Shady Srour sells “Holy Air”, his Nazareth-based film debuting in select American theaters
November 17th, 20170 NAZARETH—“You see them, you love them; they are human like you,” Shady Srour, writer and director of the film “Holy Air”, said about the movie’s two main characters, Adam and Lamia. “They are modern, they want to live.” Srour is a self-described minority inside a minority. He grew up an Arab living in Nazareth. He...
Palestinian refugee’s catering company subject of documentary
November 10th, 20170 BOURJ EL-BARAJNEH — When you’ve lived your entire life in a 69-year-old refugee camp, you’d probably never expect your own journey to be documented and potentially qualify for an Academy Award, as there are so many living in similar circumstances— but that’s the exact story of Mariam Shaar and her friends. In the...
Native and Arab American filmmaker talks film and politics
October 20th, 20170 BROOKLYN, NY — "We say we're Ojibtian." Adam Khalil and his younger brother Zack use that term when referring to their maternal indigenous Ojibway roots, and their paternal Egyptian heritage. Khalil's mother is Native American, and his father is Egyptian. Khalil, 29, grew up in Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan's Upper Peninsula...
National Arab Orchestra plays stereotypes away, empowers youth
October 13th, 20170 DEARBORN — It was a night reminiscent of an era most Arab Americans are uncannily familiar with, but had never experienced themselves. On October 1, concert goers traveled back in time to hear traditional Arabic musical classics presented by the National Arab Orchestra (NAO). It was its eighth season of “A Night of Tarab” at the...
Novelist Mohsin Hamid on migration, love and his latest book, “Exit West”
October 13th, 20170 DEARBORN— Can you imagine a borderless planet? Where people are free to roam from one region to another? Where knowledge is easy to access and everyone’s desire to travel can be satiated without barriers or lines at airport security? Or can you imagine your daily routine of family time, work, dinner and prep for the next day of...
Modestly stylish: Muslim women succeed in the fashion world
September 29th, 20171 NEW YORK — The fashion industry has been dominated by women of a certain ethnicity, body type and style. Being a fashion icon or starting a line of clothing in the United States usually entailed clothing that caters to an audience flexible in terms of how revealing their line of clothing would be. So where do Muslim women...
National Arab Orchestra to unveil eighth season concert on Oct. 1
September 29th, 20170 DETROIT – Join the National Arab Orchestra as the curtain rises on its eighth season of thrilling audiences of all nationalities and cultures. “A Night of Tarab” will feature musical splendor and surprise performances from the Dearborn Fordson High School Choir. The term “tarab” is used in Arab culture to describe the...
From refugee camp to runway, hijab-wearing model breaks barriers
September 14th, 20170 NEW YORK - Roughly one year ago, Denise Wallace, executive co-director of the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, received a phone call from 19-year-old Halima Aden asking if she could compete in the contest wearing her hijab. “Her photo popped up and I remember distinctly going, ‘Wow, she is beautiful,'” Wallace said. The...
‘1001 Inventions’ exhibit comes to Detroit
September 8th, 20170 On October 7, the award-winning exhibit "1001 Inventions" will return to the U.S. after a five-year hiatus from the States and it will be open to the public at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit. Previously, the exhibit was hosted at museums in New York, California and Washington, D.C. Detroit will be the fourth U.S. location to...
Local poets participate in Arabic poetry open mic event
September 8th, 20171 DEARBORN — On September 6, the Arab American National Museum sponsored and hosted an Arabic poetry open mic event. Seven speakers recited poetry or short stories. All the poems and stories were original works, except for a famous poem from history, read by the first speaker, Aseel Srour, a local college student. She recited "Sajil...
Narratives of Pain: Healing through stories
August 25th, 20170 DETROIT— In March 2015, the first Narratives of Pain storytelling event took place in Dearborn at the Muslim Mental Health Conference. Co-founders Zain Shamoon and Hammad Ali packed a room of more than 100 people to witness stories of struggle on stage. They have since expanded their team and last year made Narratives of Pain a...
Arab American poet finds inspiration in her heritage
August 25th, 20170 REDMOND, WA— Born to a Palestinian father and Syrian Jordanian mother in Seattle, poet Lena Khalaf Tuffaha draws on her diverse background when writing her story— which, in essence, begins with her Arab identity. Tuffaha told The AANews that every U.S. citizen is an immigrant with a story that begins somewhere else— except...
Clooneys to help 3,000 Syrian refugees go to school in Lebanon
August 2nd, 20170 BEIRUT- George and Amal Clooney said on Monday they would help 3,000 Syrian refugee children go to school this year in Lebanon, where the United Nations says 200,000 children are not receiving an education after fleeing the war in neighboring Syria. The Clooney Foundation for Justice said it has teamed up with Google and HP Inc to help...
Syrian American releases second rap single
July 28th, 20171 NEW YORK CITY— On Monday, July 17, Syrian American Mona Haydar dropped her latest rap single, “Dog”, featuring Jackie Cruz from the popular Netflix show Orange is the New Black. The poet turned rapper, originally from Flint, uses her lyrics to call out men who use money and privilege to abuse women. The song begins with the...
Immigrant launches reading series to celebrate culture and language
June 30th, 20170 HAMTRAMCK — Haiti-born graduate student Stephanie Jean will be launching her new reading series in one of Michigan's main immigrant cities, Hamtramck, on July 6 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Aladdin Sweets and Café. Jean moved to the U.S. from Haiti twenty years ago and has been a Michigan resident for two years now--- attending Wayne......
First Institute of Arab and Islamic Art opens in New York
June 12th, 20170 NEW YORK — The city of New York had no institute to showcase the modern and contemporary art of Arab and Muslim artists. But, that changed this May when the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art opened with a four-woman show of work by Dana Awartani, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Zarina and Nasreen Mohamedi. For now, it is temporarily...
Lebanese ministry bans ‘Wonder Woman’ film over Israeli actress
June 2nd, 20170 Lebanon's Interior Ministry banned the new "Wonder Woman" film from cinemas on Wednesday because an Israeli actress plays the lead role, a ministry source and a security official said. Lebanon considers Israel an enemy country and the Ministry of Economy and Trade oversees a boycott of any business transactions concerning...
Saudi artist reflects the unspeakable through works, exhibitions
June 2nd, 20170 RIYADH — Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem spent years pursuing his passion on the side, working a government job as a lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian army. Like his art suggests, he, too, is a diasporic duality of conflicting cultures, identities and ideas. "I went into the army because it was hard to be an artist at the...
Fashion journalist breaks barriers to benefit Syrian refugees
May 26th, 20170 BIRMINGHAM — Born to a Lebanese mother and Palestinian father in Dearborn, fashion journalist Hoda Salameh Winkler had already broken down barriers— by having two different ethnicities. Yet, the concept doesn't only revolve around her identity. She also uses her eye for style to send a deeper message that promotes peace, social......
Dearborn pastry chef makes national culinary semifinals
May 26th, 20173 DEARBORN — For five years, Eater, a popular online magazine for foodies and restaurant obsessives, has been on the hunt for the best and brightest in the industry. The publication holds an annual Young Guns competition that features rising stars under 30 or those who have less than five years' of experience, but "exhibit the...
Arab artist debuts first solo show at Los Angeles museum
May 5th, 20171 LOS ANGELES — The first solo U.S. show by Saudi Arabian artist Abdulnasser Gharem is currently underway at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) through July 2. The artist, who was also a lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian army, is known for his political and social artwork that interlaces with his Muslim heritage. The......
Iraqi artist recreates ancient works destroyed by ISIS
April 21st, 20170 ERBIL — As Iraqi forces fight to retake the northern city of Mosul from ISIS, an artist in nearby Erbil is chiseling at clay in a tiny, unheated studio to recreate historic Assyrian monuments destroyed by the group. Ninos Thabet, an 18-year-old Christian who studied art at Mosul University, is creating miniature replicas of statues...
Chinese artist calls on Arab world’s richest country to take in Syrian refugees
April 21st, 20170 DOHA, Qatar — Chinese artist Ai Weiwei called on wealthy Gulf Arab states to take in more Syrians displaced by six years of civil war, saying the surge of refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East was a "test for humanity." Ai, often described as China's most high-profile artist and dissident, has won acclaim for artwork......
