ARAB & ISLAMIC WORLD INFORMATION PROJECT

A fresh understanding,
not a stereotype

KARAMA is an independent, non-partisan organization working to replace distortion with documentation — through archival photography, classroom resources, and public education on the Arab and Islamic world, and the Palestinian issue in particular.
New here? Watch our 20-minute film
KARAMA . EDITORIAL MARK .OLIVE BRANCH
OUR MISSION
Our vision is that a fresh understanding of the hopes and aspirations of the
region’s people will replace the >stereotypes and distortions that dominate
public discourse on the Arab and Islamic world.

Read more about KARAMA →

ARAB & ISLAMIC WORLD INFORMATION PROJECT

A fresh understanding,
not a stereotype

Reproducing 22,000 photographs of pre-1948 Palestine

Based on the Library of Congress’s Matson Photograph Collection, the Project selects images taken during the British Mandate period and makes them available for public exhibition and personal use — proof that Palestine was not “a land without people,” but a place with a sophisticated culture and a clear sense of self-identity.

SOURCE

Library of Congress, Matson Photograph Collection

SCOPE

22,000+ negatives, British Mandate period

ONLINE

200 photographs, organized into galleries

ALSO AVAILABLE

A 50-photo book · a 20-print Museumin-a-Box

Classroom Resources

Teaching materials for the
seventh-grade classroom

Curriculum Packet

Introduction to Islam

A packet of supplementary materials intended to aid teachers already using standard seventh-grade social studies textbooks. Free to review, download, and reproduce.

WORKSHOP. LESSON OUTLINE

Teaching the Palestine/Israel Conflict: A Multiple Narratives Approach

Developed by Dr. Samia Shoman, this outline and its supplementary materials present the conflict through more than one narrative built for educators who want students to think critically, not memorize a single account.
BACKGROUND

"The modern history of the Arab and Islamic world is inseparable from colonialism."

From the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, the 1917 Balfour Declaration, and the 1920s League of Nations Mandates to the contemporary occupation of Palestine and calls for “regime change,” major features of the region have been shaped by the West with little regard for the rights and hopes of the people living there.

1916

Sykes–Picot Agreement divides Ottoman territory between Britain and France

1917

Balfour Declaration

1920S

League of Nations Mandates formalize Western control

TODAY

Ongoing occupation of Palestine and calls for "regime change"

KARAMA & San Diego Arab Film Festival news

Sign up for occasional updates on new resources, photography exhibitions, and festival announcements.

San Diego Arab Film Festival

An annual showcase of contemporary Arab cinema, produced in partnership with KARAMA.