The Appalachian State University Humanities Council will screen “Make Hummus Not War”  Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Belk Library and Information Commons as part of the Muslim Journeys series.

“Make Hummus Not War” is a documentary centered around the one thing that binds warring nations in the Middle East together, even in times of crisis: a regional love for hummus.

Documentary filmmaker Trevor Graham takes the audience into the kitchens of self-proclaimed hummus masters of Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel and New York. 

Allan Scherlen, the librarian in Belk Library responsible for organizing the events for Muslim Journeys, said that the attendees might be the first people in the United States to ever see “Make Hummus Not War.”

“When we asked for a copy of the DVD, they didn’t have one for our region,” Scherlen said.  “This may be the first showing of this film in the U.S.”

The screening is the third event in the Muslim Journeys series, which aims to promote positive interactions with other cultures and bring people together, Scherlen said.

“Appalachian State University and Boone are so isolated,” Scherlen said. “There is little opportunity to have much positive interaction with other cultures. The goal is to gain a deeper appreciation for the Muslim people.”

After the two-hour documentary, political science professor Curt Ryan will lead a discussion on the film and the conflict over the holy land in the Middle East. 

Lena Aloumari, president of the Muslim Student Association, said the club played a large role in choosing the film and going about the process of getting the rights to show it.

The next event in the Muslim Journeys series is a book and film discussion on the graphic-novel-turned-movie “Persepolis” on April 23.

Translated from French, Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis” tells the coming-of-age story of Satrapi as a young woman growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution, and the struggles she had to face along the way.

Story: EMMA SPECKMAN, A&E Reporter