Author Archives: Arab America

Salmon Hossein, an Afghan-American Muslim working on a joint law and public policy degree at UC Berkeley and Harvard, says that his own family hates that he has a beard. The outward sign of his Muslim faith, he says, makes his family worry about his future. “They say, ‘How are you going to get a … Continued

I’not a religious guy. I might talk about Jesus in a different way that priests, ministers, and popes do. I do not see him as the divine incarnate, and I’m not completely sure he saw himself that way either. But I do share one thing with my more religious friends. Jesus still lives for me … Continued

I have been traveling to Dearborn, Michigan since I was a young child back in the 1950s. Back then, it was about the only place where you could purchase original ingredients to make Middle Eastern food recipes. So we would often make the nearly 5 hour trip three or four times a year. In 1966, … Continued

The limestone stairs of the Nuns’ Ascent are glassy-slick from the countless feet that have polished them. Descending steeply, they emerge by the Chapel Sanctuaries of the Flagellation and Condemnation on the Via Dolorosa, the start of the route which – tradition says – Christ took to his crucifixion. On Good Friday, the stairs are … Continued

<center><iframe width=”500″ height=”281″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/ZFDCtC6M2Es” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe></center> Kinan Azmeh is a clarinetist and composer we recently connected with through musician Timo Vollbrecht. Kinan grew up and studied music in Damascus, Syria, and has continued with his craft in New York City over the past 13 years. Throughout his interview, he discusses various strands of Reflection and … Continued

“The Admission” — Motti Lerner’s controversial play about a massacre of Palestinian civilians that just finished a short, sold-out run at Theater J — will have an afterlife. In an unusual move for a D.C. production, the show will transfer to Studio Theatre for a three-week commercial engagement starting April 30. Producing the play’s second … Continued

<center><iframe width=”500″ height=”281″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/gVDIXqILqSM” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe></center> Stop everything! We just found our new favourite ‘People dancing to Happy’ video (yes, they’re still coming). “We Brits have a bad rep for being a bit stiff, but this video proves otherwise,” blogs The Honesty Policy, who made it. “We are HAPPY. We are eclectic. We are cosmopolitan. … Continued

I feel compelled to write this article because the issue of women’s rights in the Middle East is not, strictly speaking, a “women’s issue,” but a pressing and urgent concern for the whole of society, and perhaps even more so, men themselves. After all, the culture that marginalizes women — and that bars them from … Continued

A diverse cast of thirteen join Noor Theatre Artistic Director Lameece Issaq, Executive Director Maha Chehlaoui, and Producing Artistic Director Nancy Vitale for the world premiere of The Myth Project. This director-driven workshop production in three parts from Director/Writers Kareem Fahmy, Noelle Ghoussaini, and Pirronne Yousefzadeh, runs in repertory from Thursday, May 1 through Sunday, … Continued

Many people have expressed fear about the growing BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement on campus. Some Jewish students have said that it makes them feel unsafe. A Jewish professor at the University of Michigan said that a “third intifada” may be upon us. Several mainstream writers picked up my report on a tense debate … Continued

It all began with a bad cell phone connection. Musician and all-around creative instigator Jason Hamacher was about to drive into a tunnel near the DC zoo, when a friend and fellow musician called and said he had to check out “Serbian chant” for a new project the two were involved with. Hamacher heard “Syrian … Continued

The Dubai Electricity Water Authority (DEWA), under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the leadership of Managing Director and CEO, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, will be sending officials to the New York, Texas, and California, May 2-8, 2014 … Continued