From the late nineteenth century until today, the ways in which the populations of different Arab countries have grown familiar with Spain and Spaniards has depended on many factors: their common past shared through Al-Andalus, the policies of governments (some more and some less favorable to the interests of different Arab nations), the presence of increasingly large communities in each others’ countries (which offer a more or less positive image of Spain in the Arab world, and of Arabs in Spain), and, of course, the inner workings of international politics, in which taking a position one way or another can change the other party’s view of oneself to a great extent.
 
At this seminar organized by Casa Árabe, the University of Cordoba and the Centro de Estudios al-Ándalus y Diálogo de Civilizaciones (Rabat), we will attempt to deal with two aspects within this broad topic: the developments occurring in politics throughout the Middle East, with the confrontation between Iran and the Sunni majority countries, in a talk given by Uthman al-Rawwaf, and another about the existence of growing Arab communities in Spain and the Spanish presence in Morocco. At the end of these two presentations, a round of debate will begin to integrate these two approaches.

Schedule
12:30 p.m. The Middle East: Latest developments in regional politics
Given by: Dr.  Uthman al-Rawwaf. PhD in Political Science from Duke University, a professor at King Saud University and a retired member of Saudi Arabia’s Shura council.
Presented by: Dr. Rafael Pinilla. Arab Studies Department at the University of Cordoba.

1:30 p.m. Crossing Glances: One century of the Spanish presence in Morocco
Given by: Dr. Abdeluahed Akmir. Head Professor of the History Department at the Université Mohammed V (Rabat)
Presented by: Dr. Fernando López Mora. Department of Contemporary History at the University of Cordoba.

Seminar information sheet

Uthman al-Rawwaf has a PhD in Political Science from Duke University (USA) and is the Secretary General and treasurer of the Centro de Estudios al-Andalus y Diálogo de Civilizaciones (Rabat), a foundation created in the year of 2001 with the sponsorship of the King of Morocco Hassan II and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. He is a former member of the Consultative Assembly (Shura) of Saudi Arabia, an advisor to the Ministries of Education and Higher Education, and a writer for the English-language section of the newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat. He has also authored different scientific books and articles in English and Arabic, as well as being a personal advisor to Emir Abd al-Aziz b. Fahd. He currently resides between Riyadh, London and Rabat.

Abdeluahed Akmir has a PhD in History from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1990). He is the Head Professor of Contemporary History at the Université Mohammed V-Rabat and is the director of the Centro de Estudios al Andalus y Diálogo de Civilizaciones (Rabat). An author of different books, the most notable of which include La inmigración árabe en Argentina (Arab Immigration in Argentina), La emigración hacia la muerte (Emigration Towards Death) and La presencia marroquí en África Occidental (The Moroccan Presence in Western Africa); he is the translator (from Spanish into Arabic) of Mundo Árabe y América Latina (Arab World and Latin America), Las comunidades árabes en América Latina (The Arab Communities in Latin America), Descripción de los Reinos de Marruecos (Description of the Kingdoms of Morocco) and La historia política del Imperio Almohade (The Political History of the Almohad Empire), as well as editing the works Los árabes en América Latina: Historia de una emigración (The Arabs in Latin America: History of an emigration, published by Biblioteca de Casa Árabe) and La Alhambra: lugar de la memoria y el diálogo (The Alhambra: A place of memory and dialogue).