Author Archives: Arab America

Global stereotypes would have you believe that women in the Arab world are educated to assume traditionally female roles in the home and workplace, while their Western counterparts are able to excel in a wider range of subjects. But a test carried out by a representative sample of 15-year-olds in 65 developed countries across the … Continued

Earlier this week the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) expressed concern over an advertisement by Coca-Cola. The ad, “Coke Chase,” portrays a stereotypical character of an Arab in a desert with a camel. This dated image is not an accurate depiction of our community in the United States, and it is a poor representation of the … Continued

Pope Benedict XVI is having his message for this year’s World Day of the Sick published in Arabic for the very first time. “The Holy Father probably wants to transmit a message on this day to the Syrian people because it’s the first time that his message will be published in Arabic,” said Archbishop Zygmunt … Continued

The latest controversy regarding a potentially racist Super Bowl ad seems to be fizzling ahead of Sunday’s big game. (See the video below.) Soft drink giant Coca-Cola came under some fire from Arab-Americans for its Coke Chase spot, which briefly features an actor wearing desert garb trying to coax a stubborn camel. The character is … Continued

Arab-American groups have sharply criticized a Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad depicting an Arab walking through the desert with a camel, and one group said it would ask the beverage giant to change it before CBS airs the game on Sunday before an expected audience of more than 100 million U.S. viewers. “Why is it that … Continued

Next week the US Senate will vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) urges you to take action and support this important legislation. Sadly, the last Congress did not reauthroize this vital piece of legislation; however, the bill has been introduced for reauthorization by Senator Harry Reid … Continued

The Center for Constitutional Rights – in collaboration with the National Lawyers Guild, the Student Speech Working Group* and others – is working to ensure that Palestinian rights activists have the legal support they need to exercise their First Amendment rights and continue organizing. Please contact us if you: – Face attempts to shut down, … Continued

A mumbler, she is not. Growing up in a household where creative expression was encouraged, award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye didn’t need long to realize she wanted to be writer. Early in her education, Nye learned the value of her own voice through her second-grade teacher who did not allow mumbling in her class. The … Continued

Over two years after its foundation, Mathaf, an institution located in Doha and dedicated to promoting Arab culture, has put modern Arab arts on the world map with its contributes to the cultural landscape of the Gulf region, the Middle East and the Arab diaspora. With its recent exhibition “Tea with Nefertiti” Mathaf aimed to … Continued

The Ashtar Theatre Company will perform a version of Shakespeare’s iconic Richard II as part of Dubai’s annual shopping festival, reported the National on Wednesday. The theatre group, established in 1991 as a youth theatre, branched out in the West Bank and Gaza and eventually built a base in Ramallah in 1995. Richard II tells … Continued

As an Arab American journalist with a keen interest in community affairs and empowerment, I know that the elderly segment of the Arab American population is, like the entire community, in need of more resources, services and understanding. However, receiving the fellowship meant a lot more than a new project for a veteran journalist. It … Continued

An Ohio woman who was handcuffed, strip-searched and jailed for hours at Detroit Metropolitan Airport is suing the FBI and other agencies, saying she was the victim of ethnic profiling. Federal agents zeroed in Shoshana Hebshi, who identifies herself as half-Arab and half-Jewish, and two Indian-American passengers beside her after their Frontier Airlines flight landed … Continued