Mideast Culture

On the Dearborn Drama: Pig-Headed Engagement of Islam

At a recent festival held annually by Dearborn’s Muslim community, it was reported that a group of Christian missionaries disrupted the event as they engaged in responses that challenged deeply valued Islamic ideals. This included holding up signs that attacked Islam’s prophet Muhammad, shouting at Muslims participating in the festival, and hoisting a pig’s head on a pole, an animal considered unclean by Muslims. Less tense forms of engagement also reportedly took place, such as the sharing of evangelistic literature outside the largest mosque in Michigan.

Mosque Building and Zones of Comfort

USA Today released an article a few days ago about the controversy surrounding the building of mosques in America today. I will not speak to this or that particular controversy related to zoning laws and similar matters (Not all issues pertaining to the building of mosques and churches are bound up with religious expression). Instead, I will address the matter of zones of comfort for many Christians and others in America today.

“Language Rooms” Strikes High Fidelity on the Arab Front

Patriotism and fidelity. Translation and mind games. CIA interrogation and the American Dream. Arabs. As if one of these themes wasn’t enough to craft an entire script, the L.A. premiere of the play Language Rooms decides to keep you on your toes by exploring what means to abuse loyalty and the divided allegiances immigrants encounter when they realize that the American Dream is not as forthcoming as Horatio Alger would have you believe. Part political thriller, part comedy, Language Rooms is as hilarious as it uncomfortable, a provocative balance between humor and sobriety where if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry... or die. You will most certainly squirm.

“Aftermath”: Using the Stage to Explore the Iraq War

Run — don’t walk — to San Francisco-based Theatre, Period’s production of Aftermath and its mesmerizing real life stories of Iraqis from the pre and post-American invasion of their homeland in 2003. Interviews, in Arabic then beautifully translated into English, form the basis of this docudrama that opens a unique door to a world normally closed to America by barriers of language, culture and propaganda.

Schaduf Puts Egypt’s Rooftops To Work

If traditional mentality in the Arab region discourages risk-taking, Sherif Hosny of Schaduf rejected that tradition in one fell swoop when he quit his job to become a farmer. More accurately, he quit his job to pursue an entrepreneurial career in sustainable urban agriculture.

MIT Arab Business Plan Competition finalist Schaduf, founded by Hosny and his brother Tarek, is a startup that works to promote micro rooftop farming among low to medium income families in Egyptian cities.

“The idea is to generate a small income for these families,” explains Hosny. “So we provide them with everything they need to be successful. We help them with technical support, quality control and training in how to operate the farms. We also link them up with micro-finance organizations, so they can afford to install the farms. Ultimately we want to help them sell the crops.”