Author Archives: Arab America

Artist Faayea Almai has turned the beauty of his city into works of art. Through his art, Almai wants to acquaint people with Abha and show the heritage, convictions and culture of people of the area.
His artwork has been praised by audiences at 60 exhibitions both inside and outside the Kingdom. He has won the Prince Khaled Al-Faisal Visual Art Competition twice, once in visual arts and the other in photography. While his artistry delights people in Abha, an international audience has also expressed appreciation for his work.
Almai says he would never have reached this level of achievement had it not been for his parents who supported him and nurtured his passion. “I was always lucky to have their support. They never hesitated in buying me whatever I needed. Their patience was wonderful when I painted art on the walls of our house and on my father’s papers.”
His father’s experience and interest in literature and his mother’s eye for detail helped shape his talent.
Almai recalls when he first appreciated the importance of art. “I had taken part in my first exhibition and my painting was the only one bought.” He explained that the price paid for his work encouraged him to do better work and produce more serious works.
Support also came from school and university where Almai was often asked to draw students and teachers.
He remembers how his black pencils were always in his pockets as he ventured into experimenting with new paintings and colors. Sketches, portraits and drawings covered the pages of his notebooks.
On the official level, Almai says he enjoyed the support of many leaders including “the intellectual pioneer Prince Khaled Al-Faisal whose words always gave me new and wider horizons.”
Almai believes that there are many things that makes his art special. “Simplicity is the key,” he says. “I strive for credibility and simplicity and closeness to the environment as I want to reach all segments of society through my art,” he told Arab News.
“I am in love with details, shapes, elements and colors and I draw whatever I see in front of me,” he said.
The most important tools for Almai are thoughts, emotions and imagination and then comes the experience of combining those and turning a blank canvas into art. “The most important part is the process when the artist translates the visions into reality through the shapes and spaces and colors addressing the audience,” he explained, pointing out that art is a principal tool of communication that reaches the hearts and minds of people from different cultures and nationalities. “Hence it is crucial for the artist to be aware of his message and the discussions it will trigger, particularly when it comes to the best representations of our religion.”
Almai says that he and many artists from Asir, both male and female, are receiving wide recognition and are helping art in the Kingdom. He highlighted the role of female visual artists who were able to establish their presence locally. “I hope that these artists will receive international recognition,” he said.
Where many Saudi artists are gaining fame, Almai says that Saudi art is in a state of qualitative development in which it is getting closer to that in other Arab countries. He believes, however, that much can still be done in the field of art criticism. “This field is still far from where we want it to be and we are in need of better critics that will bring our art to a higher stage,” he added.

Source: www.arabnews.com

Behind the Fun looks at area nightspots and the people who own or manage them.

Who can forget the hookah-smoking caterpillar in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”? Without its advice, Alice may have never returned to her normal height.

“The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.

“‘Who are you?’ said the Caterpillar.”

One could argue that his reflective disposition displays priceless hookah wisdom: tranquil and contemplative.

Luckily for those of us in Erie, Casablanca Hookah Lounge offers a similar opportunity for serendipitous conversation and reflection. Decorated with plush couches and traditional handwoven tapestries from Cairo, it’s one of the few places downtown offering an alcohol-free night life experience. Ornate, beaded lamps glow with amber light in the dim, subdued atmosphere. Long panels of earthtone linens drape from the ceiling high above soft couches and floor pillows.

“The hookah lounge in our culture is a way of socializing,” said co-owner Darin Masri, whose family is originally from Syria. “People in the Middle East don’t drink alcohol.”

Hookahs are water pipes that are used to smoke specially made tobacco that comes in different flavors. Casablanca Hookah Lounge has a choice selection of nicotine and nicotine-free flavored tobaccos, many of which are blended in house.

“Everything we use is top of the line,” said Masri. “Our hookahs are not commercially made. They are antiques imported from Cairo. These hookahs are for real hookah smokers.”

Quality is a priority for the Masris, who also own Casablanca Grill and Casablanca Sandwich Express. Darin Masri and her younger brother Feras, a recent graduate of George Mason University, run the businesses with their parents, Badrieh and Mohamad Masri.

The hookahs at Casablanca are impeccably maintained and look new, lacking any sign of rust or stains, even after years of use. They are cleaned and sanitized every night, and the hoses are color-coded according to the flavors.

“A lot of people tell me they’ve had this flavor before somewhere else, but it surpasses what they’ve had in the past,” said Masri.

“I don’t use double hoses. All our hookahs are one hose. Two hoses, you burn it way quicker. With one hose … you can still taste the flavor after hours of smoking it.”

Easing into Casablanca’s dreamlike décor, the loop of traditional Arabic music and the soothing sound of the water drawing up the hookah pipe, patrons can fully relish the flavor of relaxation.

Source: www.goerie.com

Mayssa Karaa performing at the Abu Dhabi Festival. (Image: Facebook)   No matter how catchy the song, if the lyrics aren’t written in English it’s unlikely to make it into the top 10 in English-speaking countries. There are exceptions to the rule, of course. South Korean musician Psy’s ubiquitous “Gangnam Style” or Belgian performer Stromae’s … Continued

Tammam Azzam, “The Syrian, I,” 2012. (Photos courtesy of Abu Dhabi Festival) Lalla Essaydi, “Harem Revisited #36,” 2012. (Photos courtesy of Abu Dhabi Festival) Hassan Meer, “Reflection from Memory,” 2009. (Photos courtesy of Abu Dhabi Festival)   By India Stoughton| The Daily Star ABU DHABI: A woman walking briskly through the gallery’s snaking exhibition layout, paying … Continued

Described in the Lonely Planet Tunisia travel guide as “an underground thespian haunt… as boho as Tunis gets,” Tunis’ Etoile du Nord theater is a focal point for cultural life in the city. Founded in 2000 by Sonia Zarg Ayouna and Noureddine El Ati, the converted warehouse plays host to a theater and popular cafe frequented by a diverse – if predominantly young – clientele. Indeed, the theater has been the focus of international media attention, with the New York Times portraying it as “a cafe where the spirit of the Arab Spring lives on.”

Acknowledging the cafe’s somewhat subversive reputation, actress, director and company co-founder Sonia Zarg Ayouna was slightly more subdued in her assessment. “The New York Times article described the theater at a very specific time…We have a certain clientele – bloggers, the gay community, girls who want to sit here on their own without being harassed – who we know and who know us, but these days people meet, discuss, exchange ideas wherever they like, not just here.”

The atmosphere on the warm March afternoon Tunisia Live visited was suitably sedate, with many clients explaining that the cafe is simply a convenient place to work. Anwar, 29 and unemployed, Mohammed a 22 year-old IT student, and Sahar, a 27 year-old architect, met there to discuss a project, telling Tunisia Live: “It’s very calm here – it’s a good meeting space. It’s known for being a cultural center, but we just came here because it’s convenient.”

Two cafe regulars working together at Etoile du Nord cafe. Credit: Jennifer Ciochon, Tunisia Live.
Raja, a 28 year-old who owns her own beauty school, explained how she liked the fact that she could work without fear of harassment: “I know most of the people here, and if I have any problems I can talk to the waitress or the owner. It’s also a good place to come during Ramadan.”

As well as hosting the cafe, l’Etoile du Nord also remains an important cultural center, especially for Tunis’ theater scene. Despite the lack of a theater industry in Tunisia – audience numbers are chronically low and there are very few Tunisian playwrights – the company produces several free productions a year.

Around seventy percent of the theater’s income comes from the cafe; the rest is provided by the Ministry of Culture. Although public funding depends on the opinions of an independent panel – who subjectively assess a production’s quality – the theater does not need an official permit from the panel to perform plays, which was a requirement in the past. Nevertheless, financial aid is very modest, explaining the theater’s dependence on its cafe and its loyal clientele.

Although theater can often be seen as catering to an elite, Zarg Ayouna challenges the assumption that an appreciation of theater and the performing arts is necessarily tied to wealth: “The problem is that we conflate culture and leisure – of course when people are struggling ‘leisure’ is a luxury, I understand that, but culture shouldn’t be a luxury”

In addition to holding free performances given at the theatre – a practice l’Etoile du Nord is keen to maintain, despite the difficult economic climate – the company also endeavours to tour to regions where access to the arts – and particularly the dramatic arts – is scarce: “Places like Sidi Bouzid are impoverished both economically and culturally – culture is centred in Tunis, as it always has been. Everything is concentrated in the capital, and the rest is forgotten.”

Sonia Zarg Ayouna, co-owner of cafe Etoile du Nord. Credit: Jennifer Ciochon, Tunisia Live.
The content of the work presented by the theater is also an important part of its identity, with many of its productions pushing societal boundaries and taboos. Zarg Ayouna brings up a play several years ago about a topic unexplored and to her, ignored, in Tunisia: hermaphroditism.

“I think these days when people don’t talk about certain issues, it’s a form of self-censorship – they’re scared of moving away from entertainment and raising ideas that not everyone is comfortable with. I’m not here to persuade people about certain topics, but I want to create a discussion. ”

Indeed, despite widespread proliferation of social media and increased freedom of press, cultural transgressions can meet sometimes violent reactions in Tunisia. Recent examples include the much-publicized screening of (and subsequent backlash to) the Franco-Iranian film Persepolis, and even the censoring of the globally popular TV series Game of Thrones.

Polemics aside, it is hard not to become caught-up in the missionary verve of the theater’s intentions. Although it might not quite live up to its reputation as an underground revolutionary haunt, its ultimate mission – theater for the people – is compelling. Far from patronizing its audience, l’Etoile du Nord instead wishes to play a societal role by truly opening access to culture, an objective that few western theater companies succeed in contemplating, let alone realizing.

Zarg Ayouna therefore defines l’Etoile du Nord’s mission as an ultimately social one: “Someone who has never been exposed to culture – to art, to literature, to cinema, to theater – doesn’t feel a need for it. But they must be able to have a taste for it first – we have to open doors for them, offer culture to the world. People should be able to create their own modes of cultural expression.”

Source: www.tunisia-live.net

At Monday’s mayor and council meeting, Mayor Jud Ashman and the City Council issued two proclamations designating days in April for commemorating the contributions and struggles of different groups.

The first proclamation designated April 2015 as Arab-American Heritage Month in the city, in recognition of the contributions of Arab-Americans to the national and local economy and culture.

 “Montgomery County is home to a thriving Arab-American community whose valued presence has added to the rich cultural mosaic of our community,” the proclamation read in part. Juliet Francisco, a longtime volunteer for Gaithersburg’s Multicultural Affairs Committee, accepted the proclamation.

On April 20, the Multicultural Affairs Committee will host a free public celebration at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park where Gaithersburg students will showcase achievements of Arab-Americans in the fields of science, entertainment, politics and sports.

The evening’s second proclamation designated April 12-19 as “Days of Remembrance” to honor the memory of the millions of Jewish victims murdered during the Holocaust.

“The history of the Holocaust offers an opportunity to reflect on the moral responsibilities of individuals, societies and governments,” read the proclamation. Jacob Blumenthal, Rabbi of Shaare Torah Congregation, and Connie Liss, Shaare Torah’s Executive Board President, accepted the proclamation.

“My mother was a survivor of one concentration camp, my father another,” Liss said. “As I grew up in their household, one was a speaker of her history, the other not so much. What I came to learn throughout my childhood and into my adulthood is how important it was to remember it and to learn from any and all experiences that we can, and so I thank the city and the council for using this as an opportunity to bring this to our attention, to learn from it and to teach with it.”

On April 15, Shaare Torah will host a documentary screening of “Blue Tattoo,” which chronicles the experiences of Liss’ mother as an inmate at Auschwitz and her efforts to teach others about the experience after the war.

The morning after the mayor and council issued the proclamation, police found 11 swastikas spray-painted on the walls of the Shaare Torah synagogue. Gaithersburg police are conducting an investigation to determine the identity of the person or people responsible.

Aaron Rosenzweig, a Gaithersburg resident who owns five pet chickens and has launched a petition to repeal the city’s ban on owning roosters, testified for the eighth time Monday in support of this cause, joined by his son Akiva and daughter Rachel.

“I ask you tonight, if all my immediate neighbors are happy with my family and our choice of pets, why did Animal Control visit us five times?” Rosenzwieg said in his testimony. “Why did Animal Control try to take our birds away? Why did the city harass us? If you cannot come up with an adequate explanation, then I beseech you to change our laws so this does not happen again.”

“A city, by definition, is a large group of people living together,” Rachel Rosenzweig said in her testimony. “It is a melting pot. A strong city embraces diverse cultures and lifestyles. If people live in communities that are not part of an HOA (homeowners association), they should expect to see freedom of expression. In our Westleigh community, our next-door neighbor plants pumpkins on his front lawn. Up the street, a family built a jungle gym on their front lawn that everyone enjoys. We put our pet chickens on the front lawn and shared them with our neighbors. It is a friendly place where people stop and chat with each other. If you live in a place without an HOA, you must learn to respect your neighbors.”

Source: www.thesentinel.com

About 120 New York University (NYU) professors are calling on the school to divest from companies linked to the Israeli occupation.

It’s unclear which companies NYU is invested in. The students and professors pushing for divestment under the name NYU Out of Occupied Palestine say the university is not transparent about its investments. But they suspect that the university, like other institutions in the U.S., has investments in U.S. companies that supply the Israeli army with weapons they use for assaults on Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank. 

The call from professors is part of the larger boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement that has found some success in student governments, particularly in California. The BDS movement on campus has sparked conversation about Israel/Palestine and also lead to tensions between pro-Israel students and activists working for divestment. In March, NYU’s Students for Justice in Palestine displayed a mock separation wall during Israeli Apartheid Week, while across the street pro-Israel students rallied with Israeli flags.

At NYU, students and faculty are not calling on the student government to pass a divestment resolution. They are taking a different path by deploying prominent professors to call for transparency in the school’s investments and for divestment. It’s similar to how Princeton University professors called for divestment last year.

The only university to have divested from companies linked to the occupation is Hampshire. 

“I support NYU Out of Occupied Palestine because I am opposed to apartheid, and the international boycott of apartheid in South Africa was a significant factor in its demise,” English Professor Elaine Freedgood said in a press statement.

Other professors who signed the petition include: Iraqi novelist Sinan Antoon; historians Greg Grandin and Zachary Lockman; and Ella Shohat, a well-known cultural studies scholar.

The petition reads in part:

NYU students, faculty and staff have a long and proud tradition of demanding that the university live up to its professed values, from the anti-apartheid struggle to the current fossil fuels divestment campaign. The time has now come for NYU to take action that, by exerting financial and moral pressure, can help end the Israeli occupation and support the aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis for justice and self-determination.

Faculty members held an April 8 forum to bring attention to their call. The coalition of students and faculty are also linking the divestment movement to other issues like divesting from fossil fuels and NYU’s investments and labor practices in China and the United Arab Emirates. Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, the head of NYU’s Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life, criticized that linkage. He told Tablet magazine that “the twinning of a radical proposal to divest from Israel with the broadly shared concerns around fair labor and fossil fuels is outrageous.”

Earlier this week, NYU students held a sit in to protest how an overseas NYU campus in Abu Dhabi was built. Last May, a major New York Times investigation found that workers at NYU’s were physically assaulted when protesting labor conditions, labored for 11-12 hours a day and were not reimbursed for fees they had paid to recruiters. The UAE relies on a large pool of underpaid and exploited migrant workers who labor on huge projects like the Guggenheim’s overseas site and NYU Abu Dhabi. 

The NYU administration has rejected calls for divestment from fossil fuel companies. In March, the university said divesting from fossil fuels would have little impact and that they would consider divestment only in cases of “clear and compelling moral or humanitarian objective and an absence of alternative actions NYU can take.”

Source: mondoweiss.net

Abu Dhabi’s branches of the Guggenheim and Louvre museums may be long overdue, but that has not stopped the United Arab Emirates (UAE), better known to some for gold-vending machines and desert safaris, cementing its status as the region’s art hub.

Thanks to oil revenues, the desert nation of seven emirates has been on an art-investing binge for three decades that has, for those with deep pockets, made it the region’s prime fine art market.

Repeated delays suggest that both the Louvre and the Guggenheim are likely to miss their planned opening dates of 2015 and 2017 respectively in the UAE’s capital, but both museums are using the time to show previews of their future collections or borrowed works from their sister locations.

The annual Abu Dhabi Art Fair, held every November, also brings in the art lovers, but it is Dubai that is the real art marketplace of the Middle East.

The emirate of 2.1 million people is home to branches of Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses and countless galleries, making it the place where much of Middle East’s fine art trade is done.

Visitors stand around the showcase piece by Iranian sculptor Sahand Hesamiyan at the Third Line Gallery in Dubai, Nov. 19, 2014.
Prices tend to start in the tens of thousands of dollars, and have risen sharply since 2008. But an alternative art scene on Al Quoz and Alserkal Avenue, where galleries such as The Third Line and Ayyam Gallery are located, provides a more affordable alternative.

A visit to the XVA Gallery in the historic but remodeled Bastakiya district led to an encounter with the Iraqi artist Halim al-Karim, who has made Dubai his home.

“There is real art life here,” he said. “Even if the market goes up and down, the art will go on.”

Even Sharjah, the most conservative of the UAE’s seven emirates, has been hosting biennial art fairs since 1993, and Kito de Boer, an avid collector who has been based in Dubai since 1990, says it is not all about money.

Sharjah’s Barjeel Art Foundation, for instance, shows Middle Eastern and Arab art from the private collection of Sultan al-Qassemi, an art enthusiast and member of the ruling family, as well as regularly rotating temporary exhibitions.

“Sharjah has the most sincere interest in the arts,” said de Boer. “They are motivated by art for art’s sake.”

Source: www.voanews.com

Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, a leading figure in modern Arabic culture, is set to play an exclusive show at the Kazimier on Friday 17th April. The Egyptian-born multi-instrumentalist’s music combines political satire with storytelling, making him a restless and inventive performer.

His debut album Mir’ah (Mirror), released in 2008 and recorded with a group of Palestinian and Egyptian performers, featured seven entrancing and sometimes frenzied songs, all written during a turbulent period of demonstrations, bombardment and invasion of Palestinian cities. Composed during curfews, the album expresses everyday human emotions informed by the unreal experience of living in Palestine at that time.

This show is set to be a preview for this year’s Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, taking place 6 – 14 June. Showcasing the richness of Arab culture through visual art, music, dance, film, literature and special events, the festival will explore the theme of ‘Shaping Change: A work in progress’. This will bring a welcome focus to how Arab communities worldwide are responding to contemporary changes from within.

LAAF chairman Taher Qassim said: “Liverpool Arab Arts Festival remains the premier UK annual celebration of Arab culture…As always, this year’s programme showcases the most joyful and celebratory aspects of Arab culture, without shying away from challenging subject matter. Audiences will see a strong focus on inclusion, as the programme gives a platform to voices from all walks of life.”

For more information and ticket details, visit www.thekazimier.co.uk/listings/

Source: www.clickliverpool.com

As-Salamu `Alaykum. I am a 24-year-old Muslim lady, originally from an Arabic-speaking country. I was blessed with meeting my other half two years ago when I went to the US to pursue a master’s degree. I met him on the airplane and felt very comfortable talking to him about a variety of topics. Since then, we both felt very close to each other, despite the fact that he was a non-Muslim American, and obviously our cultures were quite different. Surprisingly, I felt that he was closer to my culture than to his own culture, and he had always showed an incredible appreciation of my Arabic roots and religion. He started reading about Islam, fasting in Ramadan, and he started warming up to the concept of converting. The truth is that our religion is so fascinating that the more he reads about it, the more he becomes attached to it, al-hamdu lillah. Recently, he converted to Islam, after two years of researching about it, and he asked me for marriage according to the Qur’an’ and the Sunnah. I was very happy with that because I really love him and respect him due to his honesty, sincerity and kindness. My problem is that I do not know how I am going to tell my family about him. I am so afraid of their reaction in regard to his request, especially since he is American. They have a negative stereotype of Americans, and also because of the language barrier. He is very honest and serious about his decision and told me many times that he is willing to satisfy my family’s demands, no matter what they are. He is even willing to come to live in our country and leave everything behind, including his family, if my family wants that. Please, help me find a way to tell my family about him. I am so scared of their reaction, but at the same time, I do not want to lose him because I see in him everything I have always been expecting in my future husband. Should I forget about all this and give him up to avoid entering into arguments with my family? Or should I give it a shot?
Counselor: Abdullah Abdur Rahman
Answer

As-Salamu `Alaykum,

Thank you so much for writing to us. We understand how happy you must be to know that you have discovered your future husband. In sha’ Allah, with the help and guidance of Allah Most High, you will be able to realize your hopes and dreams of marrying this man. Perhaps, your greatest challenge is going to be when and how you will tell your family about this man. 

First, we want you to appreciate the fact that parents want what is best for their children. Of course, all stereotypes aside about the fact that this man is an American convert, we are not sure that any family would really be comfortable knowing that their daughter, or son for that matter, had met his or her future spouse on an airplane. Keep this in mind as you consider at what moment in time you want to begin your story. 

In addition, remember that the anxieties your parents will have are justified, in as much as any mother or father want the best for their child. So, do not feel as if you have to prepare for a battle with them. Rather, use the approach of trying to address all or as many of their anxieties as possible. 

Second, in order for your parents to accept to even consider this man’s proposal, they must feel that you have been introduced to him rather than that you both met up in the sky. You are not misleading them in any way, but rather modifying the chronology of events to increase their level of comfort with this proposal. We suggest strongly that you either involve family or friends who live in America to help you break the news to your parents. If you do not have family in America, then seek out trusted friends, preferably an elderly couple whose word your parents are more likely to trust and accept. Hopefully, your parents will be comfortable discussing their concerns in their own language, with people who are also Moroccan and presumably understand “our culture.” The people who talk to your parents should get to know this man first and be comfortable presenting him to your parents, in sha’Allah.

Third, you can also help prepare your parents for the discussion on marriage by letting them know that you are considering marriage and would like them talk to some friends who have a particular individual in mind. Let your family ask questions and make notes of those questions. You need not answer those questions yourself, but rather tell your parents that you encourage them to ask your friends those same questions. In the meantime, relay those questions to your friends and help them to prepare responses. Remember, your parents have to feel as if this match is being proposed to them for their consideration and final approval. You should do everything possible to make sure your parents are comfortable at every step in this process, in sha’ Allah. 

Finally, we do want you to be prepared for the fact that your parents might meet this man and disapprove. The real question then becomes, what will you do? Will you prefer to obey your parents and work with them to seek out another candidate? Will you struggle hard with your parents and help them to see things your way? Will you go ahead and marry this man without their approval? 

We cannot answer those questions for you. We can strongly suggest that no matter what happens, you should always be making the Istikharah prayer (supplication to Allah for guidance) to seek Allah’s guidance and reassurance. Be sure that you are not just taken by the idea of marrying an American, but you are putting his faith in Allah and his character as your first and foremost reason for marrying him. Ask Allah to grant you a pious husband who is a blessing for your faith, your family and your future.

And Allah knows best.

Source: www.onislam.net

So explain it to me again,” Amanda repeated. “How can it be that while Israel celebrates its independence, or whatever they call it, there is no public discussion on the occupation? Or the fact that Israel has been controlling another nation for nearly 50 years? The hypocrisy is staggering!” Now try explaining Israeli society’s denial and blindness to a friend from New Zealand whom you haven’t seen for years. And all I wanted to talk about was my upcoming trek.

I decided to explain to Amanda about the Israeli duality, relevant to so many aspects of day-to-day life in the Jews’ democratic state, in the hopes that it will help her understand that blindness, hypocrisy and Israelis actually do go hand-in-hand. Perhaps then she would understand why we ignore the occupation. I brought up the example that has come up over and over again these past few weeks, especially since the remarks made by the prime minister of the most democratic country on the planet on election day: the synthetic term “Israeli Arabs” — a brilliant Zionist invention that destroyed our narrative, and trapped many Palestinians in Israel in a horrible identity crisis. “Netanyahu against Israeli Arabs,” “Netanyahu apologizes to Israeli Arabs.” We’ve been hearing these statement too often recently.

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Since the elections, I’ve had the chance to be interviewed in several international media outlets. Most of the interviews referred to us as “Israeli Arabs,” and all the hosts wanted to know what we thought about the prime minister’s remarks or what we thought about his apology. However, instead of responding to their questions, I found myself correcting the hosts over and over again. “What don’t you understand? Even the prime minister is publicly speaking out against Palestinians in his own state, and you still calls us Israelis?

The truth, to be honest, is more complicated than that. It is easy to demand that an international journalist respect our identity and call us Palestinians. Asking that of Israelis is more difficult. The fact that so many, including in the sad joke called the “Zionist Left,” will continue referring to us as Israelis, since Netanyahu’s remarks capture something so very Israeli: course, blind, hypocritical and full of contradictions.

Let me explain. Assume for a moment that we really are Israelis. Let’s even go so far as to imagine that we were also brought here from far away, just like the Europeans who came to “make the desert bloom” or the Arab Jews who came from Arab and Muslim countries, in order to work the desert until it bloomed for the Europeans. Since the Israeli people are a light unto nations, they are also a very patriotic people. Therefore, anything that has to do with Israel must bring great pride to every real Israeli. On the other hand, any time someone degrades an Israeli symbol, expression or idea, Israelis will certainly take offense.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
So when the prime minister speaks out against us all while referring to us as Israeli, the entire country is supposed to cry out against such an insult to the Zionist ethos. Both right and left — everyone must have, at the very least, demanded the racist be investigated, not to mention forced to resign. How can we let him insult something so Israeli?

The phrase “Israeli Arabs,” however, is first and foremost based on Zionist propaganda meant to divide us from the rest of the Palestinian people. The fact that such a large number of Israelis are not able to see the contradictions and understand that imprisoning us in this fabricated identity while showing depraved forgiveness for those who publicly disparage us is sad, yet so very expected. It demonstrates the duality that lies at the heart of the Zionist collective consciousness — “We will call Palestinians ‘Israelis,’ and they better thank us. Equal rights? Allow them to define themselves as anything but Israeli? Not on our watch!”

When one’s consciousness is so riddled with contradictions and lacking any self-awareness, it is possible to understand how this same nation can celebrate independence, imprison and deport asylum seekers and refuse to speak about the occupation of the West Bank and the siege on Gaza. There is no way around it: Israelis act a lot more like Pharaoh.

How symbolic that just before the Jewish celebration of liberation, a term whose goal is to imprison Palestinians in a fake identity is mentioned so often. Unfortunately, there is no lack of Palestinians in Israel who have accepted the shackles of Zionist identity and identify as Israelis. This is a sore subject, but over the past few years, there is growing awareness on this issue, as more and more young Palestinians are no longer scared, and are openly confronting their own Pharaoh.

This explanation convinced Amanda, yet left her slightly confused. “But wait, one last question. What about the Arabs that were present when Netanyahu apologies for his remarks? Aren’t they Palestinians?” she asked.

“Those poodles? No. Those are Israelis.”

The author is a Palestinian activist and writer. Read this article in Hebrew on Local Call here.

Source: 972mag.com

With general elections taking place in the UK next month, it is an opportune time to reflect on the strides made by the country’s Arab and Muslim communities, but also what they have yet to achieve.

On the plus side, the UK’s major political parties (with the obvious exception of UKIP) are actively courting these communities. This did not used to happen – certainly nowhere near the same extent – as recently as the 1990s. It is a sign not of these parties voluntarily reaching out, but realizing – due to these communities’ increasing integration, organization and electoral savvy – that it is in their interests to do so.

Let your local candidates know which issues mean most to you, and whether you feel they are addressing them adequately. This will make your vote count

Sharif Nashashibi
However, there is a widespread and justified sense among Arabs and Muslims in Britain that political parties are mainly interested in them in the run up to elections, when they are told what they want to hear but let down afterwards, with this cycle repeated every four years or so.

Palestine
One of the issues dear to British Arabs and Muslims – one over which they feel disappointed by every government – is the Arab-Israeli conflict. It affects not just the Palestinians but the entire region, and because it is a long-festering human rights issue, it is an international one.

Politicians know the buzz words – for example, they express support for a two-state solution and condemn Israeli settlements on occupied territory. However, their views tend to be shaped through the prism of Israeli security, which to them is paramount. Additionally, the notion of applying meaningful pressure or penalties to end Israel’s injustices, abuses and aggressions is largely absent, as if words alone will suffice.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has an excellent initiative whereby people can use its website to find out who their local parliamentary candidates are, have a pre-written letter sent to them asking their views on various aspects of the conflict and be notified of responses.

This is very useful in terms of establishing a database of candidates’ and MPs’ views and holding them accountable. It is reminiscent of a previous initiative enabling people to find out how their MPs voted with regard to the invasion of Iraq.

Disconnect
However, the biggest remaining obstacle is the disconnect between public opinion and MPs on one hand, and the government on the other. A stark example is last year’s parliamentary vote on recognizing Palestine.

Despite the vote being overwhelmingly in favor, the government insisted it would not act on it – a slap in the face for democracy. As opinion polls over the years have shown increasing public sympathy for the Palestinians (more so than sympathy for Israel), this disconnect is widening, not just in Britain but across Europe.

Certainly in Britain’s case, this has been a problem of successive governments. I have experienced this directly through meetings – as part of delegations of Arab community figures – with every government since and including that of Tony Blair.

Illusion of dialogue
We would be invited on the basis of dialogue, but the reality would be more of a monologue. It became clear that the intention was not to hear and address Arab concerns, but to justify British policy while portraying the government as interested in and engaged with the community.

We were told repeatedly by successive governments that there would be no pressure applied on Israel, and that it would basically be held to a different standard than other states in the region. For example, government officials would justify sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, but said sanctioning Israel for actually possessing nuclear weapons was out of the question.

When I was invited by phone for a second time to such a meeting with the current government, I made my aforementioned feelings clear and said I would no longer attend such meetings because nothing ever came of them. When the official inviting me said they were beneficial, I asked her to cite one tangible outcome of these meetings, which she could not. Instead, she said in frustration that I had made her late to another meeting!

On another memorable occasion, then-Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett met with a large audience of Arab community figures, myself included. There was a lot of excitement about the unprecedented nature of such a meeting.

However, Beckett spent just several minutes with us. She said hello to a few ambassadors; gave a short speech in which she was perceived to basically tell the Arab community to move on from the occupations of Iraq and Palestine as well as the latest Israeli invasion of Lebanon; and abruptly left.

Her colleague David Milliband was a special guest at a well-attended Arab event and looked disinterested and keen to leave throughout. These meetings gave me the distinct impression that they were merely photo opportunities for both sides: for politicians to display their outreach, and for Arabs to feel important.

Change from within
All this has contributed to an ongoing debate – common among disenfranchised minorities in any democracy – about whether to engage in the system in order to change it from within, or whether to boycott it so as not to legitimize its faults. Boycotts are only effective when enough people heed them, otherwise those who do so simply end up without a voice and without wider society noticing.

Arab and Muslim communities in Britain are too small to make a boycott effective, as much as the desire to do so out of a sense of alienation is understandable. It also ignores the progress made in recent years by these communities – which were relatively inactive and invisible not so long ago – as well as the fact that as citizens, they are affected by domestic issues that are irrelevant to their faith or ethnicity.

As such, it is best to engage with – and hopefully improve – the system from within, and from the ground up. It is important to let your local candidates know which issues mean most to you, and whether you feel they are addressing them adequately. This will make your vote count.

Public and parliamentary sympathy, particularly for the Palestinian cause, is increasing. Eventually governments will have to heed the will of the electorate and its representatives. We just have to make it harder for them to ignore. Such fundamental change requires time and effort, but it is possible and already under way.

AL ARABIYA

By: Sharif Nashashibi, a regular contributor to Al Arabiya English, The Middle East magazine and the Guardian, is an award-winning journalist and frequent interviewee on Arab affairs. He is co-founder of Arab Media Watch, an independent, non-profit watchdog set up in 2000 to strive for objective coverage of Arab issues in the British media. With an MA in International Journalism from London’s City University, Nashashibi has worked and trained at Dow Jones Newswires, Reuters, the U.N. Development Programme in Palestine, the Middle East Broadcasting Centre, the Middle East Economic Survey in Cyprus, and the Middle East Times, among others. In 2008, he received the International Media Council’s “Breakaway Award,” given to promising new journalists, “for both facilitating and producing consistently balanced reporting on the highly emotive and polarized arena that is the Middle East.

Source: www.english.globalarabnetwork.com