Get out of your comfort zone and out of your box to meet/mingle/network and brainstorm with new people who also work in the arts, entertainment or nonprofit/NGO communities.

Tuesday, Dec. 9, 6-8 pm but you can stay as long as you want.

El Toro Cantina/Busby's has the best margaritas, 20 draft beers, good food and happy hour specials. No cover and no RSVPs needed, really, but you can call us anyway if you feel like it (questions welcome): 310.657.5511.

More at levantinecenter.org and busbysonline.com.

Hosted by Noora Elkoussy/Levantine Cultural Center the second Tuesday of every month in a different location around L.A.

Bridges LA: third in the monthly series

Rami KashouRami Kashou is the flavor of the moment in fashion. The son of the former Miss Jordan, Rami Kashou grew up in style. Kashou was born in Jerusalem on May 11, 1976 and raised in Ramallah where he was often commissioned by the local town socialites to design their ensembles.

3arabawy

Egyptian blogger and activist Hossam el-Hamalawy is an outspoken proponent of human rights, labor movements, and free speech. His blog, 3arabawy, features daily updates in English about the ongoing struggle for equality and human rights in Egypt.

In an op-ed he wrote for the Los Angeles Times, he addressed the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq:

The fall of Baghdad, as President Bush had expected, sent shockwaves throughout the region. Some say, however, that if the American president thought the domino effect would be one of democratization, he is likely to be mistaken. Many Arabs across the region are not savoring America's triumph and instead, they argue, Muslims are more likely to rally around the Qur'an and the Kalashnikov to provide an answer to the American tanks on the streets of Iraq's capital.

Hammasa Kohistani: the daughter of Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban revises England's notion of the Muslim woman.The first Muslim to be crowned Miss England warned that stereotyping members of her community is leading some towards extremism.

Hammasa Kohistani made history three years ago when she was chosen to represent England in the Miss World pageant.

But one year later, the then-19-year-old student from Hounslow felt that winning the coveted beauty title was a "sugar coating" for Muslims who have become more alienated in the years since 9/11.

She said: "The attitude towards Muslims has got worse...Also the Muslims' attitude to British people has got worse.

"Even moderate Muslims are turning to terrorism to prove themselves. They think they might as well support it because they are stereotyped anyway. It will take a long time for communities to start mixing in more.

Marwan Hamed (credit: Reuters Pictures)

Marwan Hamed is a young Egyptian filmmaker best known for his unflinching portrayal of private lives in modern-day Egypt. Hamed was born in Cairo in 1977 to a Muslim Egyptian family. His father, screenwriter Wahid Hamed, remains a prominent figure in Egyptian filmmaking, best known for his controversial screenplays addressing terrorism, corruption, impotence, and national unity. After first working in commercials, Marwan Hamed directed several short films such as Au Bout du Monde (1998), Cheik Cheikha (1999), and Lily (2001), for which he won the public prize at the Clermont-Ferrand short film festival in 2001.

Why is Ronnie Khalil Still Following Us?

Born in Miami and raised by Egyptian parents, Ronnie combines energy, intelligence and facial expressions to leave audiences laughing out loud and wondering “sure he seems nice enough…but why is he still following us?”

Ronnie is featured on “The Watch List” airing on Comedy Central’s internet channel. He has performed in several sketches for Conan O’Brien, as well as the Boston, NY Underground, and NY Arab-American Comedy Festivals. Ronnie was invited to pitch a television pilot at the 2006 Montreal Comedy Festival.

Naguib Mahfouz (Credit: The Nobel Foundation)Often cited as the father of contemporary Arab literature, Naguib Mahfouz is perhaps one of the most renowned Egyptian writers in our time. Born in 1911, he began writing at the age of seventeen and published his first novel in 1939. His works were heavily influenced by both Pharaonic and Islamic historical traditions and revolve around the dynamism of politics and the self in Egyptian society. Mahfouz’s most famous writings include Old Egypt (1932), The Cairo Trilogy (1957), and The Children of Gebelawi (1959).