Author Archives: Arab America

  On Saturday, March 22 at 8:30 p.m., Asif Ali Khan, a musician widely regarded as the reigning prince of the Sufi music known as qawwali, performs in Zankel Hall with his eight-member qawwali ensemble. Khan is from a family of renowned Sufi musicians and was the student of the celebrated late qawwali master Nusrat … Continued

<center><b>Arab America E-News subscribers will receive a special Event Access Code</b></center> Arab America will offer pre-sale tickets for the upcoming, Ya Hal Arab! A Call for Unity, with Arab Idol and Palestinian Superstar Mohammed Assaf on Wednesday, March 12, 12:00 noon. E-News subscribers will receive a special Event Access Code which will allow them to … Continued

We Arab Americans are in the midst of a civil rights movement. Profiling and discrimination are rampant. We are victims of debasement in the media on a daily basis. While we can find similarities between our struggle and the struggles of other minority groups, our situation is a bit more distinctive. While the African American … Continued

“Growing up in Oklahoma, we were very much a part of the community, but we were also separate from it,” says Damon Shadid, his hands wrapped around a big white mug at his favorite coffee shop on Rainier Avenue South, Tin Umbrella Coffee. “Being (the children of) immigrants, people looked at us differently.” Shadid’s grandparents … Continued

March 8 is International Women’s Day, celebrated throughout the Arab states and the world. Our challenge remains to correct and enhance the status of women in most Arab societies through empowering them, recognizing their equality as citizens and enabling them to participate in political, social and economic life on an equal basis with men. This … Continued

The following open letter was shared with Mondoweiss: Whether one is for or against Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) as a means to change the current situation in Palestine-Israel, it is important to recognize that boycotts are internationally affirmed and constitutionally protected forms of political expression. As non-violent instruments to effect political change, boycotts cannot … Continued

What would an Arab-American romantic comedy look like? Look no further than Detroit Unleaded, the story of a first-generation Lebanese-American courtship that revolves around a gas station in Detroit. While in many ways Sami and Najla’s relationship resembles the typical boy-meets-girl story, Detroit Unleaded also explores how the dynamics of the closely knit Arab-American community … Continued

Arab America will present Ya Hal Arab! A Call for Unity, with Arab Idol and Palestinian Superstar Mohammed Assaf. The event will take place on Sunday, May 11, 2014, 5:00pm at the Waterford-Springfield Banquet Facility, 6715 Commerce Street, Springfield, Virginia. Assaf will be accompanied by the renowned Lebanese vocalist and Arab Idol finalist, Ziad Khoury. … Continued

The universal strength and staunch resolute of women from all four corners of the world and beyond have for decades mirrored their will to challenge the many devastating obstacles against all odds of exemption. Whether it be social, economic or political inequities of life’s faltering status quo, women, young and old are the courageous link … Continued

It is not uncommon to hear Arabic spoken in Hollywood films – but the character is often a terrorist or a spoiled, rich prince from the Gulf. As for Arabic songs in a Hollywood soundtrack, they are few and far between. In the Oscar-nominated film American Hustle, Robert De Niro, playing a menacing Miami mobster, … Continued

Arab cinephiles will have three regional films to cheer for when the 86th Academy Awards, the film industry’s highest honors, opens Sunday at a ceremony in Hollywood. Palestinian film “Omar,” directed by Hany Abu Assad, will compete against “The Hunt,” Italy’s “The Great Beauty,” Belgium’s “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” and Cambodia’s “The Missing Picture” for … Continued

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas plans to meet with President Barack Obama next month to discuss Mideast peace talks. The meeting will occur two weeks after Obama is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The White House announced the March 17 meeting with Abbas on Thursday and said the … Continued