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Moroccan

I Am a Postcard

Subtitle: 
Artist Rheim Alkadhi shares a few gems in her colonial collection


I have been known to collect postcards of a particular variety. The typical postcard in my collection is made of paper, measures five and a half inches long by three and a half inches wide, and dates around the first few decades of the twentieth century. All of my postcards depict women of colonial North Africa and the Middle East.

American Arab/Muslim Comedy, a Panel Discussion at U Penn

Date/Time: 
Jan 16 2009 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Price: 
Free to the public
Where: 
The Middle East Center
University of Pennsylvania
3340 Walnut St
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.

Panel Members: Mucahit Bilici (Professor of Sociology at John Jay College-CUNY), Jordan Elgrably (Founder of Levantine Cultural Center, and the Sultans of Satire: Middle East Comic Relief) and Rahim Armat (of Kodoom.com, Cultural Events Search Engine).

West Meets East: The Sultans of Satire Inauguration Tour

Contact Rahim Armat: 302.521.6606
or Jordan Elgrably: 310.402.8866



INTERFAITH MIDDLE EASTERN COMEDY SHOW COMES TO PHILADELPHIA
AND WASHINGTON DC ON THE EVE OF OBAMA


[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.

West Meets East: The Sultans of Satire Inauguration Tour

Subtitle: 
Middle Eastern Comedy Comes to Philadelphia and Washington DC on the Eve of Obama

Sultans of Satire Inauguration TourSultans 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.

Arabs and Muslims in Hollywood

Date/Time: 
Jan 14 2009 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Price: 
$15 general, $10 members
Purchase Tickets »
Where: 
Harmony Gold Theatre
7655 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90046

Roles for Arab/Muslim Actors in Film and TelevisionRoles 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.

"Rosewater Diplomacy" International Call for Short Film Submissions

Subtitle: 
The Arab/Muslim World, Israel and the Future of Peace

ROSEWATER DIPLOMACY
The Arab/Muslim World, Israel and the Future of Peace

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...

Fez Concert, Celebrating City's 1200 Years

Date/Time: 
Nov 15 2008 8:00pm
Price: 
Free
Where: 
UCLA - Royce Hall
Free, but tickets are required, available from the UCLA Central Ticket Office
310.825.2101 or cto@tickets.ucla.edu
Parking is also available for $9.00 per entry, Parking Kiosk on Westwood Blvd.
Fez: Queen of Cities

An evening of live music and dance at UCLA's Royce Hall

Divahn Concert Features Jewish Music of the Middle East

Date/Time: 
Nov 16 2008 7:00pm
Price: 
$18
Where: 
Stephen S. Wise Temple
15500 Stephen S. Wise Dr.
Los Angeles CA 90077
Info 213.765.2191
Divahn: Jewish music of the Middle East in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Aramaic, Hebrew and Judeo-SpanishDivahn: Jewish music of the Middle East in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Aramaic, Hebrew and Judeo-SpanishAnyone who thinks Jewish music equals klezmer needs to hear Divahn's Middle Eastern and Sephardic grooves. Fans first heard Divahn's energetic music deep in the heart of Texas. Today, this dynamic New York City-based quintet delights audiences throughout the country and has made numerous live radio appearances. Divahn infuses traditional songs with sophisticated harmonies and arrangements using tabla, cello, rabel, doumbek, violin and other acoustic instruments, plus vocals in Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish, Persian, Arabic, Aramaic and Turkish.

Their beautiful lyricism flows through an intense rhythmic drive. The group distinguishes itself as the only all-female ensemble performing Mizrakhi-influenced music (Jewish music from

the Middle East and North Africa) in the US, and has performed with some of the world's most renowned master musicians, including Glen Velez and Anindo Chatterjee.

"What's the West's Problem With Islam?" A Zócalo Event at the Hammer

Date/Time: 
Nov 19 2008 7:00pm
Price: 
Free to the public
Where: 
UCLA-Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Info 310.443.7000

Christopher Caldwell on "What is the West's Problem with Islam?"

Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West: your purchase benefits LCC programmingReflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West: your purchase benefits LCC programming Europe has received a wave of immigration from the global south in recent decades, similar in scope to the US-but very different in its results. Many immigrant and second-generation communities have astronomical unemployment rates and a thin connection to European identity. Some have produced terrorists. The problems are particularly severe among newcomers from the Muslim world.

If Europe has an Islam problem, whose fault is it? Is Islamic belief and culture incompatible with Western institutions? Or is there such a thing as "Islamophobia," poisoning immigrants' efforts to integrate on European terms?

Christopher Caldwell, who writes for the Financial Times, The New York Times Magazine and The Weekly Standard, visits Zócalo to talk about themes from his upcoming book, Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West.