Crossing the bridge: Poetry, hip-hop and the Palestinian experience
In 1948, my grandmother was expelled from Palestine. Like many of the 780,000 evicted that year, she never saw her birthplace again. But she always dreamed of a dignified return: to Yaffa, her home city, a place of warmth and beauty; to her house, which in her heart, towered higher than the hills of Lebanon; and to an unfettered...Student photographers exhibit at AANM
Dearborn — Over the last 12 months, middle school students of diverse backgrounds from Dearborn and southwest Detroit learned digital photography skills as part of the Arab American National Museum's SURA Arts Academy, a program funded by The Skillman Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of State....New Web site geared toward Arab youth
The struggling Michigan economy has been known to close a lot of doors for hard-working people. But sometimes, the need to adapt and find creative new ways to make a living opens doors as well. That just might be the case with Nofila Seklawi, a 24-year old Henry Ford Community College student from Dearborn who created and...Documentary on gay Muslims
Homosexuality and Islam. Can the two coexist? Parvez Sharma, a secular Muslim, has put together a documentary film about gay and lesbian Muslims who ask themselves the same question, not always with the same answer. One constant, however, is lots of suffering. Some people in the film do in fact marry, with tragic...Chicago Jewish museum cancels show of Israeli and Palestinian maps
An exhibit of Israeli and Palestinian maps of the Holy Land was designed to further the Spertus Museum's mission of "addressing questions of contemporary relevance." But after shutting the exhibit down twice, the museum is raising questions not about the exhibit's content but about its own legitimacy and relevance. In the catalog...Arab-Chaldean festival to be held at Detroit Zoo
ROYAL OAK — The Detroit Zoo will celebrate Metro Detroit's Arab-Chaldean community and culture at the Arab-Chaldean Festival on Saturday, August 23, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The event is part of a series of ethnic festivals at the zoo that also featured Asian, Hispanic and African cultures earlier in the summer. Live...Laugh it up at second annual comedy showcase
DEARBORN — Arab American comedy has been rising in popularity in recent years as a great source of laughter and therapy for a group of people caught between two identities. On Friday, Aug. 15 at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Arabs and non-Arabs alike can soak up all the ethnic idiosyncrasies and...Local saxophonist uses music as escape
Kamal Kareem was once an engineer with a good job in Iraq, but there was always something missing inside him. His uncle taught him to play the saxophone as a young man, and he later taught himself to play guitar, keyboard and flute. But, Kareem said, a tense political and religious atmosphere in the city he lived in prevented...Arab countries win three Olympic medals
After a week of competition at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, two Arab countries are on the board with medals, all of them coming in judo. Judo is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport of grappling and throwing. It usually features a heated field of competitors. Competitors are typically called judoka and wear a...Film captures essence of Lebanese spirit
As a fourth-generation New Yorker with no connection to the Middle East, Deborah Harse didn't know a whole lot about Lebanon. But she did know that it was a beautiful place, and when she saw a listing on the Web site www.marathonguide.com for the Beirut Marathon, the dedicated runner knew she wanted to go there and compete. Then,...Wiggles to wow ’em on Palace stage
Since the group began in Sydney, Australia in 1991, The Wiggles have become "the world's most popular preschool band." With a popular TV show, millions upon millions of DVDs and CDs sold, and successful tours under their belt, the group has left a huge impression on the hearts and minds of kids across the world. On Tuesday, August...Sahara Festival offered something for everyone
LIVONIA — Another of a series of local Arab American summer festivals attracted hundreds last weekend at the Basilica of St. Mary's Orthodox Church in Livonia. The first annual "Sahara Fest" featured live Arab and American musical performances, a carnival, a video arcade tent, vendors of authentic imported goods and fresh Middle...Activists welcome Snoop show cancellation
After receiving pressure from Palestinian, Israeli and other activist groups, rap legend Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus) canceled his September show in Israel. He cited contractual differences, according to YNet News, as to why he will not extend his September "Ego Trippin" tour in Europe to Israel. Initially, the concert was...Arab artist featured at Lebanese festival
Ottawa's St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church held its annual Lebanese festival from July 16 to 20, with food, drink, and music. Also present was Ibrahim Shalaby, displaying his art work. Shalaby brought his wife and five children to the festival. Originally from Amman, Jordan, he spent much of his life in Jerusalem...Concert of Colors rocks Motown
DETROIT — With a beat-driven lineup propelling its 16th year, the 2008 Concert of Colors promotes peace and respect through the universal language of music with four days of free performances at the Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Avenue, in Detroit. Designed to celebrate the many ethnic and cultural groups that comprise......
Conflict finds a creative side
BEIRUT (IPS) — Can beauty arise from conflict? When looking at the art scene in the Middle East, where a fault line of political instability stretches from Lebanon, Syria and Israel to Iraq and Iran, the answer seems to be a resounding 'yes.' Artists living in war zones tend to express the harsh realities of battle, depicting...Snoop Dogg asked to skip Israel
A wide coalition of solidarity groups are asking a hip-hop star not to perform in Israel because of its on-going apartheid-like rule over the Palestinian territories. American rapper Snoop Dogg, Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr., is scheduled to perform in Ramat Gan, Israel on September 18th, 2008. Progressive Israelis and......
Arab American comedy matures
Arab American comedy is still going strong. And it's not just about post-9/11 anymore. Mizna Arab American Comedy Festival co-producers Mike Mosallam, R, Sonny Mandouh and short film director Mike Eshaq observe as locals audition for roles in theatrical sketches to be performed at the festival in August. Young people...Chantal Chamandy appears in Dearborn
DEARBORN — When singer Chantal Chamandy performed at the base of the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, she did so with the idea of bringing people together and showcasing Middle Eastern culture in a positive light. Now, for her concert on Thursday, July 3 at the Ford Performing Arts Center, she hopes to...Marching to his own beat
Rock bands are usually no strangers to sorrow, but most of the time, their wounds are self-inflicted. Many documentaries and movies have been made chronicling the hard times rockers and their bands have gone through, whether due to drug and alcohol abuse or other problems. But the short film that Tony Hajjar made is a...Arab culture and Muslim stereotypes
As a professor of anthropology in the United States, I often begin my college lectures on Islamic culture by asking students to write three adjectives to describe Arabs. Most responses include the word terrorists, an association they see and hear in the media. News stories, television shows and movies rarely show Arabs, Iranians,......
Restitution of Nazi-looted art eclipsing Afghani cultural restoration
The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is no stranger to Holocaust restitution claims. In a press release dated October 19, 2000, the museum announced a settlement with the family of Federico Gentili di Giuseppe over Corrado Giaquinto's "Adoration of the Magi" (c. 1725), which was sold by a court in Nazi-controlled France. In the release,...
“Our Arab American Story” wins Michigan Emmy
June 13th, 20080 Hundreds of hours of filming and thousand of miles of travel by television producer Keith Famie paid off June 7, when he and his "Our Story" documentary series co-creator Chris Kassel received four Michigan Emmy awards. "Our Arab American Story," which aired on WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) last December, was awarded in the Societal......
European hip-hop band debuts at MSA concert
Detroit — Outlandish (Sony/BMG), a popular award-winning European hip-hop band that promotes positive messages to youth in their music, will debut in the USA, and headline the Muslim American Society's Youth concert tour in Detroit on June 14. The concert, which is billed as the "Voices For Change" tour, will make a stop at...Rock star Serj Tankian talks music, politics
As an Armenian-American who was born in Beirut, Serj Tankian never seems to run out of things to sing and write about. Tankian, the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and keyboardist of the multi-platinum American rock band System of a Down, is currently touring as a solo artist in support of his album "Elect the Dead," which peaked at......