Information about credits and certification
The below list represents only some of MESALI’s dozens of Adjunct Professors:
Daoud Stephen Casewit
Adjunct Professor Casewit, though born and raised in Colorado, spent more than three decades in the Arab World. He holds a B.A. in Arabic and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the American University in Cairo. For four years he taught English as a Foreign Language at the university-level in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. It was there that he became absorbed in the history and geography of the Prophet’s City, a subject which continues to preoccupy him as a scholar, writer and lecturer to this day.
In Morocco, Mr. Casewit directed the nascent Arabic Language Institute in Fez (ALIF) for six years and subsequently served as Executive Secretary of the Moroccan-American Fulbright Commission (MACECE) in Rabat for nearly 13 years. He moved to the DC area in 2011 where he has been engaged in various translation, writing and editing projects, alongside teaching Modern Standard Arabic and classical Arabic phonology. He is father to four children and grandfather to three.
Adjunct Professor Hanson
Adjunct Professor Hanson has an M.A. in Middle Eastern and South Asian languages from the University of Chicago and diplomas from the American University in Cairo and the Sorbonne in Paris. Having spent many years studying and teaching in the Middle East and South Asia, he is fluent in Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Hindi, as well as French and Spanish. His professional experience includes serving as court interpreter, development consultant, language instructor, and translator/interpreter for technical missions to countries including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Egypt, Syria and Yemen.
Dr. Chyet
Dr. Chyet has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in Folklore and Middle Eastern Languages. Prior to 2001, Mr. Chyet was the senior editor of the Kurdish Service at the Voice of America. His specialty is Kurdish, and he has published a Kurdish-English dictionary, as well as several articles on the Kurdish language, and on Middle Eastern folklore. Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish and Persian are also languages that he is fluent in, and will be teaching at MESALI.
Adjunct Professor Kaplan
Adjunct Professor Kaplan is Professor of Arabic and Hebrew at MESALI and has taught Arabic in the Greater Washington DC area since 2001.
Professor Kaplan has a Masters from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Internationals Studies (SAIS) with a focus in Middle East Affairs.
He conducted his Fulbright Scholarship in Morocco on the Political Economy of Water Policy. He is fluent in Classical Arabic, Moroccan, Hebrew, French and has conversational Chinese.
Professor Kaplan plays drums in his own jazz band and performs stand up comedy in Washington DC and New York City.
Adjunct Professor Farshori
Adjunct Professor Farshori teaches Urdu at MESALI. He holds a Masters Degree in International Relations from Karachi University. He taught English as a second language to students at Pakistan American Cultural Center in Karachi, Pakistan for 10 years. He started his career as reporter with English daily The News, Karachi and also worked at the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad before moving to the United States, to work for the Voice of America, as a manager editor within Urdu TV. Currently, he serves as the program coordinator of the Voice of America South and Central Asia Division.
Adjunct Professor Jehhar
Adjunct Professor Jehhar teaches Arabic and French at DC Internationals MESALI. A native of Rabat Morocco, She earned her Bacherlors in Journalism and Communications from Mohammed V University in Rabat. For twenty-five years, she worked the professional gamut from journalist and producer to TV anchor at TVM (Moroccan public Television Where she also provided training in communication Techniques.
Adjunct Professor Khavari
Adjunct Professor Khavari earned her Masters in French language from the University of Maryland,. A native of Tehran, she is fluent in Farsi and French. She taught Undergraduate French at San Ignacio College of Miami, which specializes in bi-lingual education. Besides her passion for teaching, she paints modern works in both acrylics and oils, Having learned modern paintings from some of the most prominent Iranian artists using oil and acrylic. Some of her paintings are on display at the Sher Gallery in Miami. One of her publications includes L’esthétique de la Violence et de la Sorcellerie dans Quelques Nouvelles de François de Rosset "Aesthetics of Violence and Witchcraft in Some News François de Rosset", published by Plume, Journal of Iranian Association of French Professors.
Dr. Naval
Dr. Naval earned her PhD in Hindi literature from Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi, India. She worked as a lecturer of Hindi literature in Miranda House College, Delhi University, India. As a respected Hindi author, her publications include poetry and prose published by Asha Prakashan, Delhi. Her publications in poetry "Ladki Aaj Bhi" appeared in several renound Indian and U.S. magazines, including "Sahitya Amrit", "Gagananchal" and "Vishwa". She worked as a member of the "Atelier" theater group in Delhi where she performed "Maaro Balo Kapo" and "Good Bye Blue Sky" as well as having performed in the Fringe Festival of Washington D.C. She has several years experience as a Hindi curriculum developer and target language expert in Washington D.C. She is actively involved in literary activities in the Washington DC area, including with the International Hindi Association and the Organization of Poets Meet in the Tri-State Area. She teaches Intensive and Standard Hindi classes at DC internationals Middle East South Asia Language Institute in Washington D.C.
Adjunct Professor Somers
Adjunct Professor Somers adjunct instructor of French at MESALI, was a Senior Prosecuting Trial Attorney at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague. She has consulted for The World Bank and was a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. She is adjunct instructor of French Language at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington, DC. Ms. Somers is fluent in French and Russian. Other languages include Serbo Croatian, Dutch, Spanish and Hebrew. Ms. Somers holds a Juris Doctor Degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law and a Master in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University. Ms. Somers attended Middlebury College’s Summer Language Institute and earned a certificate from the Alliance Française in The Hague for “Séminaires de français juridique.” Ms. Somers earned a certificate for “Cours de Droit International Humanitaire” sponsored by Le Comité International de la Croix-Rouge, Croix-Rouge suisse, in Sion, Switzerland.
Adjunct Professor Mandokhil
Adjunct Professor Mandokhil is the Adjunct Professor of Pashto and Urdu at MESALI. He is a native speaker of both Pashto and Dari and is fluent in English and Urdu. Salim is primarily responsible for writing and editing news stories, conducting interviews, and translating English news items into Pashto/Dari. He was a Language Trainer in Kabul, Afghanistan for the Aina Media and Culture Center, a Producer and Anchor for Afghanistan National Radio and Television, and has held many additional positions involving the Pashto Language and Media outlets.
Adjunct Professor Abd-Elmessih
Adjunct Professor Abd-Elmessih is the Adjunct Professor of Arabic at MESALI. He received his Masters Degree in International Relations from Southern Connecticut State University, with a specialization in American and Middle Eastern Foreign policy. Michael currently works as a professor at both American University and Montgomery College, and as an Arabic Instructor at the World Bank. He is a native Arabic speaker, is fluent in English and has an understanding of Spanish and German. Michael is a singer and song writer who enjoys Soccer, Basketball, Football, Tennis, Ping Pong and Volleyball.
Adjunct Professor Murawih
Adjunct Professor Murawih has more than ten years experience in foreign language teaching, freelance journalism and radio broadcasting. A certified teacher in English and in German, Musa taught English to high school and college students, German to a diverse audience of professionals, and Arabic to foreign diplomats in his native Sudan and in the Washington, DC area. His radio broadcast anaasheedul hudat, or the hymns of the caravan, was featured on Sudan national radio. He is the author of Arabiyyul Wajdi Aajamiyyul Wijdan, a poetry collection in Arabic (Alif, 1999). Musa holds an MA degree in International Politics and Conflict Resolution from the University of Denver. Most recently, he worked as a senior global media strategist for a number of strategic communications consultancies in the Washington, DC area. He is currently a consulting lead Arabist at the Library of Congress, World Digital Library.
Cheb Khaled, King of Rai, Honored at DC Internationals Diplomatic Reception