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literature

The Ultimate Guide: 46 Children’s Books that Celebrate Arab Heritage

By: Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer Are you searching for the perfect gift for the young readers in your life? This curated list of children’s books celebrates Arab heritage and identity, offering stories that highlight the richness of Arab cultures and traditions. Whether you want to educate, inspire, or simply share a meaningful … Continued

The Power of Palestinian Representation in Children’s Literature

By: Amanda Najib / Arab America Contributing Writer Amanda Najib is an educator turned scholar, passionate about integrating Arab and Palestinian history into educational curricula. She is the author of Lana Makes Purple Pizza: A Palestinian Food Tale and focuses on the transformative power of narrative and representation in education. Picture books have an incredible … Continued

Adonis: A Beacon of Syrian Poetry

By: Fedal Hanoun / Arab America Contributing Writer There is a well-known Syrian poet, essayist, and critic who goes by the name Adonis. His real name is Ali Ahmad Said Esber. His original writing style and examination of topics such as love, sorrow, exile, and the human condition have made him a notable character in … Continued

Abraham Rihbany in New York’s Syrian Colony

By: Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer Abraham Rihbany arrived in New York on October 6, 1891, and quickly found refuge within the Syrian colony. Fellow Syrians promptly came to his aid, lending him the necessary funds to survive. Beyond financial support, the colony helped him secure shelter, employment, and a sense of community, … Continued

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

Rita… Love Me – A Poem by Mahmoud Darwish

By Luke McMahan / Arab America Contributing Writer Luke McMahan has been a student of Arabic for two and a half years, and throughout this time, he has been told how wonderful Arabic poetry is. But because few translations exist online of anything but the most famous poems, he had to wait to progress in … 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

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

A Heartwarming Children’s Book: The Cat Man of Aleppo

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

“Kawkab America”: The First Arab American Newspaper

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By: Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer Kawkab America is widely recognized as the first Arabic newspaper, founded by members of the Greek Orthodox Church (Mehdi 5, 7). What is less commonly known is that this groundbreaking publication was bilingual, non-sectarian, and transnational. Its efforts to forge connections and promote … Continued

The Epistle of Forgiveness: The Arab Divine Comedy

By Luke McMahan/ Arab America Contributing Writer In the eleventh century, controversial Syrian thinker and poet Al-Ma’ari responded to a rival’s intellectual challenge with an expansive epic text, The Epistle of Forgiveness (رسالة الغفران), which would be compared to Dante’s Divine Comedy, which came three hundred years later (although Dante drew no influence from it). … Continued

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