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Go topBY: Warren David/President What happened to inclusion in America? At one time we were proud to be part of the great melting pot of immigrants that defined America. Whether you were Polish, Italian, or Arab; Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, America’s strength was that we were diverse, yet part of the mosaic. Americans struggled for several … Continued
FOX 2 News It was an emotional night for many Iraqi Americans who gathered in Sterling Heights to honor the victims of the horrific bombing in Baghdad. Close to 300 people killed in Baghdad last week when a suicide truck bomb ripped through a busy shopping district. They held up posters with photos of the … Continued
Mark Stryker,
Detroit Free Press
We don’t just talk about diversity in Detroit. We live it.
The 24th annual Concert of Colors, which unfolds Thursday through Sunday at five venues, nearly all clustered in Midtown, is one of the best pieces of evidence. Sponsored by the Arab American National Museum, the free festival features about 35 events that span a dizzying array of cultural traditions. Among them: Eddie Palmieri’s Latin jazz, King Sunny Ade’s Nigerian JuJu, Brown Rice Family’s eclectic roots melange, Mama Sol’s hip-hop, Fred Penner’s folk music for children, Astrid Hadad’s Mexican cabaret music and Yuna’s Malaysian pop.
And the beat goes on. Reggae, calypso, blues, rock, jazz, salsa, indie pop dance, spoken world, film, food, children’s activities and carnival games are all on the docket. Top Detroit musicians share the bill with the international headliners.
The festival opens with a forum on community, culture and race at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Arab American American National in Dearborn. Journalist Martina Guzmán will moderate, and the panelists of artists and activists include, among others, Sacramento Knoxx, Naim Edwards and Nada Odeh. The major music performance venues in Midtown are the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center (multiple stages, indoors and outdoors), the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Scarab Club.
Spoken Word with Joel Fluent Greene, Ajanae Dawkins, Caesar Torreano & Phoenix Eagle: Detroit poet Joel Fluent Greene has organized a reading featuring three charismatic poets who suggest the vitality of the city’s spoken-word scene: 8 p.m. Friday, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Planet D Nonet: One of Detroit’s stalwart jazz ensembles and a dynamic party band, the Planet D Nonet offers an “African Township” program including music of great South African musicians, among them Abdullah Ibrahim, Hugh Masekela and others. 9:30 p.m. Friday, Scarab Club.
King Sunny Adé: The ebullient and influential Juju music of guitarist-singer King Sunny Adé, an Afropop pioneer, marries traditional Nigerian rhythms and African melodic material with Western instruments and styles, among them synthesizers and pedal steel guitar. With a 17-member ensemble of musicians and dancers. 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Orchestra Hall, Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center.
Britney Stoney: A compelling singer, songwriter and guitarist and 2014 Kresge Artist Fellow, Britney Stoney brings soul-inspired vocals to original material whose sense of themes and poetry have a storytelling quality associated with folk singers. 6 p.m.Saturday, outdoor stage at Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center.
Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra: One of the true innovators in salsa and Latin jazz, pianist and composer Eddie Palmieri, 79, created his own fiery take on the Afro-Caribbean and Puerto Rican dance music tradition and then increasingly pursued sophisticated jazz-influenced hybrids under the sway of such heroes as pianist McCoy Tyner. 8 p.m. Sunday, Orchestra Hall, Max M. and Marjorie S. Music Center.
Concert of Colors
Thu.-Sun.
6:30-8:30 p.m. Thu., Forum on Community, Culture & Race. “Artists Speak: Water is Life,” Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. Reservations here.
6-11:30 p.m. Fri. Midtown venues
1-11 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Midtown venues
Midtown venues:
Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward, Detroit
Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward, Detroit
Scarab Club, 217 Farnsworth, Detroit
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren, Detroit
Complete schedule and other details: www.concertofcolors.com
Free admission
Source: www.freep.com
By Andrea Blum
Press and Guide
Olympic boxer Sadam Ali is one of 10 prominent Arab Americans being immortalized in a permanent exhibit at the Arab American National Museum. Photo courtesy of AANM
A world-renowned engineer, a comic book icon and an Olympic boxer are among the 10 prominent Arab Americans being immortalized in a permanent exhibit at the Arab American National Museum.
The innovators are being recognized for their ambition, talent and vision with spots in the “Making an Impact” exhibit, which pays tribute to Arab Americans who have made lasting impacts in their field and forged enduring legacies by influencing people on a global scale.
To close its 10th anniversary year, the museum welcomed the 10 new members to the permanent display.
A highly interactive gallery that tells the story of hundreds of Arab Americans and organizations, “Making an Impact” opened in 2005 and since has inducted everyone from activists, physicians and politicians to athletes, entertainers and labor leaders.
Within the exhibit, visitors can see multimedia displays as well as a plethora of artifacts signifying each member’s achievements.
Palestinian American comedian and actress Maysoon Zayid visited the museum May 7 as she officially became a part of the “Making an Impact” exhibit. Her visit included a night of two comedy performances in the museum’s Aliya Hassan Auditorium, where more than 200 guests enjoyed an evening of laughter.
The 2016 inductees also feature Egyptian American engineer Rana El Kaliouby, Palestinian American comedian and politician Dean Obeidallah, Egyptian American designer Karim Rashid, Syrian American hip-hop artist Omar Offendum, Jordanian American poet Suheir Hammad, Lebanese American DC Entertainment chief creative officer Geoff Johns, Yemini American boxer Sadam Ali, Syrian American National Hockey League All-Star Brandon Saad and Sudanese American activist Dr. Nawal Nour.
“It’s important to recognize the significant contributions Arab Americans have made throughout the past century that have resonated across so many different industries,” AANM Director Devon Akmon said. “Many of the recent ‘Making an Impact’ inductees are young and still very active. Being inducted at this point in their lives speaks volumes to the hard work and innovativeness of these individuals. There is so much potential and endless possibilities for what the future holds.”
Since 2005, the “Making an Impact” exhibit has spotlighted world-renowned surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey, consumer advocate and presidential candidate Ralph Nader, White House journalist Helen Thomas, Indy Car racing legend Bobby Rahal, celebrated woodworker Sam Maloof, multiplatinum recording artist Paula Abdul and Professional Football Hall of Famer Bill George among others.
The exhibit is free to view with museum admission. The Arab American National Museum is at 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn.
The 2016 Making an Impact inductees are:
Sadam Ali (sports)
At age 8, Yemeni American Sadam Ali was inspired to start boxing by Yemeni British boxer “Prince” Naseem Hamed. When he was 17, Ali won the featherweight division of the 2006 National Golden Gloves Championship and a year later won the lightweight division. He represented Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. As a professional in the welterweight division, Ali remained undefeated for the first six years of his career.
Suheir Hammad (creative arts)
Born in Amman, Jordan, as a Palestinian refugee, Suheir Hammad’s poetry and writing often focus on the struggles of fitting in as an immigrant and as a woman in a sexist society. She has won several accolades over the years, including a Tony Award for Special Theatrical Event as a writer and performer for “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam” on Broadway. Her poem “First Writing Since” gave voice to Arab Americans following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In 2009, she received the George Ellenbogen Poetry Award from the Arab American Book Awards for her poem “Breaking Points.”
Geoff Johns (creative arts)
Growing up in Grosse Pointe, Johns’ interest in comics began when he found a stash of them in his grandmother’s attic. He wrote dozens of books for iconic characters including Superman, The Flash and Aquaman. As chief creative officer of DC Entertainment, Johns created the first Arab American superhero, Simon Baz. Introduced as a Dearborn native, the character became a new Green Lantern in 2012. Johns has since expanded DC’s reach into film and television. In 2012, AANM’s Russell J. Ebeid Library & Resource Center established a graphic novel collection in his honor.
Rana El Kaliouby (science)
Rana El Kaliouby pioneered emotion-recognition technology with her app Affectiva. Her interest started while working on her doctorate at Cambridge University. Away from her family and friends in Egypt, El Kaliouby wished her computer could better convey her emotional state. Her technology accurately reads minute changes in facial expressions that convey emotions. El Kaliouby worked as a research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a member of the Women in Engineering Hall of Fame.
Dr. Nawal Nour (activism)
Born to a Sudanese father and an American mother, Dr. Nawal Nour created the African Women’s Health Practice at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The Harvard-affiliated facility provides services to immigrant women affected by female genital cutting — a harmful practice Nour dedicated her obstetrics career to ending. In 2003, she received a MacArthur “genius grant” in recognition of her work.
Dean Obeidallah (entertainment)
Born in New Jersey to a Palestinian father and an Italian mother, Dean Obeidallah created a career as a comedian and political satirist. Obeidallah was featured in the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour and co-founded the annual New York Arab American Comedy Festival with fellow “Making an Impact” inductee Maysoon Zayid. In 2013, he co-directed and co-produced the award-winning documentary “The Muslims are Coming!” with comedian and filmmaker Negin Farsad.
Omar Offendum (entertainment)
Hip-hop artist, poet, designer and activist Omar Offendum’s music frequently speaks to events in the Arab World, including several songs that went viral during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. His collaborators include hip-hop artists The Phillistines, Mr. Tibbz and The Narcicyst. Born in Saudi Arabia to Syrian parents, Offendum has raised money for various humanitarian relief organizations through his performances.
Karim Rashid (creative arts)
“Time” magazine once called Karim Rashid “the Poet of Plastic” and “the most famous industrial designer in all the Americas.” Born in Cairo and raised in Canada before moving to the U.S., Rashid has designed for many products and brands, including luxury goods, furniture, lighting and even a New York City manhole cover. His work is in museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Brandon Saad (sports)
Brandon Saad is one of the few Arab Americans to play in the National Hockey League. He grew up playing hockey in Pittsburgh and after high school he quickly advanced through the amateur ranks. At 18, he was drafted to play with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011. As a Blackhawk, Saad won two Stanley Cups in 2013 and 2015. He started playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2015-16 season and made his first NHL All-Star Game appearance.
Maysoon Zayid (entertainment)
Maysoon Zayid once described herself as “a Palestinian Muslim virgin with cerebral palsy from New Jersey, who is an actress, comedian and activist.” Zayid’s acting career began on the long-running soap opera “As the World Turns.” She appeared in Adam Sandler’s “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan,” and in 2003, she co-founded the New York Arab American Comedy Festival with Dean Obeidallah.
Source: www.pressandguide.com
BY: Clara Ana Ruplinger/Contributing writer This year, I decided to embark on a challenging journey: My first Ramadan. I am a 21-year-old woman, born to a Catholic family, but decided to explore faith through fasting. A culmination of all the learning that I have done about Islam in the past few years guided me in … Continued
BY: Eugene Smith/Contributing Writer The Tragedy: On Thursday evening, the Dallas Police presided over a peaceful demonstration held by the local Black Lives Matter movement protesting the recent shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. The deaths of the two young men weighed heavily on the frustrated crowd as they marched chanting “enough is enough.” In a sign … Continued
BY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer America witnessed two more fatal shootings of black men by police officers this week – Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Cities across America, big and small, demonstrated on the streets Thursday night, demanding an end to the unnecessary deaths of black men by white cops. The level … Continued
Anwer Ahmed, president of the Islamic Community Center of Bryan-College Station, spoke with reporters outside of the center Thursday afternoon. “These kinds of things do happen, but we cannot let them stand in our way of worshiping God,” he said. “We have to be strong and we have to stick to our faith and we … Continued
BY RAMON ANTONIO VARGAS
The New Orleans Advocate
Two days after he stepped outside of his Baton Rouge convenience store to record video of police fatally shooting Alton Sterling, Abdullah Muflahi was cornered in the back of his business by the fallen man’s aunt.
Sandra Sterling’s message to the thin, bespectacled man who helped sear her nephew’s name and fate into the national conscience was simple: “You’re going to speak at the funeral. Yeah, you’re going to be on the program. You know that.”
The exchange was brief, but it was typical of the respect those affected by Sterling’s death have shown Muflahi, who turned over his cellphone video of the shooting to federal investigators as well as reporters asking questions about whether the use of force by police was justified.
Muflahi, 28, who was born in Yemen, may seem an unlikely ally of those who hope to see charges filed against the two white police officers who tussled with Sterling — an African-American — before one of them shot him in the chest early Tuesday.
But Muflahi, who spent most of his youth in Michigan before opening the Triple S Food Mart at 2112 N. Foster Drive in Baton Rouge almost six years ago, said those who understand how he was brought up would easily understand.
Though he and his family are from Yemen, they were in Detroit for many of Muflahi’s childhood years. The demographics of Muflahi’s largely African-American neighborhood there left him with little choice but to grow comfortable with — and respectful of — people who were neither Yemeni nor Muslim like him and his relatives, he said.
“There were maybe three others who were Arab or Muslim,” said Muflahi, who didn’t know English when he moved to Michigan but now speaks the language with a virtually perfect American accent. “So my parents told me to get along with everybody — don’t judge on color, race or religion.”
When Muflahi was in middle school, he learned that not everyone in his adopted country had been brought up with the same values. Some time after the 9/11 terror attacks, the windows at Muflahi’s house were shattered, and someone unsuccessfully tried to break into the home, Muflahi recalled.
Muflahi said his parents reported the incident to the police. Officers never figured out who did it, so Muflahi’s family moved to the nearby community of Dearborn, home to one of the country’s biggest Arab-American and Muslim populations.
The switch suited Muflahi until he finished high school. But he yearned to move away to a place that was maybe a little more like where he had spent much of his childhood.
He settled in late 2009 on Baton Rouge, where a close friend worked, and signed up to take classes at Baton Rouge Community College.
The neighborhood around BRCC popped up after World War II on what was then the outskirts of the capital city, offering landowners spacious lots and plenty of shade from oak and pecan trees, just five miles from downtown.
As the city has sprawled around the neighborhood over the decades, the big yards and tree cover remain. However, in and around the neighborhood’s western edge, North Foster Drive, a handful of yards are littered with telltale signs of a community in distress: cans in brown paper bags; shells of cars, missing tires, doors and engine covers; and mattresses with large tears.
Some lots are overrun by grass and weeds several feet high. The paint on some ranch homes is faded, and some houses have balky roofs or missing shingles.
Muflahi, though, said the people he has met since his arrival have accepted him as he was, despite their various surface differences. So, when the chance to buy the Triple S on North Foster and move in by August 2010 presented itself, he didn’t think twice about it.
Evidence of unrest over Sterling’s death was everywhere midday Thursday outside the store.
In the parking lot, a few feet away from a spray-painted sign that read “F*** BRPD” and “Fly High Alton,” a man in a T-shirt decorated with Black Power imagery had a rifle with a long-range scope slung over his shoulder and a pistol holstered on his hip, as other protesters and members of the media from all over the country came and went.
Intermingled with such extraordinary scenes were more mundane interactions that hinted at the rapport Muflahi had developed with his customers in more normal times at the store.
Dressed in a white dress shirt and dark business slacks, Muflahi was unbothered by the sight of a group of men who were loitering a few feet away from his entrance, drinking and chatting loudly. He exchanged waves with one man, flashing a smile at him and quipping: “Excuse me. If you don’t quiet down, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Others who went inside shook his hand, embraced him and asked how he and his family were doing.
Only after that did those customers — addressed as “sir” or “brother” — walk down one of the store’s six aisles; pick out anything from cold drinks and cigarettes to brightly colored bandannas and fried chicken; and take it to the register.
Regular customer Tanisha Johnson said that in her experience, not every business owner is patient with his local clientele. But Muflahi was, evidenced by his willingness to allow Sterling and at least one other man to try to earn a few bucks selling CDs outside his convenience store, asking for nothing in return.
Tuesday morning was something else entirely, Johnson said, showing Muflahi cared enough about a regular to secure and distribute a recording that could be instrumental in helping authorities determine whether or not officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II are criminally liable in Sterling’s death.
“It makes you feel safe, that he cares, because some people don’t,” said Johnson, who was helping Muflahi at the store on Thursday.
Muflahi said he never imagined himself acting differently.
“They’ve allowed me to become a part of this community, … and I wanted to stand for Alton,” Muflahi said. “We just need to stick together — no matter what race we are, no matter where we are from.”
Source: www.theneworleansadvocate.com
By Madina Toure
Observer.com
Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray speak at an Eid al-Fitr prayer at Bensonhurst Park in Brooklyn. (Photo: Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office)
Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the “senseless acts of violence around the world,” praised Muslim police officers and touted his administration’s achievement of securing two Eid school holidays at a prayer marking the end of Ramadan early this morning.
Speaking before several hundred Muslims at Bensonhurst Park in Brooklyn, the mayor said he was “saddened” by “senseless acts of violence around the world,” including a recent suicide bombing in the Muslim holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia, and encouraged New Yorkers to stand together and unite in peace.
“We believe in tolerance and respect for all,” he said. “And even though we’ve gone through adversity in this city, even though we ourselves have experienced terror, we have come back in a spirit of unity, and that makes us strong.”
The mayor’s appearance at this year’s prayer marking the end of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown for a month, is noteworthy following his announcement alongside City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña in March 2015 that two Muslim Eid holidays—Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha—would become school holidays in 2016. De Blasio pledged to do so when he was running for office in 2013.
The mayor also noted that his administration has welcomed Muslim leaders to its Clergy Advisory Committee and praised the members of the Muslim Society of the NYPD.
“We celebrate every day the Muslims who do so much to help us all and to make the city better, including the 900 members of the Muslim Society of the NYPD who protect us all,” he continued. “We say thank you to them.”
Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson also spoke about hate crimes and City Comptroller Scott Stringer lauded the contributions Muslims have made to New York City.
Chirlane McCray, the mayor’s wife, was also present at the prayer and wore a hijab—something that stood out to Zein Rimawi, vice president of the Arab Muslim American Federation.
“What was special about it was that they came and the first lady was here,” Rimawi said. “It was the first time since I came to this country that the first lady came to an event like this, came wearing a hijab, which is a very, very good sign at a time where everybody is talking against the hijab.”
Raja Abdulhaq, secretary of the Arab Muslim American Federation, which organized the prayer, praised the mayor for his long-standing commitment to reaching out to the Muslim community.
“Mayor de Blasio spoke here before he became the mayor,” he said.
Source: observer.com
BY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer The Church of the Epiphany rests between a café, a parking garage, and a pizza restaurant on G Street in Washington, DC. Only three blocks away from the White House, the church looks out of place in the District’s bustling and modern downtown area. Those who work in the many businesses, … Continued
With all the anti-Arab bashing we see in the news every week, Arab America is determined to expose those who discriminate against our community. We will recognize those who vilify the positive influence and contributions Arabs have made to the fabric of American society. And we will use hummus as our weapon. By naming those … Continued
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