Author Archives: Arab America

Ads reading “Islamic Jew Hatred: It’s in the Quran” appeared on SEPTA buses in Philadelphia on April Fool’s Day. No joke.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority lost a legal battle to keep the hate speech off its public transportation. The federal court judge ruled that buses are public forums and SEPTA cannot censor political speech.

Within twenty-four hours of the Islamophobic ads from Pamela Geller and the American Freedom Defense Initiative appearing on the buses of Philadelphia, anonymous Philadelphia residents responded creatively by slapping stickers on the ads, calling out “Hate speech”.

Philly residents may notice the resemblance between the sticker image and an ongoing SEPTA passenger etiquette campaign, “Dude, It’s Rude,” encouraging courtesy and etiquette among SEPTA passengers on issues ranging from cell phones, blocking the aisle, and riders not to take up two seats on the subway.

Surely Pamela Geller’s uncivilized hate speech disparaging Muslims is well beyond any measure of rudeness. Her incendiary ads, factually inaccurate, attempt to incite religious, racial, and ethnic resentment, prejudice, discrimination, and violence.

Philly rejects these messages.

The Interfaith Center of Philadelphia launched a Dare to Understand public messaging campaign, which includes a billboard planned for a public space in the city and the use of social media, to counter the noxious messaging of the Geller ads.

A few days before the bus ads appeared, Mayor Michael Nutter pre-emptively organized a rally in Love Park. Muslim, Christian, and Jewish clergy came together to promote a message of understanding and cooperation among diverse communities. The interfaith crowd of about 100 included political and religious individuals and groups that don’t usually stand on the same street corner when they demonstrate.

Philly may have found an antidote to the toxic bus ads. Taking a stand against hate seems to bring people together. The final joke may be on Pamela Geller.

Source: mondoweiss.net

There are not many places where families and airmen can experience the food and culture of 62 different countries in one place, yet, for one day a year, Maxwell Air Force Base transforms two hangers into a place where thousands come to celebrate International Culture Day.

This year’s International Culture Day was held Saturday and is traditionally a capstone event for military officers attending Air Command and Staff College at Air University. This year marked the first time in-resident Air War College students joined ACSC in the event together.

Walking into the hanger, visitors instantly smelled traditional meat and pastry dishes from Nigeria, Israel, France, Germany, Japan and a host of others from Asia, South America and the Middle East.

Denise Massie, from Scotland, and her three children came to the event with Massie’s mother. Massie’s husband is an officer attending School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at Maxwell Air Force Base and participated in last year’s event.

“The day is amazing, it’s nice to taste and smell the different countries and it’s educational for the kids,” Massie said. “Last year we did all the cooking so it’s nice to get out and see it all this year.”

Massie and her family tried cakes from Greece and food from Estonia.

The day is a chance for international officers attending AWC and ACSC to share their cultures with visitors through authentic cuisine, cultural dress, trinkets and music. Jesse Laroche, an international officer attending ACSC from Australia, was one of the organizers of the event.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some people to see cultures and talk to people from various countries around the world,” Laroche said. “I’m having a great time from Australia getting to see a lot of countries that I haven’t had the opportunity to interact with, so what a fantastic day.”

Each of the country’s representatives were given a booth to decorate with what they thought represented their country the best.

“We put a little display of what we think our culture is about, what we like to demonstrate to the world. Obviously, food is an important part of that in every culture; a little taste of what they have back home and an opportunity for people to talk about what their culture is about, their languages and history,” Laroche said.

In previous years, AWC and ACSC held separate international days a few weeks apart. This year, they decided to combine the events into one for convenience and draw, according to co-organizer Lt. Col Darcy Molstad of Canada.

“Combining the events has increased the size of it,” Molstad said. “We have 44 countries represented at AWC, so we bumped it up to 62 together, which is a significant increase. I think it’s going to be the model for the future, because it allows people to come here and in one shot embrace cultures from 62 nations of the world. It’s incredible.”

International Culture Day in the past has attracted more than 1,000 attendees and this year brought in nearly 3,000 because of the combined classes.

Maj. Musa Salmane, an officer in the Nigerian air force, is attending ACSC. His family came to stay with him in the United States, and it is their first time in the country. All of them participated in the event.

“This is a unique opportunity to showcase our traditions,” Salmane said. “I am overwhelmed with the reception we’ve received here and we have nothing to take back to our country except this feeling of goodwill and friendship. Honestly, this experience has changed my perception of America and positively changed the way we think toward America.”

Salmane’s wife, Hadiza Mohammed, served a hibiscus flower drink, called Zobo, kabobs and chicken.

The event aligns with one of Maxwell’s missions of building partnerships with foreign allies. Every year, the International Officer School at Maxwell graduates dozens of high-ranking officers from within other country’s militaries. After becoming adjusted to American culture and classrooms through IOS, international officers join the classes of AWC and ACSC.

Source: www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

Moroccan-born, New York-based photographer Lalla Essaydi (b. 1956) explores issues surrounding the role of women in Arab culture and their representation in the western European artistic tradition. Her large-scale photographs are based on nineteenth-century Orientalist paintings, but work to subvert those stereotyped and sexualized representations. Aside from their timely and provocative subject matter, Essaydi’s photographs are technically impressive. Behind each of her images is weeks of preparation, as the text is composed, the fabrics are dyed to match the setting in which they will appear, and the architectural backdrops are carefully constructed. The entire field of the almost life-size photographs appears in sharp focus, the result of her use of a large-format camera and traditional film.

Lalla Essaydi: Photographs includes ten works from three different series—Les Femmes du Maroc, Harem, and Bullets Revisited—presented in spaces throughout the museum. One group will be shown in the gallery dedicated to contemporary art, while others will be shown in the context of the Museum’s Permanent Collection: alongside examples of historic Middle Eastern tilework and calligraphy; with related European paintings; and as part of the discourse of Modern art.

This exhibition is accompanied by related programs including an Artist Talk on Saturday, March 28. Admission to Lalla Essaydi: Photographs and all special exhibitions is free for Museum members.
Not a member? Join now to attend for free.

Source: www.sdmart.org

The MENA region is one of the fastest growing gaming markets in the world – for game developers – and is expected to reach $3.2 billion in 2016.

The region has witnessed increasing interest from big game developers and publishers, from Ubisoft setting up shop in Abu Dhabi and looking to localize some of their most popular titles, to other global developers seeking to forge connections with local players at events such as the Dubai World Game Expo.

However, such an untapped market does come with challenges. Wamda Research reports that only 4% of regional companies that labeled themselves as belonging to the gaming industry were funded by VCs (although this may also be affected by angel activity). In addition, although the region seems to host some very hungry consumers, game producers are limited. So what’s the deal? Why aren’t we moving?

At last week’s MENA Games conference, the first of its kind to address the sector in the Middle East, the region’s known players, as well as international developers and publishers, gathered to give a diagnosis on opportunities and challenges. The general consensus was that a synthesis within the industry, as well as an effort to bring the community together, is much needed.

Source: www.wamda.com

The University of Mary Washington’s fifth annual Arab Culture Night was a lively event accompanied by local and student performers and provided attendants with a glimpse at another culture.

More than 600 hundred UMW community members attended the event, in addition to members of local Arab communities.

The event brought different cultures together for a festive evening of singing, dancing, eating and educating about Arabic culture. The evening began with a brief Arabic lesson and transitioned into a fashion show, followed by a performance from a local band.

The fashion show featured several types of Arabic styles, ranging from traditional dresses, such as the Kuwaiti jallabiya, to the more modern Egyptian khimaar. The vibrant day dress contrasted with muted evening gowns. While many of the dresses were similar in color and style, they represented the variety of style found in Arab fashion and culture.

Traditional men’s fashion was also featured, and UMW students modeled the clothes.

After the fashion show, DJ Kimo Band played upbeat songs that energized the audience. During the songs, the audience had the opportunity to participate in a line dance called the Debke. It is the national dance of many countries in the Middle East and southwest Asia and is often performed at festive occasions.

In Arabic culture, the audience is expected to give the performers vocal encouragement and affirmation to help foster community. The audience was not shy about interacting during this event, actively participating in the singing and dancing.

Sarah Starr Attkisson, a sophomore geology major, said that her favorite part of the night was the feeling of community.

“I love it when everyone gets up and dances to the music. Just the different cultures coming together is really amazing,” said Attkisson, who also attended the event last year.

The Debke Club is a student club that creates a fusion of traditional Arabic dances and mainstream dances, merging American and Arabic culture. Several members of the club are foreign exchange students, who bring their own cultural influences to the club.

Traditional Middle Eastern food was served throughout the night and consisted of appetizers such as Tabbouleh (traditional Lebanese salad), rice, shawerma and kabobs. For dessert, a popular cheese pastry called kunafeh was served.

Ye Ali, an audience member and UMW parent, said that the food was her favorite part of the event.

“I’m enjoying all the music and the community [feelings], but I’m honestly waiting for the food,” said Ali during the event.

The belly dancing is a crowd favorite year after year. Kiyaana, the belly dancer, began her performance with a candelabrum atop her head. This traditional technique requires the dancer to balance a single candle on her head, normally during wedding processions.

The candles represent light, love and prosperity, originally the dance performed with a candle, but now a candelabrum is used.

Belly dancing originated from the Middle East and comes from the French term “danse du ventre.”

Attendees were not disappointed at the fifth annual Arab Culture night. The always exciting event introduced the UMW community to new experiences, new cultures and exotic food.

Source: blueandgraypress.com

I’ve always been aware of the injustices British Muslims face, but I’ve sometimes doubted the narrative of the “Muslim victim”.
Why is it such a big deal if you’re singled-out every now and then because of your appearance? If you have nothing to hide, there should be no problem – just cooperate, surely? Security officers would never apply a blanket stop and search; they only stop potential criminals with good reason, right?

Wrong. Just over a month ago, I was about to arrive at border control at London Heathrow, having flown in from Dubai. Suddenly, I was pulled aside and told to hand over my passport. I smiled at the officer as she scrutinised what I was wearing from my headscarf to my sandals. She didn’t smile back.

Source: www.independent.co.uk

In a story March 27 about a ‘Little Syria’ exhibit going to Ellis Island, The Associated Press, due to incorrect information from the Arab American National Museum, erroneously reported the date the exhibit will open. It opens Oct. 1, 2016, not Oct. 1 of this year.

DETROIT (AP) — The Arab American National Museum is sending its exhibition about one of the earliest Arab-American settlements to Ellis Island, the same place where many of those immigrants first set foot in the U.S.

The “Little Syria” exhibit documents the once-thriving Lower Manhattan community that was home to many Arabs, including author and poet Khalil Gibran, and some of America’s first Arabic language newspapers during the immigration wave of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The exhibit was created by the Smithsonian-affiliated Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, a Detroit suburb that’s home to one of the nation’s largest Arab-American populations, with help from New York residents.

Arab museum director Devon Akmon told The Associated Press that having the exhibit at the historic immigrant gateway shares a largely unknown piece of history with an audience eager to learn about their own families’ immigration journeys as well as others.

“Our goal is always to place the Arab-American story in the context of the great American story,” he said.

Most of the neighborhood was razed to build the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and later the World Trade Center site.

Advocates long have lobbied to preserve, protect and promote the few remaining buildings: a church, community house and tenement. A neighborhood group worked with city officials to create and install a historical sign and six bench plaques in a nearby park commemorating the Washington Street neighborhood’s history and hopes to do more.

The traveling exhibit runs from Oct. 1, 2016 through Jan. 9, 2017, at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

The Michigan museum announced plans for the exhibit and other events Friday as part of its 10th anniversary in Dearborn. The city is often described as the capital of Arab America, with its several mosques, Arabic-signed restaurants and retail shops, and a large population that traces its roots to many Middle Eastern countries.

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Follow Jeff Karoub on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffkaroub

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

J. Walter Thompson Beirut, part of the marketing communications brand network in the Middle East and Africa has announced today its partnership with Fathallah Films in Lebanon for the red carpet premiere and MENA launch of “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet” film, produced by Salma Hayek-Pinault and directed by Roger Allers. The film’s world premiere in Beirut will be launched through a multi-channel integrated campaign centralized around the main theme of Gibran’s book, the spirit of humanity.

This is the first time Lebanon has ever hosted the world premiere of any film. “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet” is being distributed across MENA by Fathallah Films. The premiere’s red carpet event will be held on Monday 27 April 2015 at Cinema City in the Beirut Souks and released to the public on Thursday 30 April 2015.

Emmy award winning actor Salma Hayek-Pinault – who lends her voice to the character of Kamila in “Kahlil Gibran The Prophet” and is of Lebanese origin – will attend the red carpet event together with other Hollywood A-list stars, the film’s director Roger Allers – who is known for his work on ‘Beauty and The Beast’,‘Aladdin’ and ‘The Lion King’ and the film’s music composer, Oscar winning Lebanese, Gabriel Yared.

“We partnered with J. Walter Thompson because of their reputation for producing innovative solutions that ignite the consumer’s passion. The team in Beirut have done a tremendous job in a very short space of time, bringing alive the film’s enticing storyline and Gibran’s compassionate message, across multiple channels,” commented Mohamed Fathallah, Managing Director of Fathallah Films.

Virgin Radio, Lebanon will be rolling out an initiative on April 2 inviting Lebanese people to upload a photo of their humanitarian act of kindness to Instagram with the #MyGibranGoodDeed hashtag. Anyone residing in Lebanon is eligible to take part. The lucky winners will walk the red carpet and watch the world premiere with the stars, along with a selfie with Salma Hayek-Pinault.

The virtual unrolling of the premiere’s red carpet is tied to the nation’s good deeds on Instagram – the more good deeds uploaded to Instagram the more the red carpet is unrolled. The creative agency also created captivating communication assets for the launch using selected stills from the film as a starting point.

“We are so proud and happy to be part of such a great project. “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet” is the masterpiece of the most prominent Lebanese artist, philosopher and writer, and the animated feature comes today as an impeccable tribute that will be greatly appreciated by all audiencesfrom all ages. We worked together with Fathallah Films to create a one-of-a-kind memorable launch that gives the feature film the hype it most deserves,” shared Nicolas Geahchan, Executive Creative Director, J. Walter Thompson Beirut.

Since its publication, Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” has been translated into more than 40 languages, and sold over a 100 million copies worldwide. Fathallah Films released a magnificent 2’13” trailer, for the film’s launch in Lebanon and the rest of the Middle East, produced by The Refinery in California.

Source: arabianmarketer.ae

NGOs B’Tselem and Yesh Din on Wednesday filed a petition with the High Court of Justice asking it to compel Attorney- General Yehuda Weinstein and the IDF to reopen the closed investigation into the death of Bassem Abu Rahmeh in April 2009. Abu Rahmeh died after being hit by an IDF tear gas canister.

Source: www.jpost.com

NEW YORK: Scheherazade, the story-telling Arabian queen from “One Thousand and One Nights,” has captured the Western artistic imagination for centuries. In her latest incarnation, she is depicted by a violin as an empowered yet persecuted modern woman. John Adams, one of the leading contemporary U.S. composers, has created a new Scheherazade, who is pursued by religious fanatics in the turmoil of the Arab Spring, in a work that premiered last week at the New York Philharmonic.

Adams called his 40-minute work a dramatic symphony – the term coined by Berlioz for an orchestra pushing the boundaries of narrative – and the violin expresses the full range of emotion of Scheherazade.

Violinist Leila Josefowicz, a frequent collaborator with Adams, offered an intense performance as Scheherazade. Playing without notes, she visibly assumed the persona of her character, at times gazing in a steely manner with the poise of an opera singer.

Adams brought to stage a cimbalom, which from the very start of the work offered a Middle Eastern tinge to music rooted in the Western classical tradition.

A lush tone emerges in the second movement as two harps portray Scheherazade falling in love. Adams, in what he acknowledged was meant to be a provocative move, suggested that the relationship may be with a fellow woman.

The third movement is entitled “Scheherazade and the Men with Beards.” Zealots are represented arguing and condemning Scheherazade through blaring trombones, brusque movements of the string bass and imposing bass drums, as the violin responds with shriek-like arpeggios.

Scheherazade ultimately escapes and finds refuge, but the work ends not with a black-and-white triumph but with a gentle touch of the violin as if showing doubt about the future.

Scheherazade – depicted in “One Thousand and One Nights” as the queen who reads a tale each night to appease a jealous king who put to death his previous brides – has been a favorite theme for Orientalist artists in the West, who rejoiced in exoticizing the Islamic world.

Musically, Scheherazade inspired works at the turn of the last century by the French composer Maurice Ravel and the Russian Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Partially in tribute to the still-popular Rimsky-Korsakov composition, Adams entitled his dramatic symphony “Scheherazade.2.”

Yet it is difficult to cast Adams as a simple neo-Orientalist. He has devoted himself to tackling complex contemporary events including the September 11 attacks and the dawn of the atomic age.

Most controversially, Adams wrote “The Death of Klinghoffer,” a 1991 opera that explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the killing of wheelchair-bound Jewish American Leon Klinghoffer by Palestinian hijackers on the Achille Lauro cruise ship.

The opera enraged some pro-Israel groups, especially as Palestinian characters make anti-Semitic remarks. Protesters repeatedly disrupted a production last year at the Metropolitan Opera, around the corner from the New York Philharmonic.

Adams said that he was inspired to write the dramatic symphony after a visit to Paris where he saw an exhibition on Scheherazade at the Institut du Monde Arabe. He later reread “One Thousand and One Nights.”

“I was absolutely shocked and appalled by how casual the brutality towards women was,” he said at the premiere. “And at the same time, I was looking at the Internet and seeing these images of women being oppressed by ‘true believers.’”

In the program notes, Adams said that a Scheherazade of modern times could be the “woman in the blue bra” who was infamously beaten in Egypt’s Tahrir Square or, outside the Arab world, Iranian student Neda Agha-Soltan who died in 2009 opposition protests.

But he added: “We see examples – if not quite so graphic, nonetheless profoundly disturbing – from everywhere in the world, including in our own country and even on our own college campuses.”

“Scheherazade.2” will be played in coming months around the world, including by the London Symphony Orchestra in October.

Source: www.dailystar.com.lb

In order to expose students to Arab culture, the Arab Student Association will host a cultural night entitled “Layalina” on Thursday.
Layalina, which means “Our Night,” is the RSO’s annual event that encompasses food, dancing, music and other performances. It will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Illini Union Courtyard Cafe.
“We are hoping for a big turn out and to have a fun experience for Arabs and non-Arabs alike,” said Noor Qaddour, vice president of ASA and junior in AHS. “We want the whole campus to experience our culture.”
According to Qaddour, a DJ will be present at Layalina, as well as Arabic calligraphy, Henna stations and various Arab desserts like baklava, which includes phyllo dough, nuts and a sweet syrup.
Lina Al-Chaar, ASA president and senior in LAS, thinks the dancing is the best part of the night.
“I love seeing non-Arabs dancing,” she said. “It’s fun when everyone gets together.”
Both Al-Chaar and Qaddour got involved with ASA early on in their college lives.
“I was a freshman and [Al-Chaar] was a sophomore,” Qaddour said. “Her and a few other people told me to come to meetings, and I liked the atmosphere. It felt like home.”
Al-Chaar agreed, saying she felt welcomed by the ASA members when she joined.
“I saw lots of similarities between the people,” Al-Chaar said.
Elizabeth Ochoa-Raya, senior in LAS, said she has been going to ASA events since last spring because the RSO shows off its culture.
“I’ve always been interested in different cultural events,” she said. “I had a lot of fun at [my first ASA event].”
Ochoa-Raya said she went to ASA’s “Arabian Nights” event last semester, which showcased Arab culture through crafts, music and food. She said she enjoyed how the different Arab customs were explained through informational booths on Palestine and Egypt.

Source: www.dailyillini.com

JERUSALEM — If the speaker of the House visits Israel and does not say anything substantive, does it have any effect on the troubled relations between Washington and Jerusalem?

Much ado was made in both capitals when it was discovered that Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, would lead a congressional delegation to Israel this week. It was Mr. Boehner, after all, who had invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to speak before Congress, against White House wishes, about the emerging nuclear deal with Iran.

The Israel visit, coming two weeks after an election that handed Mr. Netanyahu a fourth term and coinciding with a deadline in the Iran negotiations, was derided as an unseemly victory lap. Critics said it could only deepen accusations of mutual meddling in domestic politics, especially amid the postelection furor in the Obama administration about Mr. Netanyahu’s campaign statements ruling out a Palestinian state and appearing to denigrate Arab citizens.

Source: www.nytimes.com