WARREN — In the real world, the mixing of cultures often leads to war and other types of strife.

But the Multicultural Fair at Macomb Community College in Warren this week was a feel-good event from the beginning as students and faculty mingled with representatives from different cultures in the names of understanding and goodwill.

Representatives from cultures ranging from Arabs to Indians and Chinese set up booths filled with artifacts and brochures to inform guests about their cultures, and the main stage was adorned with flags from many countries and graced with performances like a Caribbean steel drum band and a bagpipes concert.

The booth set up by the Arab-American and Chaldean Council was among the most popular in the room, as many students had questions about the Arab world and the cultural customs of its people.

ACC program coordinator Abid Abdullah talked about Macomb County’s level of understanding in regards to the Arab community.

“I think they need more media to present the Arab world. The students I’ve seen here, they don’t know about the Arab world,” he said. “We need to extend our service and let them know (about) our culture and everything.”

Macomb County has become a popular destination for Chaldeans in recent years and Abdullah said his group is looking into ways to better serve the community in the future.

They also distributed packets of information about Arab culture with census data and frequently asked questions taken from the Detroit Free Press’s “100 Questions and Answers about Arab Americans: A Journalist Guide.” The data placed the Arab population in Michigan at 490,000, the highest concentration of any U.S. state. Macomb County currently is third among Michigan counties with 17% of the total Arab population in the state compared to 39% for Wayne County and 26% for Oakland County.

Sample questions dealt with topics such as arranged marriages, the roles of women in Arab culture, and whether or not Islam is a predominantly Arab religion. Only 12 percent of Muslims worldwide are Arabs according to the packet, which is contrary to public opinion in the United States.

ACC’s booth was stocked with artifacts from the Arab world including a hieroglyphic alphabet chart, jewelry boxes, camel figurines, copies of the Qur’an and the Bible and Arabic coffee.

One item not present at the booth was a hookah, an item the ACC is not fond of according to Abdullah.

“I’m against it, it’s not good,” he said.

 “The ACC’s public health department did scientific research on this and came to the result that it’s not only bad for your health but for the people around you. I would advise everyone not to go near a hookah.”

The ACC has been active in the past with efforts to make hookah tobacco illegal to sell to people under the age of 18, and they expect to hear back from Lansing government officials soon.

After students were done browsing the various booths, many of them settled in to watch a panel discussion featuring students from different cultures about the stereotypes they face in society.

Student Mahir Osman, a Canadian Muslim, talked about his faith and his difficulties fitting in with his peers.

“When I tell some other Muslims that I read the Bible, they give me strange looks,” he said. “But Islam teaches you to learn about other religions to better understand your faith.”

He also talked about how a lack of understanding between cultures and religions is the main reason why there is so much fighting in the world and urged people to learn as much as they can because they just might find out that their differences aren’t as big as they’re made out to be by outside sources.

Fellow panelist Kyle Williams, who is an African American, explained that he was on the panel because he represents a culture that is distinct in its own right. He talked about cultural identities in America and how they remain separate and live side-by-side.

“Everybody says America is a melting pot, but I consider it more like a salad,” he said. “A lot of things sit next to each other but a tomato is still a tomato and lettuce is still lettuce.”

Williams also talked about how other African Americans sometimes don’t consider him truly black because the way he talks and dresses isn’t the same as mainstream black culture.

The audience was captivated by his commentary, with one person in the back shouting out that he “should run for public office, for sure.”

After the panel discussion, a march of the flags ceremony concluded the day’s events as representatives from multiple countries carried their flags out of the main room and students went forth to apply their newfound knowledge from all of the different cultures to their everyday lives.

Abdullah talked about how successful the event was and about the learning that took place.

“It was very, very nice that every culture got to know each other, especially the students, and they learned something from each other,” he said.