Sahara Festival returns to St. Mary’s
LIVONIA — The rich sights and sounds of Middle Eastern culture will take center stage August 19-22 at the 2010 Sahara Festival in Livonia as the four-day celebration returns to the Basilica of St. Mary Church in Livonia. The Acrophobic Sherpas will play live at 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 21 at Sahara Fest.Arabic food, original...Mike Tyson to perform Umrah
MADINAH — Former boxing champion Mike Tyson, who embraced Islam while serving a prison sentence in the 1990s, is on his first visit to the Kingdom to perform Umrah. He arrived in the holy city of Madinah on Friday to perform prayers at the Prophet's Mosque. While in Madinah, Tyson met Dr. Muhammad Al-Oqala, president of the Islamic...Want to be a movie star?
Independent Cinema Line at 213 4th Street Hoboken, NJ 07031 is casting for a 20-30 year old Arab actor who speaks English with an Arabic accent. We are looking for someone who was born in the Middle East and immigrated to the U.S. later on in his life. We are not looking for someone who was born in the U.S. to an Arabic family. We need...Lebanese Muslim painter’s artistic vision: Religious harmony in Italy
There are thousands upon thousands of technically skilled artists and painters, but in the world of fine art, it's the artist's individual touch that separates him or her from the rest of the pack. Ali Hassoun It was the unique style and background of Italian painter Ali Hassoun along with his talent and years of study that allowed...Syrian sweet tray enters Guiness Book
DAMASCUS- Yet another successful Guiness Book of World Records event involving local cuisine was held as a giant tray of Syrian sweets was registered on July 15 as the largest in world history.The tray totaled 112 meters long and 2 meters wide while weighing 4 tons and was filled with pastries made with phyllo dough, semolina flour,...MEA holds its first culture and music festival
Middle Eastern American (MEA) TV and radio, formerly known as TV Orient, is celebrating its first annual culture and music festival in Warren, Friday July 16, 4-11 p.m., Saturday July 17, 2-11 p.m. and Sunday July 18, 2-10 p.m. Festival attractions include raffles, vendor booths, MEA idol talent show, children's games, Middle Eastern...18th Annual Concert of Colors features Arabic music master Simon Shaheen with the DSO
DETROIT — The 18th annual Concert of Colors is thrilled to welcome back music virtuoso Simon Shaheen. Internationally acclaimed for his mastery of the oud and violin, Shaheen will perform his Concerto No. 1 for Oud and Orchestra at 3:45 p.m. Sunday, July 18 at Orchestra Hall. Tito Muñoz will conduct the concert. Like all Concert...New Muslim woman’s magazine encourages being ‘modest and fabulous’
SINGAPORE — Flip through the pages of Aquila Asia magazine and it soon becomes apparent that the publication is different from other glossy women's magazines sold across the region. Side by side with ads for expensive handbags and luxury cars are fashion spreads featuring professional models in Muslim headscarves — and articles on...Local rapper recounts immigrant experience on new CD
While rap and hip-hop have helped make a lot of people rich in the past few decades, there was a time when the music genre meant way more than money to those who produced it. Before big-money corporate interests got hold of it, rap music was a way for the disenfranchised and the oppressed to express themselves and blow off steam...One West Bank town’s “Unarmed Courage”
WASHINGTON — Ayed Morrar is just one man. A quiet man, of small stature, whose kind but intense eyes look out from behind wire-rimmed glasses. But he is a man who has become the face of the Palestinian non-violent resistance movement. Morrar is the central figure in the recently released film "Budrus," about the people of the...
Renowned dance troupe makes U.S. debut
June 25th, 20100 DETROIT — It was a glorious evening of artistry, color and excitement when the renowned Enana Dance Theater took the stage at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit on June 22 for its U.S. premiere. The performance served as the largest annual fundraiser for the Arab American National Museum, the only institution among...Award-winning local director films latest movie in Detroit
DEARBORN — As a former coffee shop owner with a degree in Business and Finance from the University of Michigan-Dearbron, it's safe to say that Lebanese American Lance “Khalid” Kawas' path to success in the movie business was anything but a straight one. But Kawas, a movie buff who grew up in the west African country of Sierra Leone...Arab American painter opens online gallery
J. F. Dagher, Lebanese born painter, has opened an online gallery selling original art and giclee reproductions. "Laundry Day" by J.F. Dagher. The paintings of Dagher reflect life and living in the Arab culture. "I really wanted to portray the Arab culture, to help preserve aspects of it, and to give others insight into...
Poor patronage killing Arab cinema
March 19th, 20100 ROTTERDAM (IPS) - Arab cinema, which had a promising presence at international film festivals during the 1990s, may now be going through a declining phase for lack of patronage. Among the Arabic films that made it to the IFFR was "Time That Remains" by Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman and "Every Day Is a Holiday" by Lebanese...Iraq war film latest in blooming career
LOS ANGELES — Said Faraj, an accomplished actor with more than 20 years in the industry, delivers a dynamic, breakthrough performance in the highly-anticipated film Green Zone, co-starring Matt Damon, Amy Ryan and Greg Kinnear. Directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93) this electrifying......
Offsetting radicalism with philosophy
Reading the Muslim philosophers of the Golden Age, roughly the eighth to 13th centuries C.E., can help both Muslims and non-Muslims see beyond the stereotypes of Islam as a reactionary and radical faith, says Hussain Nadim. George Washington University senior Hussain Nadim Nadim, a senior at George Washington University studying...Top 10 novels set in the Arab world
The Arab literary world and Western publishing don't cross over much. The literature of the Arab world is largely unknown in the West, and even Westerners who write about Arabs are sometimes seen as fringe, cult writers. That comes at a cost to the West, because literature could be such an important bridge between two cultures so much at......
DIA to reopen Islamic Gallery
February 13th, 20100 The Gallery of Islamic Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts will reopen on Sunday, Feb. 28 in a new and impressive presentation. The new gallery will showcase selections of Islamic art from different periods and in a variety of media: manuscripts, calligraphy, pottery, sculpture, metalwork, glasswork, textile, carpets and other...Museum begins new season of music, film
DEARBORN— Compelling films fresh from the international festival circuit and an Arabic music virtuoso marking his latest recording will warm up metro Detroit audiences this winter and early spring during a new season of Global Thursdays at the Arab American National Museum (AANM), 13624 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. Bassam Saba,...
Movie of Gaza chaos screened
January 23rd, 20100 On Monday, January 18, various sites across the globe hosted screenings of the ground-breaking documentary "To Shoot an Elephant," which can be downloaded and shared at www.toshootanelephant.com. Aladdin Sweets & Cafe in Hamtramck was the site of one showing, as local residents and activists gathered to watch the film, which is...The birth of punk Islam
Punk rock doesn't trigger images of Mecca during the Hajj or fasting during Ramadan. Likewise, Islam doesn't exactly bring to mind pictures of spiky haired, angst-ridden youth slam dancing to the sounds of bands like Discharge and Anti-Nowhere League, all within a subculture that's against authority and embraces chaos. Yet since the......
Tea on the Axis of Evil
December 4th, 20090 Jean Marie Offenbacher moved to Syria to meet ordinary people and see what life was like on the "Axis of Evil." Her documentary "Tea on the Axis of Evil" was screened recently at the Arab Film Festival. Following is an interview by Suzanne Mannneh from New America Media. What made you want to make this film? One friend of mine told...Arab film on Oscar short list
BEVERLY HILLS — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards. Eighty-nine pictures had originally qualified in the category. The short list includes "Garbage Dreams," by director Mai Iskander. "Garbage......
Arab film fest offers award-winning lineup
November 10th, 20090 DEARBORN — They originated in Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Algeria and the U.S.A. They've won dozens of awards in festivals in the Arab World, Europe and the U.S. And they won't be popping up on the marquee at your local multiplex anytime soon. "Dawn of the World" The 2009 Arab Film Festival at the Arab American...
Composer, pianist bridges cultures
September 30th, 20090 There are still plenty of things the outside world doesn't understand about Arab culture, but in the quest to inform more people about its accomplishments and beauty, the potential of using the universal language of music can't be overstated. Syrian composer and pianist Malek Jandali: "The goal was to make sure to take the......
