On January 31, 2009, Levantine Cultural Center and the University of California, Irvine, the Middle East Studies Student Initiative (MESSI) will present “Whither the Levant? The Crisis of the Nation-State: Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. This conference includes documentary and feature film screenings, panels and a symposium.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

Jan 31 2009 11:00am - 10:00pm

Price: 

General public $40 all activities, $55 with catered lunch reception.
Single panel or symposium, $20
Films only $10, $8 students (entry good for two films).
Conference/films free to UCI students and faculty.
Conference (panels and symposium) free for all students.
Middle Eastern lunch $12 students/$15 general public with advance reservations, $15/$18 at the door.
Student i.d. must be presented at the door.
Click here to purchase tickets

Where: 

UC Irvine Student Center
East Peltason Drive
Irvine, CA 92617
949.824.2419

A conference including documentary and feature screenings, panels and symposium, organized by Levantine Cultural Center and the University of California, Irvine, the

Event Details

Date/Time: 

Jan 16 2009 12:00pm - 1:30pm

Price: 

Free to the public

Where: 

The Middle East Center
Fisher-Bennett Hall Rm. 401
3340 Walnut St.
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3409

Since the tragic events of 9/11, there has been an upsurge in ethnic comedy by Arabs/Muslims in America. More and more Arab/Muslim individuals and groups such as "Allah Made Me Funny," the "Sultans of Satire" and "Axis of Evil" are appearing on stage with comic routines and they are attracting larger and larger non-Muslim audiences. Paradoxically, a tragedy that triggered widespread Islamophobia in American society seems also to have opened the field for Arab/Muslim comedy.

This panel discussion and lecture series, sponsored by The Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania, will explore the landscape of American Middle Eastern ethnic comedy and its intricate relationship with Islamophobia. Cosponsored by U Penn Jewish Studies, the South Asia Center, and African Studies.

Contact Jordan Elgrably: 310.402.8866




[Philadelphia, December 26, 2008]—The Sultans of Satire show features some of the best stand-up comedians today who happen to be of Arab, Iranian, Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Middle Eastern Jewish heritage. In “West Meets East: The Inauguration Tour,” Sultans regulars Mike Batayeh, Noel Elgrably and Elham Jazab, plus special surprise guests, will perform live in Philadelphia on January 16, 2009 and in Washington DC on January 18, when they’ll offer their own brand of outrageous comedy, along with satirical insights on the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama.

Sultans of Satire Inauguration Tour

The Sultans of Satire show features some of the best stand-up comedians today who happen to be of Arab, Iranian, Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Middle Eastern Jewish heritage. In “West Meets East: The Inauguration Tour,” Sultans regulars Mike Batayeh, Noel Elgrably and Elham Jazab, plus special surprise guests, will perform live in Philadelphia on January 16, 2009 and in Washington DC on January 18, when they’ll offer their own brand of outrageous comedy, along with satirical insights on the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

Jan 14 2009 7:00pm - 9:30pm

Price: 

$15 general, $10 members

Where: 

Harmony Gold Theatre
7655 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90046

Roles for Arab/Muslim Actors in Film and TelevisionEven as the United States finds itself increasing enmeshed in the Arab/Muslim world politically, Hollywood exports a great deal of film and television programs watched in the Middle East. We are indeed the dominant cultural force in many Arab/Muslim countries. Meanwhile, Americans are finding more and more Arab/Muslim characters in their film and TV programming…

Read Andrew Gumbel's L.A. Weekly feature, Arab Adventures in Hollywood.

INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR SHORT FILMS
Short-shorts and shorts: docs and features: 1m-15ms

After decades of war in the post-colonial Middle East, statesmen and women of the region—particularly the battle-fatigued Israelis-have finally understood something about war and peace that most of us have known all along: there is no military solution to our problems. Lines will be drawn and peace will be achieved through negotiated agreements—or there will be no lasting peace for anyone...

By Alfred Madain

I was recently enlightened about the idea of collective guilt while watching a documentary on people who are attempting to make peace between Israelis and Palestinians. A former Israeli hardliner mentions in the documentary that he had always felt the burden of having to carry the weight of the persecution of all Jews throughout history and that is the reason that he felt that he had to protect Israel at any cost.

I very much empathized with these words for as I was growing up in Jordan the ideals of Arab nationalism had seeped into me. I later learned that most Arabs, from Morocco to Iraq, feel the same guilt and sense of responsibility for the oppression of all Arabs through Turkish and European colonialism and of course dealing with the immediate persecution of our fellow Arabs, the Palestinians. It was clear to me as a child to feel united with a collective Arab identity for two specific reasons: my dislike of Israel and my Arab nationalistic identity through my dislike for nations like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait where it is felt “Arab money” is being wasted instead of being used to help the Palestinians.

Ya gary gary elwo7oosh Gheir naseebak lan te7oosh

Literally: You who runs with monsters, other than your fate you will not meet.

Figuratively: Those who get caught up in big dreams will still receive what they were meant to receive, meeting only disappointment.

Matgeesh gheir fe teez el erd we teshim

Literally:  Why come to the monkey's butt and sniff it?

Figuratively: Someone who is self destructive, or who constantly chooses something of lesser value out of a line-up of "better" options.

3amil zay el ar3 betmidel bara

Literally: You are like pumpkins, your roots reach outwards

Figuratively: To call someone disloyal, or referring to someone who helps others but not their own family and close friends.