Category: Features

America’s #1 Arab comedian performs in suburban Detroit

March 31, 2016April 2, 2016 rayhanania No Comments

Comedian Nemr pushes the envelope on Arab cultural habits, traditions and even politics using laughter to make audiences see past the stereotypes and anger in the post-Sept. 11, 2001 world. This week, he performs in Greater Detroit and expands his already impressive professional comedy resume By Ray Hanania Not many American Arab comedians have made the cover of Rolling Stone…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Entertainment, Features, Humor, Ray Hanania

Sanders edge in Michigan may be due to Arab support

March 10, 2016October 30, 2018 rayhanania No Comments

Bernie Sanders won the important Michigan Primary Tuesday (March 8) and a big part of his victory can be directly attributed to support he received mainly from Muslim Americans and Arabs in Wayne County. But Donald Trump still carried the state with overwhelming support from Chaldeans, Middle East Christians. The two communities have been separated…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Features, News, Palestine & Jordan, Politics, Radio Podcast, Ray Hanania, US Arab Politics

A Third Way, a film that offers hope

March 1, 2016September 24, 2018 rayhanania 1 Comment

Can Palestinians and Israelis come together to make peace? It’s a difficult question to find an answer to, but filmmaker Harvey Stein explores this difficult but important topic in his new film “A Third Way.” By Ray Hanania I met Israeli filmmaker Harvey Stein during my foray into the contentious world of Israeli-Palestinian peace in…

Arab World, Bloggers, Commentary, Features, Israel, Movies, Palestine & Jordan, Ray Hanania

Oscars debate still bothers me, even though it’s done

February 29, 2016February 29, 2016 rayhanania No Comments

Now that the Oscars are over, can we have a real discussion about the absence of fairness, the racism, stereotypes and bias that consumes the Hollywood movie industry? And to be honest, African Americans have a lot to complain about here in America over the past 400 years for sure, but they really are the last…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Entertainment, Features, Movies, Ray Hanania

Jordan backdrop for three Oscar nominees

February 29, 2016September 24, 2018 rayhanania No Comments

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan served as the backdrop for three Oscar nominated films in this year’s Academy Awards. Jordan has a long history as a setting for movies including Lawrence of Arabia, The Hurt Locker, Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade and Zero Dark Thirty. This years entries include Martian, Theeb and A War. As…

American Arabs, Arab World, Editors Picks, Entertainment, Features, News, Palestine & Jordan

Algerians salute Palestinian football team

February 20, 2016February 20, 2016 Mohammed Asad 5 Comments

Algerians salute Palestinian football team Algerian football players and fans salute the struggle of the Palestinian people during a soccer match between the Algerian Olympic football team and the Palestinian Football team, played in Algeria. By Mohammed Asad Palestinians in the Gaza Strip watch on big screens a friendly football (soccer) match between the Palestinian…

Arab World, Bloggers, Commentary, Features, Mohammed Asad, Palestine & Jordan, Photographs, Sports

Netherlands hosts Islamic display at embassy

February 20, 2016April 29, 2017 Mohammed Asad 1 Comment

Netherlands hosts Islamic display at embassy Netherlands embassy in Gaza opens a historical and cultural display of Islamic scripts and artifacts By Mohammed Asad The Embassy of the Netherlands opened an historical exhibition of a collection of Islamic scripts and information related to the Koran which Muslims scholars trace to ancient times. The Ambassador of the Netherlands…

Arab World, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Features, Mohammed Asad, Palestine & Jordan, Photographs

Kellogg Foundation advocates for racial equality

February 1, 2016April 13, 2019 rayhanania No Comments

Through its work with the America Healing initiative, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation has supported approximately 1,000 national and community organizations representing Native American, African American, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Arab American and white communities, which want to jettison the antiquated belief in the hierarchy of human value that limits the even distribution of opportunities…

American Arabs, Features, Press Releases, religion

Israel forces Gaza Palestinians into cold

January 26, 2016September 24, 2018 Mohammed Asad No Comments

Israel controls the electricity and gas supplies to the Gaza Strip and imposes a harsh embargo on the nearly 2 million Palestinians living in the coastal strip near the Sinai Desert. But Palestinians are finding creative ways to get around Israel’s oppression, especially in fighting the cold Winter weather By Mohammed Asad Israel controls the…

Arab World, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Features, Israel, Mohammed Asad, Palestine & Jordan

Lydda Roman mosaic showcased in Miami

January 25, 2016August 20, 2019 rayhanania No Comments

Ancient Roman mosaic from Lydda (Lod) to be showcased at Miami’ Frost Art Museum between Feb. 10 and May 15, 2016. “Predators and Prey” a Roman Mosaic from Lydda (Lod), Israel Visitors to Miami this winter travel season have a chance to meet a true “Roman Rock Star” up close in the magnificent Lydda (Lod) Mosaic, a 3rd-century CE Roman Mosaic from…

Arab World, Entertainment, Events, Features, Israel, Palestine & Jordan

Reading the grinds in Arabian coffee

January 24, 2016January 25, 2016 rayhanania No Comments

If you have never had your coffee grounds read, you are missing out on understanding your potential future. The art of reading coffee grounds in the Middle East traces back to thousands of years of practice, fortune tellers and seers By Ray Hanania When I was younger, my mother and aunts used to read my…

Arab World, Bloggers, Commentary, Features, Food, Ray Hanania

Lebanese National Conservatory plans Jazz Fest

January 24, 2016January 24, 2016 rayhanania No Comments

Lebanese National Conservatory plans Jazz Fest The only Jazz Orchestra in the Middle East, the Big Band of the Lebanese National Conservatory of Music (LNCM), will present a free concert featuring specially composed newly released pieces arranged by, among others, multiple Grammy Award Winner Michael Mossman, a renowned New York-based hard bop jazz trumpeter. The…

Arab World, Entertainment, Events, Features

Point Theme from MyThemeShop is the Worst

January 24, 2016February 18, 2016 rayhanania No Comments

Point Theme from MyThemeShop is the Worst “Point Theme” from MyThemeShop.com is the worst theme center for wordpress. The system is corrupt and flawed. Everytime they update their theme, it rearranges your design dramatically and you have to spend hours re-aligning your WordPress web site. Worse is that they exploit you and the force you…

Bloggers, Commentary, Features, News, Ray Hanania, Technology

Recipe: Nenae ma’a Lemon (Lemon with Mint) drink

January 22, 2016January 22, 2016 rayhanania No Comments

Recipe: Nenae ma’a Lemon (Lemon with Mint) drink This is a very popular and tasty Middle Eastern refreshment. It’s easy to make but requires fresh mint leaves. Mint (nenae in Arabic) is an easy to grow plant that produces a wonderful and essential flavor and ingredient in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Arab recipes. The plant grows…

American Arabs, Features, Food, Ray Hanania, recipe

Flip or Flop HGTV one of my favorite shows

January 14, 2016September 29, 2018 rayhanania 3 Comments

There are so few positive images of American Arabs on television but one stands out, Tarek El Moussa who with his wife, Christina, star in the popular HGTV series Flip or Flop, purchasing and remodeling homes in need of major repair By Ray Hanania Most people buy and remodel maybe two or three of their own…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, Entertainment, Features, Ray Hanania

Theeb, Arabic language film, nominated for Oscar

January 14, 2016April 13, 2019 rayhanania No Comments

An Arabic language film, Theeb, was nominated for an Oscar by the Academy Awards on Thursday. The film is the story about a young boy who helps a British soldier during World War I. Theeb, the Arabic language story of a young bedouin boy who embarks on a journey through the Ottoman Empire during World…

American Arabs, Entertainment, Features, Movies, News

Tunisia five years after the revolution: Was it worth it?

January 14, 2016 rayhanania No Comments

Tunisia five years after the revolution: Was it worth it? International Institute for Management (IMD) Professor Tawfik Jelassi discusses the country’s progress and challenges At the five-year mark after the Arab Spring uprisings, IMD Professor and former Tunisian minister Tawfik Jelassi talks about Tunisia today in an interview: What comes to your mind when you think…

Arab World, Bloggers, Commentary, Features, North Africa

New film explores challenges facing American Arabs

January 7, 2016April 13, 2019 rayhanania No Comments

Usama Alshaibi’s documentary “American Arab” has its national television premiere on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, at 8 p.m. on WORLD Channel (check local listings), as part of the fourth season of AMERICA REFRAMED, public media’s newest documentary series. The film, made through Chicago production collective Kartemquin Films (makers of THE INTERRUPTERS), will be available for free streaming on www.worldchannel.org starting February…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Entertainment, Features, Movies, News