Art exhibit to showcase Arab American heritage, struggle
DEARBORN — "Reflections: An Exhibition of Contemporary Arab American Art" is set to open in January to showcase the work of first generation Arab Americans is being prepared at Henry Ford Community College, curated by well-known local artist and professor Hashim Al-Tawil. "The Bleu Line" by artist May Abutaam The...“Chronicles of a Refugee”
DEARBORN — A screening of the episode three of the documentary film series "Chronicles of a Refugee" is set for Wednesday, Dec.17, 6:30 p.m. at the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Avenue. "Chronicles of a Refugee" is a six-part documentary series created by Perla Issa, Aseel Mansour and Adam Shapiro looking at the...
Arabic calligraphy explained
December 6th, 20080 Quebec, Canada – Syrian calligrapher Khaled al-Saa’i discussed Arabic calligraphy at a lecture held Nov. 11 at the Galérie Montcalm in Gatineau, Quebec. The same poetic verse ("wounding a dead man does not torment") written in the eight basic types of Arabic calligraphy by Khaled al-Saa'i. From top to bottom: Riq'a,...
Fighting for women’s rights in Yemen through film
November 29th, 20080 Khadija Al-Salami, considered Yemen's first female filmmaker, has made more than 20 documentaries for TV stations in France and Yemen. Her latest documentary is "Amina," which was screened during the Arab Film Festival in October in the San Francisco Bay Area. A film still from the movie "Amina." The film's center is Amina...Museum program nets national award
WASHINGTON — SURA Arts Academy, an Arab American National Museum program that gives Dearborn youth the opportunity to learn and use photography to foster cultural understanding, is being nationally recognized as one of 15 U.S.-based youth arts and humanities programs to receive the prestigious 2008 Coming Up Taller Award....
Film series will examine Muslim influence
November 8th, 20080 ROCHESTER — A Muslim Film Series at Oakland University begins on Sunday at 2 p.m. The first film set to be screened on Nov. 9 is "Le Grand Voyage," at 156 North Foundation Hall in Rochester. Screenshots from the film "Le Grand Voyage" Directed by Ismael Ferroukhi, the film is about a French-Moroccan patriarch determined to...Shaheen to perform with DSO
DETROIT — Oud virtuoso and composer Simon Shaheen will perform Concerto No.1 for Oud and Orchestra with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and conductor Tito Munoz on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 at the Max. M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit. Oud virtuoso Simon Shaheen The event is a world premiere of his performance and will feature a...Boycott group: McCartney embraces Israeli apartheid
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) says it regrets Paul McCartney's insistence on going ahead with his September 25th gig in Israel despite many appeals to him to cancel it due to Israel's crimes against the Palestinians, particularly its current brutally devastating siege of 1.5 million...Arab women artists create “Utopian Visions”
DEARBORN — Have you ever dreamed of a better, more perfect world? The word "utopia" represents a grand vision for an ideal society, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects. This imaginative concept reflects the human desire for civic improvement and perfection. In Utopian Visions, running from...‘Towelhead’ doesn’t deliver
When rapper Nas wanted to use the N-word as the title to his last album, it was clear that it was intended as a bold attempt to own the term in a context of militantly antiracist art that lets the listener know how it feels to be on the receiving end of the slur. Even then, the record company didn't let him do it. The album was...Troupe adds new twist to belly dancing
SOUTHFIELD — Samir Haddad has had plenty of guests on his "Arabian Candles" afternoon radio show before. But on Monday, August 26, he had perhaps his three most intimidating guests ever in studio. They were three fairly large corn snakes, which happen to be a big part of his other two guests' popular belly dancing show. The...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......