Arab culture Archives

Pappas honors Arab American business and community leaders for Heritage Month

April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

Pappas honors Arab American business and community leaders for Heritage Month Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas hosted her annual celebration for Arab American Heritage Month, one of several dozen events her office sponsors to recognize the many contributions Cook County’s various ethnic and religious groups have made to society. By Ray Hanania Cook County Treasurer…

Activism, American Arabs, Christian & Muslim, Culture, Event, Events, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan

Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib

November 1, 2021November 1, 2021 rayhanania No Comments

Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib Stories My Father Told Me: Memories of a Childhood in Syria and Lebanon contains 24 full color plates of original artwork by the established Arab American artist Helen Zughaib and accompany her father Elia Zughaib’s family stories of his childhood in Syria and Lebanon…

American Arabs, Book Review, Culture, Entertainment, Features, immigrants, Middle East, News

ArabiKids keeps Arab American families connected to culture

February 18, 2021February 18, 2021 rayhanania No Comments

ArabiKids keeps Arab American families connected to culture ArabiKids helps families stay connected to Arabic by bringing the best in Arabic kids’ books and resources from around the world to their doorstep For Arab-American families, connecting their children with Arabic language and culture is not always easy. With ArabiKids, two Arab-American moms have found a…

American Arabs, Business, Features, NewsWire, Spotlight

Cook County Board approves April Arab Heritage Month proclamation

March 24, 2019March 24, 2019 rayhanania No Comments

Cook County Board approves April Arab Heritage Month proclamation Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison introduces a proclamation honoring April as Arab American Heritage Month at the board meeting March 20, 2019, in coordination with the passage of a State of Illinois Law designating April as Arab American Heritage month. The Cook County Board on Wednesday,…

American Arabs, Arab American History, Christian & Muslim, Culture, Features, immigrants, mainstream, News

Illinois Legislature adopts bill to name April Arab Heritage Month

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019 rayhanania No Comments

Illinois Legislature adopts bill to name April Arab Heritage Month Illinois Legislature passes law to designate April as Arab American Heritage Month. The bill was introduced by Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, and co-sponsored by State Senator Steve Landek and Representative Mike Zalewski. The bill restores respect for Illinois’ Arab American community which was…

American Arabs, Christian & Muslim, Civil Rights, immigrants, Israel, mainstream, News, Ray Hanania, US Arab Politics

Palestinian standup comic Nasr Abu Ali Owaynat discusses his career

December 17, 2018June 12, 2019 rayhanania No Comments

Palestinian standup comedian Nasr Abu Ali Owaynat discusses his career By Ray Hanania Chicagoland Palestinian American comedian Nasr Abu Ali Owaynat will be performing comedy at the renown Chicagoland comedy club Riddles on Jan. 10, 2019. Abu Ali was born to a Palestinian American immigrant and an American mother from Kentucky. He started doing comedy…

American Arabs, Entertainment, Features, Humor, News, Palestine & Jordan, racism, Satire, Spotlight

Tipping and Bargaining in Egypt: Bakhshesh or Sadaqa

April 18, 2018April 18, 2018 Abdennour Toumi No Comments

Tipping and Bargaining in Egypt: Bakhshesh or Sadaqa The role of tipping in the Arab World in tourism and the economy is important. To most Western tourists particularly Americans, the question of tipping is normal, like adding sales tax to the bill, but in the Middle East, however, the question of tipping, and add to it…

Abdennour Toumi, Arab World, Bloggers, Business, Commentary, Entertainment, Middle East, North Africa, Opinion, Travel

Promoting Local Arab Culture in the Digital World

March 14, 2018March 14, 2018 rayhanania No Comments

H.E. Ahmed Bin Bishr: Promoting Local Arab Culture in the Digital World “I believe that practicing your passion day in and day out is the only way to live,” says His Excellency Ahmed bin Bishr. His Excellency Ahmed Bin Bishr – also known as Shb7 to his 1.2M Instagram followers – exemplifies an international lifestyle and…

Arab World, Gulf States, Middle East, News, Technology

Georgetown Professor pens new book on Arab Culture in Doha

February 5, 2018February 5, 2018 rayhanania 1 Comment

Georgetown Professor pens new book on Arab Culture in Doha The Doha Experiment by Gary Wasserman is a fascinating and illuminating window into Arab culture by a professor teaching American politics at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Doha, Qatar. The following is quoted from the author about his newly relased book, The Doha…

Book Review, Features, Gulf States, Middle East, News

Everyday Items reflect stereotypes of “Them”

September 27, 2017 rayhanania No Comments

Everyday Items reflect stereotypes of “Them” Exhibition helps viewers identify, resist subtle hate messages Stereotypes: Martin Luther King, Jr. said it eloquently – “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Prejudice and hate are not only reflected in the current political climate; they have long been promoted through items as innocuous as a souvenir…

American Arabs, Entertainment, Events, mainstream, News

American Arabs need to better document their history

September 16, 2017September 16, 2017 rayhanania No Comments

American Arabs need to better document their history By Ray Hanania During my entire consciousness as an American of Arab heritage, I have always tried to document the experiences of my family, friends and organizations I have been involved with regarding Arab American history. The truth is American Arabs do a poor job of documenting…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Events, Journalism, mainstream, Opinion, Palestine & Jordan, Photographs, Ray Hanania

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

Technology will theme Art Forums in Kuwait and Dubai

February 16, 2015September 24, 2018 rayhanania No Comments

Art Dubai announces Global Art Forum 2015 2015 Global Art Forum takes on the theme of technologies, and their impact on the world of art, culture and beyond. 50 local and international contributors participate in the ninth edition, codirected by Turi Munthe and Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, with Shumon Basar as Director-at-Large The Global Art Forum begins, for…

Activism, Arab World, Entertainment, Features, Gulf States, Press Releases, Technology

Warren and Amal David bring America to the Arabs

February 7, 2015February 7, 2015 rayhanania No Comments

By Ray Hanania Longtime American Arab activists Warren and Amal David are touring the country to promote their newest online venture, ArabAmerica.com. At a luncheon they hosted in Saturday at Fattoush Restaurant in Chicago’s Southwest Suburbs, the heart of Chicagoland’s Arab American community, the David’s presented their community news and information website to a gathering of 40…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, News, Ray Hanania, Technology

Radio Interview with Arab American publisher Mansour Tadros

November 21, 2014March 28, 2023 rayhanania No Comments

Radio Interview with Arab American publisher Mansour Tadros Mansour Tadros, publisher of The Future News (Al Mustaqbal) in Chicago discusses the ethnic news media and the American Arab community, and challenges small publishers face in addressing and covering the American Arab community in Chicago and the United States. Tadros, Jordanian American, has been publishing his…

American Arabs, Palestine & Jordan, Podcast, Ray Hanania

American Arabs Celebrate Arab Heritage Month (November) in Orland Park

November 12, 2014November 12, 2014 rayhanania No Comments

Local officials and community leaders celebrated Arab Heritage Month in Orland Park Tuesday Nov. 11 recognizing contributions of American Arab veterans By Staff Reports Officials from local and regional government attended an Arab Heritage cultural event Tuesday night in Orland Park held to recognize the achievements and contributions American Arabs have made to America. The…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, News, Ray Hanania

Tlaib candidacy in Michigan offers insight into community challenges

November 5, 2013January 9, 2019 rayhanania 1 Comment

Tlaib candidacy in Michigan offers insight into community challenges Saudi Gazette Newspaper, November 03, 2013 By Ray Hanania Rashida Tlaib was the first Palestinian Muslim woman to be elected to the Michigan State House in 2008 in a district outside of Detroit. It was a monumental achievement considering she is now only one of two Muslim…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Ray Hanania, Spotlight, US Arab Politics