While living and studying in the Middle East, Salim Mousallam experienced first-hand an ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that has disrupted the lives of thousands for more than a century.

Mousallam (senior-mechanical engineering), who was born and raised in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, said that many times people don't fully understand the issues, even the cultures, in the Middle East.

But Mousallam said Peace in the Middle East, a new student group, is making an effort to educate and ultimately contribute to change in the Middle East, starting with the Penn State community.

"The main idea is to get people from different backgrounds and ethnicities to learn about Middle Eastern issues," said Mousallam, the club's president.

Alex Verget (junior-philosophy), another group founder, said there are a number of political groups on campus, like Students for Israel and Students for Justice in Palestine, which also focus on the conflicts between the Israelis and Palestin-ians.

But Verget said that this new group would serve as one to unite both sides of a long-term issue instead of representing individual sides.

"We found that unless you're studying it specifically, the average student knows very little [about the Middle East]," he added.

Through informative videos, news articles, speakers and open discussion sessions, the group hopes to educate people on the goal of bringing positive change to the Penn State community and beyond, Verget said.

"We're going to discuss a lot of topics: how different it is to live in these situations and that peace would definitely be a relief for both sides," Mousallam added. "We try to get Israeli and Palestinian students talking."

David Bowman, a contributor to the group, said the club would help alert people to the differences between cultures in the Middle East and the Unites States.

"I knew nothing about the Middle East and I still don't," Bowman (senior-marketing) said.

"It's a really valuable experience," Bowman added.

Bringing the concerns many have about the Middle East to a Penn State audience is another important aspect of the club, said Jimm Dolak (senior-mechanical engineering).

"It's so turbulent there," he said. "A lot of people don't know a lot about what's going on."

Weekly meetings will educate students in a positive, comfortable and informal environment, Dolak said.

"We want to make it fun and gain an appreciation," he added.

Zack Rothbart (sophomore-history), who recently traveled to Israel and will study there in the spring, said he attended the group's meeting to compare his perspective to others at Penn State.

Rothbart said living in Israel was a very different experience than life in the United States.

"I didn't feel unsafe," he said. "[But] there's always people walking around with guns."

As a member of the National Guard, Richard Neumann (junior-nondegree) said issues in the Middle East are all the more relevant, considering he may be stationed there in 2007.

Neumann said the media can sometimes be biased in their portrayal of foreign affairs, and he prefers to generate his own opinion of events, which is one of the main things the club tries to do.

"It's working in the right direction," Neumann said.