Author Archives: Arab America

Southeast Michigan businessman and internationally renowned philanthropist Russell J. Ebeid has made a $2 million legacy gift to the Arab American National Museum (AANM). This gift – the first and largest of its kind in the history of the AANM’s parent organization, ACCESS – was announced during the 43rd annual ACCESS Dinner last Saturday evening, … Continued

Because Arab Americans and American Muslims have been waiting to see when the Obama Administration would finally act to end Bush-era ethnic and religious profiling guidelines and practices, we were troubled to read press accounts this week indicating that Attorney General Eric Holder may be proposing to keep in place many of the programs that … Continued

A special New York Police Department unit that sparked controversy by tracking the daily lives of Muslims in an effort to detect terror threats has been disbanded, police officials said Tuesday. NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis confirmed that detectives assigned to the unit had been transferred to other duties within the department’s Intelligence Division. In a … Continued

When issues of racial and colonial discourse are discussed in the U.S., people of Middle Eastern and North African origin are often excluded. This piece is written with the intent of opening up the multicultural debate, going beyond the U.S. census’s simplistic categorization of Middle Eastern peoples as “whites.” It’s also written with the intent … Continued

Looking for something spiritual this Easter season? Consider dropping in Arab American National Museum and taking a tour of one of its newest exhibits: Sacred Scenes: Icons of the Orthodox Church. The exhibit features the work of relgious icon artist Vlasios Tsotsonis. Visitors will see several original, large-scale pieces by the artist, both paintings and … Continued

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we are excited to announce that Martin Luther King III will accept a special recognition award at the Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards Gala for his work and his family’s legacy, most especially the pioneering vision and leadership … Continued

Grammy award-winning composer and pianist Fathy Salama collaborates with Al-Bustan Takht Ensemble for an afternoon of contemporary Arab music. The Egyptian artist is known for exploring the traditional structure of Arab composition with the freedom of jazz. As part of his residency, Fathy Salama will engage in educational demonstrations and public events leading up to … Continued

Only a few miles from California’s Disneyland sits a string of Middle Eastern restaurants and shops backed by the state’s Arab American community affectionately called, “Little Arabia.” Activists and business owners that support “Little Arabia” are campaigning for the strip to be recognized as a destination by tourism officials, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. … Continued

<p align=”center”><iframe width=”500″ height=”281″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/jCOfMdXNSzs?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe></p> Arab Idol and Palestinian Superstar Mohammed Assaf released his highly anticipated new song on Thursday, April 10th. Entitled “Ya Halali Ya Mali.” The song is a dabke dance rendition about good fortune and wealth (referring to Palestine). The video was shot at the Bourj el-Barajneh refugee camp in … Continued

Brandeis University moved to tamp down a growing controversy when it withdrew its plan to give a notorious anti-Muslim writer an honorary degree. Yesterday, the school said it would not give Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-American, a degree because her views ”are inconsistent with Brandeis University’s core values.” The announcement came after days of criticism … Continued

The Detroit Chinese Business Association (DCBA), a leading Michigan-based, nonprofit trade association for relationships between American and Chinese businesses, today announced it will host the EB-5 Immigration Investment Opportunities for Michigan Conference. Sponsored by Global Detroit and Aspire Lending, the event will take place from 3-6 p.m. April 23 at the Iroquois Club in Bloomfield … Continued

Arab-American and Muslim leaders are defending a suburban-Detroit church that drew criticism for inviting children at public schools with many Muslim children to attend its Easter egg hunt. Invitations to the upcoming Saturday’s Eggstravaganza at Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church were distributed last week in elementary schools in Dearborn. The Detroit suburb is the center of … Continued