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UC Berkeley’s New Initiative in Palestinian and Arab Studies

By: Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer The University of California, Berkeley is set to launch a new endowed program and chair in Palestinian and Arab Studies, one of the few such initiatives in the U.S., amid growing interest in the region due to Israel’s war on Gaza. The program, named after May Ziadeh, … Continued

Resisting Erasure

By: Samira Rafidi Meghdessian with Joseph Eric Cadora / Arab America Contributing Writers When I first picked up A History of the City of Ramallah (its original Arabic title), it had been on my parents’ bookshelf for years and was known simply as Ammo (Uncle) Joseph’s book. Many years later, I was inspired to translate … Continued

South Yemen: Divisions before the Yemeni Civil War

By: Liam Nagle / Arab America Contributing Writer When one thinks about a divided Yemen, one might think about its ongoing, devastating, and complicated civil war. However, this wasn’t the first time Yemen was divided, as Yemen didn’t always exist as a single entity. Before 1990, it was two separate and distinct states—one based in … Continued

Al-Zahawi: Iraqi Anti-Establishment Poet

By Luke McMahan/ Arab America Contributing Writer Jamil Sidqi Al-Zahawi (جميل صدقي الزهاوي) was born in Baghdad in 1863 to a religiously conservative family, with his father serving as the Grand Mufti of an Iraqi Ottoman province. Although initially educated in classical Islamic disciplines, he developed an interest in modern natural sciences through the Arabic … Continued

9/11 as a Turning Point in El Rassi’s Memoir

By Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer The tragic events of September 11, 2001, led to a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism in the U.S. However, it is important to recognize that these attacks were not the beginning but rather one of several turning points in the history of discrimination against Arabs and … Continued

Al-Ma’arri: Medieval Anti-Theist, Vegan, and Anti-Natalist?

By Liam Nagle / Arab America Contributing Writer Al-Ma’arri, a relatively obscure Arab philosopher from the Golden Age of Islam, is perhaps best described as a pessimist. He held several beliefs that were controversial not only in his time but even today. First, while he believed in a God, he was critical of organized religions. … Continued

Aristotle and Islamic Philosophy

By Luke McMahan/ Arab America Contributing Writer Ancient Greek philosophy, particularly that of Aristotle, was profoundly influential in the development of Islamic philosophy during the Abbasid Caliphate. Early translations and commentaries in Arabic facilitated the incorporation of reason and Greek thought into the writings of prominent Muslim thinkers such as Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, and Ibn … Continued

Karimeh Abbud: The First Palestinian Lady Photographer

By Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer Karimeh Abbud, born in Bethlehem in 1893, made history as Palestine’s first professional female photographer. Her work, encompassing personal portraits and stunning landscapes, offers a rare visual record of daily life and prominent landmarks in early twentieth-century Palestine. Decades later, her recently discovered photographs inadvertently challenge the … Continued

North Yemen: Divisions before the Yemeni Civil War

By Liam Nagle / Arab America Contributing Writer When one thinks about a divided Yemen, they might think about its ongoing, devastating, and complicated civil war. However, did you know that there was another time when it was divided? Yemen didn’t always exist as a single entity, as it only recently unified in 1990! Before … Continued

Marie El-Khoury: A Remarkable Jewelry Designer

By Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer In the early twentieth century, amidst the glittering names of Tiffany and Cartier, another jeweler captivated New York’s elite—Marie El-Khoury. Not only was she one of the most sought-after jewelers in the city, but El-Khoury also served as a board member at the Metropolitan Museum of Art … Continued

A Glimpse into 19th-Century Syrian Christian Weddings

By: Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer Weddings are more than just ceremonies—they are monumental events in one’s life. Have you ever wondered how Arabs celebrated their weddings in the nineteenth century? In his autobiography, A Far Journey, Abraham Rihbany provides a unique and detailed firsthand account of Syrian Christian weddings in Greater Syria. … Continued

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