of a nation. The latter rises or falls based on whether its people are free to pursue their best interests and cultivate their passions."

"The main lesson," Majid says, "is that freedom and justice are the best and only protections any government has against upheavals and uprisings.... The wisdom of Ibn Khaldun is haunting us from his grave in Egypt.  We can no longer afford to ignore it."  The column was also picked up by . Majid's most recent book is We Are All Moors: Ending Centuries of Crusades against Muslims and Other Minorities (University of Minnesota Press),

About the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ

The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.