Showtime's Omar Elba hosts L.A's hottest comedy group, the Sultans of Satire, in a special performance featuring Middle Eastern and Indian comics. The Sultans of Satire are seriously funny—if you love to laugh, if you need to laugh, you'll appreciate this show with its satirical insights and fresh perspectives on American and Middle Eastern life. The humor is universal; the comedans hail from the Middle East, North Africa and India! This show's cast features Mike Batayeh, Omar Elba, Maria Shehata and our headliner from the San Francisco Bay Area, Samson Koletkar, with specal guests Zara Mizrahi and Raj Sharma. The Sultans of Satire is the longest-running Middle Eastern stand-up comedy show in the U.S. Features some of the best young stand-up comedians today from diverse faiths. This show cosponsored by Freedom Theatre West. Tickets/info 323.413.2001. Watch video clips at sultansofsatire.com.

This show is seriously funny. If you love to laugh, if you need to laugh, you'll dig the Sultans of Satire with its satirical insights and fresh perspectives on American and Middle Eastern life. The revolving cast features Marie-Thérèse Abou-Daoud, Omar Elba, Nöel Elgrably, Amir K., Sheno Khal and Mona Shaikh. The Sultans of Satire is the longest-running Middle Eastern stand-up comedy show in the U.S. Features some of the best young stand-up comedians today who just happen to be of Arab, Lebanese, Palestinian, Egyptian, Iranian and Moroccan heritage from diverse faiths. Tickets/info 323.413.2001. Watch video clips at sultansofsatire.com.

Always insightful, always compelling, Dr. Norman Finkelstein, historian and author of eight books, including most recently Knowing Too Much: Why the American Jewish Romance With Israel is Coming to an End, will come to Chapman University on Tuesday, April 23, 7 pm. He will be introduced by Prof. Nubar Hovsepian, who will moderate a Q & A after the presentation, followed by a book signing. The event is free and open to the public; donations are welcome. Finkelstein will present the arguments laid out in Knowing Too Much. Traditionally, he notes, American Jews have been broadly liberal in their political outlook; indeed African-Americans are the only ethnic group more likely to vote Democratic in US elections. Over the past half century, however, attitudes on one topic have stood in sharp contrast to this group's generally progressive stance: support for Israel. This forum made possible with the generous underwriting of Dr. Diane Shammas. Link to Chapman Campus Map here (see Beckman Hall, G6).

This special edition features headliner Aron Kader in his first Sultans appearance after touring with the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. If you love to laugh, you'll dig this show with its satirical insights on the Middle East and fresh perspectives on American and Middle Eastern life. The revolving cast features Aron Kader, Fahim Anwar, Maria Shehata, Nasry Malak, Ara Basil and Mike Batayeh. The Sultans of Satire is the longest-running Middle Eastern stand-up comedy show in the U.S. Features some of the best young stand-up comedians today who just happen to be of Arab, Lebanese, Palestinian, Egyptian, Iranian and Afghan heritage from diverse faiths. Tickets/info 323.413.2001. Watch video clips at sultansofsatire.com.

By Ashley Lohman 

Dr. Jack Shaheen has been shattering Arab stereotypes in American popular culture since 1975.

"When I watch a movie and the bad guy's not an Arab, I'm relieved," Dr. Jack Shaheen admitted to his audience at Los Angeles' Levantine Cultural Center during a talk in late December. He grinned, and the audience chuckled a bit, but sadly, his sentiment was sincere.

By Nile El Wardani

Today marked the second anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution that continues to wage on with the same chants "Leave Leave"- this time directed against the new undemocratically elected President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Undemocratic, because the political system was rigged from the first round of elections, which was never reported by CNN.

CNN's coverage of Egypt has been and continues to be misleading, insufficient and biased. This does not allow the millions of CNN audiences worldwide to understand fully the true picture of what is going on in Egypt. 

If you love to laugh, you'll dig this show with its satirical insights on the Middle East and fresh perspectives on American and Middle Eastern life. Stars Omar Elba, Sammy Obeid, Mona Shaikh, Marie-Therese Abou-Daoud, Paul Elia and Sheno Khal. The Sultans of Satire is the longest-running Middle Eastern stand-up comedy show in the U.S. Features some of the best young stand-up comedians today who just happen to be of Arab, Lebanese, Palestinian, Egyptian, Pakistani heritage from diverse faiths. Tickets/info 323.413.2001. It's all happening at the Levantine Café on Pico. Seating limited to 50 per show (doors 8:00 pm, show at 8:30 pm, intermission at 9:45 pm). Advance reservations strongly suggested, or get tix online above.

By Dick Platkin

The other night I happened to catch a screening of the documentary The Suffering Grasses at the Levantine Cultural Center. The 1-hr film directed by Iara Lee (Cultures of Resistance) primarily reveals the Syrian civil war from the viewpoint of non-government forces, including the Free Syrian Army. A major point of the documentary is that Syrian civilians, particularly children and women, have suffered the most during this armed conflict, largely at the hands of the Assad regime.

Yesterday my twelve year old son and I made our way to Tahrir Square to join well over 100,000 Egyptians gathered together to make two very clear demands of their new President, Mohamed Morsi. We arrived at one of the many meeting points, beside the statue of Saad Zagloul at the entrance to the Kasr il Aini Bridge. We sat on a short wall at the entrance to the Opera House grounds waiting for friends to arrive. We watched with fascination as private cars, mini buses, taxis and even horse drawn buggies unloaded their passengers. A group of four felaheen farmers dressed in their galabeyas arrived in a minibus. A BMW dropped off a group of ladies clad in Gucci and Michael Kors bags and sheik running suits. They felt so safe they didn't even leave their watches and jewelry at home. Then came the students, 1000s of them, walking from their universities carrying signs "down with the declaration" and "give us back our revolution."

When you're the chief advocate of a Middle Eastern cultural center—the only one of its kind in Southern California—you're inevitably in the hot seat. Sure enough, just as I was preparing to head off to a national conference of Arab American leaders representing cultural and social organizations around the country, yet another "war" began between Hamas in Gaza and Israel (I insert "war" in quotes because the Palestinians do not have an army, air power or any military force that would technically qualify them to be even a distant match for the Israel Defense Force).

Just as this new battle is heating up, the civil war in Syria, lest we forget, rages on, with its daily toll of victims, mostly civilian, and more than 30,000 dead already. (Our current art exhibition "I Rise" by Syrian painter Fadia Afashe brings that discomfiting reality up close and personal.)