By: Fedal Hanoun / Arab America Contributing Writer The globe has historically benefited greatly from the intellectual, artistic, and cultural contributions made by the Middle East. A thriving generation of artists and filmmakers from the area has surfaced in recent decades, drawing attention from all over the world with their examinations of modernity, identity, and … Continued
By: Fedal Hanoun / Arab America Contributing Writer Rich and varied, Arab culture has had a lasting impression on the world, impacting facets of daily life well beyond the Arab country’s boundaries. Arab culture has influenced a worldwide legacy through language, art, trade, and science, adding to a collective history of creative and intellectual accomplishments. … Continued
By: Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer As Halloween approaches, it’s the perfect time to explore costumes that respectfully represent Arab cultural heritage. Fortunately, the gaming industry increasingly strives to depict Arabs with greater depth. The representation of Arab characters in video games has evolved from stereotypes to more thoughtful portrayals. This article explores … Continued
By Liam Nagle / Arab America Contributing Writer Western Islamic Architecture refers to an architectural style that was created by the inhabitants of the various Muslim caliphates, emirates, and other empires that have existed from the 700s even to today. The architectural style can be mostly seen in western parts of the Arab world – … Continued
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
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
By: Yara Marei / Arab America Contributing Writer Imagine a band that takes the ordinary, lights it on fire, and from the ashes creates something extraordinary. This is Harget Kart—a name that, in the Arabic Jordanian dialect, means “to burn a photo card.” Just as their name suggests, Harget Kart has set the conventional boundaries … Continued
By Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer The Cat Man of Aleppo, written by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, with illustrations by Yuko Shimizu, is an inspiring and heartwarming picture book. It tells the true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, a Syrian ambulance driver who rescued people buried under rubble during the turmoil of … Continued
By: Yara Marei / Arab America Contributing Writer “Landowners” or “The Natives” is one of the most recently released songs that are getting trendy now, performed by Assala Nasri, ft. Acapella Masreya Band, and Fares Katrya. The latest music video, presented in the traditional Tarweedeh style, is a poignant and symbol-laden tribute to the native … Continued
By: Ziyan Qutub / Arab America Contributing Writer In a world characterized by rapid change and evolving traditions, few practices have maintained their enduring allure, like the art of applying henna. Embedded within the cultural fabric of societies across the globe, henna, often associated with Mehndi, continues to captivate hearts and minds, transcending geographical boundaries … Continued
This is the thirty-second in Arab America’s series on American pathbreakers of Arab descent. The series includes personalities from entertainment, business, sports, science, academia, journalism, and politics, among other areas. Our thirty-second pathbreaker is Samia Halaby, a visual artist, activist, educator, and scholar. She was born in Jerusalem in 1936 during the British Mandate of Palestine. The daughter of Asaad Halaby and Foutonie Atallah Halaby, Samia was eleven years old when her family fled to Lebanon. Contributing writer, John Mason, depicts how in 1951 the family left Beirut to eventually settle in the U.S. Now 87, Samia has recently been outspoken in her support of Palestinians during the Israel-Gaza war.
n today’s highly politicized identity discussions around media, representation, and visibility within the arena of the Western entertainment industry valorized as the official and universal vessel of meaning-making, it is refreshing how unconcerned prolific filmmaker Terrence Malick (of Lebanese and Assyrian heritage through his father) is of the politics of identity markers. The calls for re-imagining Arab American representation in media are warranted after decades of fetishizing, otherizing, and villainizing.
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