Author Archives: Arab America

It is the art of war.

A new exhibit in Crown Heights will highlight works that explore life in and life beyond war-torn countries and conflict zones.

“Artistic Weapons of Mass Communication,” which opens at Five Myles gallery in Crown Heights on April 25, features pieces by artists with roots in the Middle East who are inspired by struggles in the region — resulting in a show that runs much deeper than the average exhibition, said an organizer.

“We need to see more work that shows that artists are anguished and not just looking after their career, but expressing their deepest despair,” said gallery director Hanne Tierney. “We have never before shown artists like these who have such incredible existential concerns.”

Two artists in the exhibition both focus their works on the experience of Palestinians who have been displaced from their homes because of the years long Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Tierney said. Palestinian-American artist Rajie Cook, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. before he was born, does this by creating intricately constructed miniature silent theaters that he attaches to walls. John Halaka, who is Palestinian and was born in Egypt, creates fabric photographs out of fragmented portraits, taking faces apart and putting them back together.

Iran-born artist Samira Abbassy has contributed a multi-panel oil painting called “Eternal War,” that looks at the repeated patterns of war, genocide, occupation, and exile throughout history. The gesso panels depict holy wars through the ages, from the Crusades through to today’s conflicts.

Tierney said the works in the show are more profound than art for art’s sake.

“I am very drawn to art that does something very important rather than just drawing on itself, and that is what is happening here,” said Tierney

“Artistic Weapons of Mass Communication” at Five Myles [558 Saint Johns Pl. between Classon and Franklin avenues in Crown Heights, (718) 783–4438, www.fivemyles.org]. April 25 at 5 pm. Free. Show runs through May 24.

Reach reporter Danielle Furfaro at dfurfaro@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–2511. Follow her at twitter.com/DanielleFurfaro.

Source: www.brooklyndaily.com

We grew up in a world intimately tied to the land of our parents and grandparents. Olive oil, in particular, has always been a staple of daily life. We ate bread soaked in olive oil with breakfast, lunch and dinner. We drank a spoonful of olive oil when we had a sore throat. We rubbed olive oil on our rashes, used it as a hair mask, and reached for it when our bikes have a squeaky wheel. Ours is an unexplainable cherishing of olive oil.

I only recognized where my Palestinian-American family’s obsession stemmed from in my travels to the West Bank to visit my grandparents. In this village near Ramallah, olive trees dot hills as far as the eye can see. To the right is Jerusalem, far in the distance. And a lone Israeli settlement stood a few hills away. Each summer we returned, and each summer it seemed that another hill was cleared of its olive trees, bearing another settlement on confiscated Palestinian land closer than the one before. When I was a teenager, my grandfather walked me to the olive orchards near his home.

“They’ve been annexed,” he explained in Arabic — this land, these olive trees, they were no longer his. I looked at the trees around me, and understood for the first time why olive oil was like gold to my family.

On April 20-22, University undergraduates will vote on the Princeton Divests Coalition’s referendum calling on the University to divest from multinational corporations that profit from the military occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of the Gaza Strip. As one of the few (or maybe only) Palestinian undergraduates on campus, my involvement stems from personal experiences above all else.

I have waited at Israeli-administered military checkpoints to travel throughout the West Bank: to get to Ramallah, from Ramallah to Bethlehem, and then crossing the border from Bethlehem to Jerusalem for Friday prayer. But it is not the hours spent at these checkpoints that make them contemptible as much as the humiliation exacted on Palestinian civilians who wait there. People are penned close together in a winding line, waiting to approach a metal detector surrounded by two soldiers with rifles and another soldier aiming a machine gun at the next Palestinian in line. Meeting the eyes of that soldier was probably the most disconcerting moment of my life — he saw no humanity in my eyes, the object of yet another security check. And I could certainly see none in his, aiming a machine gun at my chest.

Considering solely the experience at a typical West Bank checkpoint, it is no wonder that this conflict has not reached even the semblance of a solution. Forty-eight years of occupation have bred deep mistrust, scuttling hopes for a peaceful solution to the conflict. Dismantling this systematic oppression would create a space to improve relations. Divestment is a key step toward achieving this critical goal.

Perhaps the most antagonizing element of the occupation that I have witnessed is the constant Israeli patrol over Palestinian villages, aided by tools of discriminatory surveillance from which the referendum seeks to divest. A sniper tower stands at the outskirts of my grandparents’ village guarding a settlement highway that only Israelis—not Palestinians—are permitted to use, threatening anyone who comes close to it. A tank rides through the village regularly, backing up when children chase it and fling whatever rocks they could find at it. Once, when a group of teenagers were throwing rocks at the tank as it rolled down our street, they were blasted with a stun grenade. Coming from suburban New Jersey, I thought it was a bomb. Little did I know the unconventional tools of occupation.

I’ve known the occupation all too well, and I know that no Princeton student would support the repression it breeds. I speak here only to give perspective on an issue that has thus far been treated as a political debate and a set of statistics on this campus. The occupation of the West Bank is more than that. It is not the answer to Israel’s security concerns, nor does it make a peaceful two-state solution possible. It, instead, is the destruction of the Palestinian economy. It is the stifling of young Palestinians’ educational and employment opportunities by restricting freedom of movement via checkpoints and an arcane permit system, rendering a commute to work or school nearly impossible. It is the forced removal of Palestinians from their homes in al-Khalil (Hebron) to make way for an imported settler family. It is the confiscation of land and olive trees.

This is the Israeli military occupation that the divestment campaign hopes to bring to an end.

Lina Saud is a Wilson School major from Princeton, N.J. She can be reached at lsaud@princeton.edu.

Source: dailyprincetonian.com

For most Americans, the Atlas Mountains are a faraway place of dreams.

For me, it has been an unspeakable joy when I wake up each day to see the majestic mountains that rise more than 13,000 feet across the northwestern stretch of Africa.

Since January, I have spent the spring semester in the International Studies Abroad program in Morocco.

A junior international studies and finance major at the University of West Florida, I earned a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

Thanks to the scholarship, I am able to study Moroccan culture and Arabic, one of the most difficult, ancient languages in the world.

The Gilman Scholarship is offered to students with little financial means to pursue academic studies in a foreign country.

It is an opportunity of a lifetime to be among the 800 students awarded the prestigious scholarship out of more than 2,700 applicants.

I also was one of 60 students selected to receive the Gilman Critical Need Language Award.

My trip is not only educational, but it also is a cultural and socially enriching experience. Of 26 students in the program, I am the only one from Florida. Women, however, make up the majority of the program. Statistics show they study abroad more often than men, and the statistics are significantly lower for minority students.

As a scholarship recipient, I am honored to shine a bright light on UWF, showcasing that we can compete with top institutions across the nation.

This recognition will hopefully open doors to an institute for Middle Eastern Studies at UWF. I want to be the trailblazer for making that happen. Currently, UWF does not have a strong Middle Eastern Studies program like Florida State University.

Civilization here brings a fresh outlook because I get to sample traditions and cultures from history’s past. It reminds me of Florida because of the cultural diversity. One morning my Arabic professor paused to ask the class, “Where are your roots? Because I do not know mine.”

Many citizens identify as Moroccan, but it is difficult to trace their ancestry like many of us can in the U.S. There are some cultural similarities and differences between Morocco and America. Moroccans love American culture, from clothes to literature (like Tennessee Williams) to food to music.

In Morocco, I’ve eaten some of the most delicious foods like Cous-Cous, a famous Moroccan dish prepared in Tangines.

I live in a dormitory-style apartment with five other students. We have a house mom. She treats us like her children and her food tastes like love.

Twice a day, for six days, she prepares home grown and organic meals. Baked desserts are delicious almost daily treats. It is custom that lunch is the most important meal of the day with heavy preparation, and dinner serves as a light incentive.

Studying Arabic in Morocco has been a rewarding experience and will help address the need for students with critical language capabilities, as we are currently dealing with diplomatic challenges in the Middle East and the damages they could pose to the international community.

It will benefit me because I am exposing myself to a unique and fascinating culture and marketing myself to possible global job opportunities.

Language skills are imperative in today’s global job market. Arabic is a “critical need” language. A “critical need” language is a term used by the United States to highlight a large demand for non-Western languages (such as Arabic) for which there is little supply in language professionals in that area.

In-class instruction is the best way to learn the language.

To understand Arabic, you must learn to read right to left. I am in class about 3 hours a day, four days a week, but we move at a moderate pace. Because of the grammar, it has proven challenging in the past couple months.

Yet, I try to apply what I learned in the classroom. Even though Arabic is the official language of Morocco, French is the second unofficial language and it is popular largely due to French colonization in the early 1900s.

My favorite class is Arab media, because it is the only class I use English to discuss international media and its connection to Middle Eastern issues. We talk about the influence of news organizations like Al-Jazeera, Al-Hurra, and Al-Arabiya, and how dictatorial government controls the press.

One afternoon, after my presentation, my Arab media professor said to me: “As a Floridian, I thought you were going to give me a bunch of mishmash. Today, you gave Florida a star. I think you did excellent! Now I visit Florida.”

As a first generation Jamaican-American, I never dreamed I would travel so far to study a foreign language.

I have soaked up a vast amount of knowledge, but my stay in Morocco is not nearly enough to fully grasp the language.

I have been accepted to further my studies this summer in Arabic at Middlebury College, a prestigious Vermont-based liberal arts institution.

I hope to attend Middlebury’s Arabic school in Oakland, Calif., but I may not be able to go because my mother, a single parent, who also takes cares of my sister with Down’s syndrome, can’t afford the expenses.

The program costs $11,425. I received a $6,000 scholarship. I added my meager savings of $365. I have until May to come up with the remaining $5,000.

This program is expensive, but it is an investment, a program that comes with many benefits. It increases my chance of getting into my dream school, Georgetown University, as well as starting my career at either the United Nations or any international organization.

A Malayan proverb says that one can pay back the loan of gold, but one is forever in debt to those who are kind.

My studies end on April 30, and I return to the states on May 2. It has been a most enjoyable and educational experience that I will always cherish and remember.

I can never pay back the people who have helped me gain this wonderful learning experience.

But the long-term benefits will greatly outweigh the costs.

Source: pensacolatoday.com

Hazem Aljesr spent his early years in Lebanon, where he was born and Saudi Arabia where he was brought up. He continued his journey in the US and UK where he set off to pursue higher education, getting a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a minor in Art History and an MBA in marketing.
“I’m just someone who is very passionate about art and design, and I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to share what I love with other people and try to provide them with a source of inspiration,” he said.
Starting his career at Tom Dixon Design studios in London, which is a design and manufacturing company of lighting and furniture, Aljesr gained experience in the world of high-end design. His work has been acquired by museums across the globe including leading names such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of Modern Art New York and Center Georges Pompidou, Paris.
After gaining extensive experience, he felt confident enough to return to the Middle East in 2006 and open his very own branding, Web and design firm, Zoom Creative in Riyadh. Zoom Creative is now one of the premiere design firms in the region, garnering in the process, 18 Pan Arab Web design awards and expanding its offices to Beirut, Lebanon.
“Zoom Creative is an award-winning design firm that offers a variety of services including branding and corporate identity, print design, interactive design, product and promotional design, as well as commercial space branding,” he said. “When Zoom Creative launched in 2006, it presented a different design philosophy to the region, and people really responded to our approach and to our results, so Zoom became popular very quickly. We worked very hard and we have always had a great team. I’m still very proud of the outstanding work that Zoom Creative continues to do today,” he added. We met with Aljesr to talk about his experience, his brand and his future plans.

Source: www.arabnews.com

By Lina Abirafeh, PhD Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies Specialist and ABAAD Advisory Board Member Globally, one in three females are affected by gender-based violence (GBV) – rape, domestic violence, and other forms. This affects every country – and it is the responsibility of men and women alike to stand together to end this abuse at … Continued

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., internationally acclaimed author Dr. Jack Shaheen, esteemed poet and writer Dr. Khaled Mattawa among attendees DETROIT – ACCESS, the largest Arab American human services organization in the nation, will celebrate its 44th anniversary this Saturday, April 25, at 6 p.m., at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance … Continued

St Louis is hosting a Robotics world event, FIRST Championship, this April, 22 through 25. This is a competition of robotics teams made up of students of ages 9 to 16 years, from around the world. The Arab countries and the Middle East will be represented by teams from Egypt, Jordan (2), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia … Continued

The 20th Century was a time when Egyptian arts, and especially music, had ripened and matured to an extent that raised the bar for many generations of artists to come.

To honour the Egyptian musicians and singers who are considered pillars of Egyptian culture, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture announced on Sunday its intentions to build a museum that preserves the history and heritage of the Egyptian greats of music.

According to the statement released by the ministry, Abdel Wahed Al-Nabawy, Egyptian Minister of Culture stressed on “the necessity of established a museum under the name “Museum of Egyptian Art” to include the heritage of numerous Egyptian musical greats, with Abdel Halim at the forefront.”

Dubbed one of the Great Four of Arabic music (among Umm Kulthum, Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Farid  Al Attrash), Abdel Halim Hafez, who was both an actor and a singer, is considered as in icon in modern Arabic music.

In the light of the announcement, Al-Nabawy paid Abdel Halim’s family a visit at the late artist’s home on Sunday. Abdel Halim’s niece who hosted the minister agreed to provide the ministry with all the possible facilities in order to preserve Abdel Halim’s heritage and safe keep his personal belongings.

Although the statement does not mention a date or place for the establishment of the mentioned museum, Al-Nabawy said that the space dedicated to Abdel Halim will “include his personal belongings, musical instruments, and a complete archive of his patriotic songs, sheet music, and lyrics.”

Despite the great contributions to the era following the 1952 revolution, the Ministry of Culture has only paid tribute to a few artists by preserving their personal belongings in museums.

Among those few are Umm Kulthum whose museum rests on the Manial Island in Cairo, and Mohamed Abdul Wahab whose possessions are preserved in museum within the Institute of Arabic Music.

Source: egyptianstreets.com

When I was growing up in Dubai, my favorite after-school snack was “manaqeesh bi zaatar,” a warm flatbread smeared with a deep green paste made of olive oil and the beloved Middle Eastern spice blend, zaatar.

Rolled up with some creamy labneh and fresh tomatoes, it’s still the snack I crave today.

The recipe varies by family and region: The Lebanese use a lot of sumac, while the Palestinians add a little nutty caraway. No matter its composition, you’ll find zaatar on everything from pastries and bread to salads and kebabs.

Think of zaatar as the pinch hitter of your spice cabinet.

This Feb. 2, 2015 photo shows spice used in honey zaatar glazed rack of lamb in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)
Whether you’re out of Herbes de Provence, poultry seasoning or just plain old dried thyme, zaatar will fill in nicely, punctuating your fish, chicken, meat and vegetables with its distinctive grass-and-sour flavor.

It pairs particularly well with lamb, a meat I think of in spring.

So this year, I used it to season a honey-glazed rack of lamb.

Honey-zaatar glazed rack of lamb

This Feb. 2, 2015 photo shows honey zaatar glazed rack of lamb in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)
NOTE: If the zaatar contains salt, cut back on the amount of salt you add during cooking.

Start to finish: 40 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 4

– 2 racks of lamb (each weighing about 1 1/2 pounds), frenched and trimmed of fat and silver skin

– 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

– Ground black pepper

– 2 teaspoons zaatar, plus extra

– 2 tablespoons honey

– 1 teaspoon lemon zest

– 2 teaspoons lemon juice

– 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

– 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

– 2 to 3 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold both racks of lamb with foil. Set the baking sheet in the oven.

Season the lamb racks with salt, pepper and a light dusting of zaatar. Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the glaze.

In a small bowl, stir together 2 teaspoons of zaatar, the honey, lemon zest and juice, vinegar and mustard, along with a hefty pinch of salt. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. One at a time, add the racks of lamb, meat-side down. Cook until golden brown with a nice crust, about 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully flip, then brown on the other sides for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Carefully remove the heated baking sheet from the oven. Transfer the lamb to the baking sheet, meat side up. Paint honey-zaatar mixture onto the meat with a pastry brush, making sure to brush the bottoms and sides, too. Place the lamb in the oven and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the meat at the center of the rack reads 135 degrees.

Remove the lamb from the oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice the lamb bones into either single or double chops, sprinkle with a little extra salt, pepper and zaatar.

Source: www.dailystar.com.lb

The UAE would not be the success story it is today without the valuable input of foreign labour and expertise. Our young country has invited people from around the world to share in its vision and to prosper from the diverse opportunities it offers. The process of nation-building has created a multicultural society, but it has also created something of an imbalance. Half of the respondents to a YouGov survey commissioned by The National believe that there is a danger of our country’s Arabic culture being eroded by outside influences. And a third of Emirati respondents believe that expatriates should have at least some understanding of local culture.

It is clearly the responsibility of people who intend to work in another country to learn as much as they can about its heritage and traditions before they get on the plane. As Emirati Khalifa Al Mansoori told the paper: “I think people should do their homework and understand the culture, Islam and what the UAE is all about.” However, Dr Jane Bristol-Rhys, an associate professor of anthropology at Zayed University, noted that sometimes even people who have lived in the UAE for many years know nothing of its history.

Expatriate workers must acknowledge that they are guests in a country with a rich and unique heritage, and proud traditions. Individuals should not only educate themselves before committing to come here, they should be encouraged to engage with Arab culture after they arrive. And that can start in the workplace. Employers – many of whom greatly benefit from the low cost of doing business in the UAE – could help give back to the country by ensuring that all new workers are equipped with information packs and opportunities to engage with the local culture.

A good place to start would be with Arabic-language lessons. Many expatriates socialise only with people from their own country, speaking almost exclusively in their own language. Free, or subsidised, Arabic lessons could open up a whole new world to them. Speaking, or attempting to speak, Arabic indicates a seriousness of intent and a genuine desire to be a part of the community that is likely to be rewarded in terms of nurturing friendships and business networks.

And, of course, learning a language and immersing yourself in a different culture has its own great rewards in terms of personal development and emotional fulfilment.

Source: www.thenational.ae

Young Lebanese-Canadian lyric soprano Miriam Khalil has started to make a name for herself on Canadian opera and concert stages. The University of Ottawa alumna will be appearing at Chamberfest this summer, as Elvira in #UncleJohn, the po-mo Don Giovanni update by Toronto’s Against the Grain Theatre. Saturday night, she was in town with pianist Julien Leblanc, a frequent collaborator, for a recital that mixed familiar soprano repertoire with Arabic songs that were less well known (at least to non Arabic-speakers).

Source: ottawacitizen.com

In recent years, Palestinian artists have gained fame on popular TV talent contests broadcast across the region, enabling the conflict-ridden territory to display a new kind of “soft power,” UAE-based daily Gulf News reported on Sunday.

The most prominent example may be Mohammad Assaf, a 23-year-old Palestinian whose voice wowed judges and fans, catapulting him to victory on the Middle East Broadcasting Center’s (MBC Group) Arab Idol TV talent contest in the summer of 2013.

Assaf’s own path to winning – and even entering the contest – had not been smooth. After a two day drive to the Egyptian capital Cairo, he had jumped over the hotel wall to get a chance at entering the contest, and showed up without having registered. After singing in the hotel lobby, another Palestinians contestant surrendered his place in the auditions, saying that Assaf had a “much better voice.”

Source: english.alarabiya.net