Arabic Chat Hour
2022-05-12 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-05-19 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
Whether you’re a native speaker or learner, this is a great chance to practice listening and speaking in Arabic!
Zoom room number: 8116-385-7344

Palestine and the African American Struggle
2022-05-13 17:30 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Kane Hall – University of Washington, 4069 Spokane Ln 98105, Seattle, WA, 98105, United States
Hosted by the Middle Eastern Student Commission and the Black Student Commission on May 13th, 2022 from 5:30-9:30 PM in Kane 130.
We will be hosting a talk and panel with three influential speakers, two of which are the groundbreaking activists Linda Sarsour and Zellie Imani!

Linda Sarsour is an inspiring Palestinian Muslim American who strives for direct action and power building in communities of color. As the co-founder of multiple social justice platforms and a national chair of the Woemn’s March on Washington, Sarsour fights for intersectional racial justice while proudly honoring her ethnic and cultural heritage.

Zellie Imani is a community leader advocating for social change and political reform. As the leader of Black Lives Matter-Patterson, Zellie believes that through education, community building and direct action, together, residents can create the communities they want and deserve to live in.
Join us for a night of inspiring conversation, delicious food, cultural vendors, and dabke!

This event is open to the public.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCukyla2Hi-C2a2vVRbUCqCq5qM2dzlxvsgMqKpX0UgUoaxA/viewform

Nakba Rally In Seattle: Save the Date
2022-05-15 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Save the Date for the Nakba
May 15 in Seattle at 1pm

Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island on the Changing Earth: Town Hall (virtual)
2022-05-17 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
It can be easy to settle into the narrative that short-sighted, individualist behavior is a natural trait of all humankind, especially when considering how the human impact on the Earth has only recently become apparent to so many. But this narrative is not shared by all people and cultures; for the Indigenous people of the world, radical alteration of the planet – and of life itself – is a story that is many generations long. It is also a story of adaptation, perseverance, courage, and resourcefulness in the face of genocide and destruction.
In an innovative work of research and reportage, We Are the Middle of Forever places Indigenous voices at the center of conversations about today’s environmental crisis. The book draws on interviews with people from different North American Indigenous cultures and communities, generations, and geographic regions. Together, they share knowledge, experience, questions, observations, and dreams of maintaining the best relationship possible with all life.
We Are the Middle of Forever illuminates the perspectives of those who have been long-attuned to a changing planet. As we look for new ideas and responses to our shared human challenges, Indigenous voices offer hope, connection, and a welcome antidote to the despair arising from the climate crisis.
Dahr Jamail is the author of Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq as well as The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption. He has won the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism and the Izzy Award. He lives in Washington State.

Palestine Comfort Food at the Pantry
2022-05-18 18:00 - 21:00, 2022-05-19 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
When NADIA TOMMALIEH thinks back on the comforting dishes of her childhood, what comes to mind are hearty dishes that feed the whole family and keep them satisfied through the winter months. Join us in class to cook some of Nadia’s favorites along with her. On the menu: fattet hummus bil lahmeh (layered dish of brothy chickpeas, seasoned lamb, toasted pita, and tahini yogurt sauce); kibbet batata bil lahmeh (fried potato and bulgur wheat “kibbeh” stuffed with caramelized onions and minced lamb), salatah arabia (Arab-style salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, and mint in citrus olive oil dressing), and housset silik bil zeit (Swiss chard and olive oil stew with pomegranate molasses).

Movie: The Door (in person and online streaming) - part of a collection of short films!
2022-05-19 - 2022-05-30
THE DOOR
(as part of a collection of short films)

REEM MORSI / CANADA (2018)
When a Syrian refugee family is forcefully confronted with grief, they attempt to face an
overwhelming loss in unexpected ways.

Thu, May 12th, 7:00 PM @ The Pickford Film Center (Bellingham)
[Available May 19, 12:00 AM – May 30, 2:00 AM, 2022] Stream online…

2022 Online Film and Discussion MidEast Series: Sumud
2022-05-20 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
THE SPRING 2022 ONLINE FILM AND DISCUSSION SERIES

The theme for this year’s Film Series is Sumud. This is a Palestinian word that means “Steadfastness” or “Steadfast Perseverance.” It is a cultural value in Palestine. There is no possible way Palestinians can defend themselves in the face of one of the most well-equipped military powers in the world. They practice “sumud” which sometimes is an act of making breakfast, sometimes walking the children to the checkpoint on the way to school, sometimes, joining a peaceful protest at a blocked crossroad, just to say “We are here!”

In this series we will meet a young Israeli woman who also practices her own sumud as she resists joining the Israeli military. We will discover what sumud looks like in the devastation we call “Gaza”, and in the tragedy we call “Hebron.”

To receive links to the film (watch on your own time within 48 hours of the discussion) and the Zoom discussion, send a message to seattlemideastfocus@gmail.com

MAY 20, 8 P.M. (discussion)
200 METERS
Mustafa lives on the Palestinian-controlled side of the wall, and Salwa and their children on the Israeli side. One day he gets the call every parent dreads: his son has been in an accident and is in the hospital. He will do anything to reach his son, and after being denied access through the checkpoint on a technicality, Mustafa embarks upon a journey to cross the border illegally.
Learn more here.
with host:
special guest:

"In Their Shoes" 5K
2022-05-21 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join the 2022 Global” In Their Shoes 5K” benefiting Iraqi Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

7201 E Greenlake Drive, Seattle, WA 98115
https://www.iraqichildren.org/may-2022-icf-5k

Arab Film Series: ArteEast
2022-05-25
Arab Film Series online is pleased to present INTIMATE DISTANCE – a Mother’s Day special program on the meaning of motherhood and womanhood from the perspective of two renowned artists and filmmakers Mona Hatoum and Marianne Khoury.
Hatoum’s personal short film Measures of Distance conveys the intimate relationship between mother and daughter through their exchanged letters during Hatoum’s life in exile, it also reflects a tremendous sense of loss as a result of exile and separation caused by war.
In her feature length autobiographical documentary Let’s Talk, Marianne Khoury reflects on her own family history, and her complex relationship with her mother through an intimate and candid conversation between her and her daughter – exploring what it means to be a woman, mother, and an artist in the face of personal, artistic, and national crisis.

Mizna Film Series: RESTORED/RECOVERED: ALGERIAN FILMMAKING IN DIASPORA: DJOUHRA ABOUDA AND ALAIN BONNAMY RETROSPECTIVE
2022-05-26 - 2022-05-29
The spring 2022 season of the Mizna Film Series highlights recently restored works by Algerian filmmakers in diaspora. Curated by Mizna’s Film Programming Coordinator Ahmed Abdulmageed, the two-month segment presents films produced during the global leftist movements in the 1970s. This selection celebrates Algerian filmmakers and their collaborators, Farouk Beloufa, Djouhra Abouda, and Alain Bonnamy, who captured the political complexities of the moment, as well as the rhythmic and aesthetic make-up of their diasporas, by breaking away from traditional filmic forms.
MAY 25–29 2022: NAHLA (dir. 1979, Farouk Beloufa)
In May, the Mizna Film Series highlights the work of Djouhra Abouda and Alain Bonnamy. Their films push the formal boundaries of filmmaking by combining experimental aesthetics with political and social commentary and action. While working in Paris, Abouda and Bonnamy made two experimental short films, Algérie Couleurs (1972) and Ciné-Cité (1974), and the feature-length Ali au pays des merveilles (1976). All three films were recently restored and digitized through the efforts of the Talitha Association, and Léa Morin.
Screening IN-PERSON at Trylon Cinema on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at 7pm. TICKETS

Available virtually May 26–29, 2022 in the US ONLY. TICKETS

Arab Women's Showcase: AFMI
2022-05-26 - 2022-05-30
Arab Women in the Arts is AFMI’s annual showcase to honor generations of Arab women who have excelled in and revolutionized all forms of artistic expression.

The 2022 Arab Women in the Arts edition includes short and feature films, poetry readings, musical performances alongside a virtual gallery featuring paintings, photographs, fiber art and illustrations. The program will also include talkbacks and discussions with the artists about their work and their personal stories of empowerment.
This showcase runs from May 26-30th, with a highlight on the work of the late Lebanese filmmaker Randal Chahal Sabbag.
All programming available virtually with two in-person events in New York City and San Francisco.
For more information and to reserve your spot, visit the event site.

Open Book Club: Admiring Silence by Abdulrazak Gurnah (virtual)
2022-05-26 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The unnamed narrator of this dazzling novel escapes from Zanzibar to England knowing that he will probably never return. In his new country, things are not quite as he imagined – the school where he teaches is cramped and violent, and he quickly forgets how it feels to belong. But when he meets a beautiful, rebellious woman named Emma, and when Emma, turns away from her white, middle-class roots to offer him love and bear him a child, the narrator chooses to hide his past from his new family and his present circumstance from his family back in Zanzibar. Twenty years later, when the barriers at last come down in Zanzibar, he is compelled to go back. What he discovers there, in a story potent with truth, will change the entire vision of his life.

This is a 1996 novel by the 2021 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Abdulrazak Gurnah was born on 20 December 1948[5] in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which is now part of present-day Tanzania.[6] He left the island at the age of 18 following the overthrow of the ruling Arab elite in the Zanzibar Revolution,[3][1] arriving in England in 1968 as a refugee. He is of Arab heritage,[7] and his father and uncle were businessmen who had immigrated from Yemen.[8]

Event date:

Thursday, May 26, 2022 – 7:30pm to 9:00pm

Event address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtcOmtqz8oE9FjOiOlsluyFQEPr6hcGlIP

Civilized People: online movie streaming
2022-05-27 - 2022-05-29
During the civil war, many elites fled the country for safe harbor in Europe’s capitals, leaving behind apartments and villas in the care of domestic labor imported from Egypt, the Philippines and Sri-Lanka. These stories of survival have never been recorded, let alone inspired a fiction film. With scathing humor, Civilized People draws the portrait of a war-tormented Beirut neighborhood, at the mercy of the mood swings of a sniper. The plot weaves the tribulations of a Muslim militia fighter and a Christian maid, with the misadventures of a high-society lady who, undaunted by checkpoints and shelling, decides to fly back for a tryst with her lover. Civilized People premiered at Venice (official selection); it screened and at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Nestor Almendros award (New York, 2000). The film’s sharp critique of Lebanese elites created an uproar in Lebanon, and was banned from being screened.

Pioneering Arab Women in Music: online movie streaming
2022-05-27 - 2022-05-29
A portrait of Sama’ Abdulhadi – the Palestinian techno queen, blasting around the globe. An emblematic artist of the Palestinian underground scene, Abdulhadi is one of the first DJs and electronic music producers to emerge from the region.
About the filmmaker:
Jan Beddegenoodts is a director & documentary film maker with a background as a photographer and the mayor of Cameltown. The last 10 years he has been creating films about resistance, rave culture and everything in between art and activism. He uses a cinematographic style to portray people with their passion and struggles. His work zooms in on a micro-reality to bring urgent matters to a world wide audience. You can watch his films online at www.cameltown.org

Comedy: Jess Salomon & Eman El-Husseini: Still Married(in person)
2022-05-27 21:00 - 22:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Biltmore Cabaret, 755 Prince Edward St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
JFL Vancouver – May 27!

May 27 @ 9:00 pm – 10:30 pm EDT
Biltmore Cabaret, 2755 Prince Edward St
Vancouver, Canada + Google Map

$27.50

We managed to survive the last two years, still married. Come hear about what happened and how we did it!
Find out more »

Revolutionary Arab Women in Poetry: streaming online
2022-05-28 - 2022-06-01
This event features live readings from two incredible Arab-American poets Priscilla Wathington and Lena Khalaf Tuffaha with the theme of REVOLUTION.
The readings will be followed by a discussion moderated by Zeina Azzam.
This event would not be possible without the assistance and support of Summer Farah and the Radius of Arab American Writers (RAWI).

Free virtual screening of the documentary film "Going Home," directed by Omar Al-Qattan
2022-05-28 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
To register for this event please click here.
About the Film
1995; 48 Minutes, English and Arabic with English Subtitles.
“Gives a thorough insight into the historical events surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, filmed through the eyes of a former British General reliving the battles and considering the role of the British in the conflict.” —Cantilevers
In late 1947, Palestine is a country in the throes of war between Palestine’s Arabs and Jews. The British government is officially responsible for maintaining law and order but it quickly loses control and decides to abandon the country on May 15th 1948, leaving behind a war which was to lead to the tragic dispossession of over three quarter million Palestinian Arabs of their homes and the creation of the state of Israel. One man, Major Derek Cooper, witnessed those final days of the Mandate as an officer in the British army responsible for the protection of the Arab city of Jaffa. His experiences there marked him so deeply that he continued to work on behalf of Palestine’s refugees for most of his life. The film tells the story of his return to Palestine/Israel in the summer of 1995.
Going Home tells the story of Cooper’s return to Israel in the summer of 1995. In an effort to capture the past, Cooper and his wife revisit famous sites and talk to Palestinians and Israelis about the events of 1948. This film is a compelling look back at the beginning of a conflict that would last for generations to come.

Northwest Folklife Festival: Arab related Events
2022-05-28 17:15 - 18:15 (America/Los_Angeles)
Performers

O
Omega
Egyptian Mahraganat (Street Dance)

HO
House of Tarab
House of Tarab, Arabic Music Ensemble, is based in Seattle and performs classic & traditional music of the Golden Era of Egyptian music and film, music of the Levant (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine), and the greater Middle East. â€œTarabâ€ is an Arabic word not found in the English language that describes a state of emotional transformation and bliss when one is wholly absorbed in music. House of Tarab (A.K.A. H.O.T.) was formed in 2005 though some of the band members have been playing together since 1999… Read More →

QF
Qabila Folkdance Company
The Qabila Dance Company is a west coast based company with chapters in Seattle, the California Bay Area, and Los Angeles. Qabila is dedicated to sharing the joy and diversity of Arabic folk dance rooted in the strong belief that art can build bridges of understanding that allow people… Read More →

Z
Zulaika
Zulaika’s career in Arabic dance spans 40 years. She has traveled nationally and internationally to study with master teachers of various Arab dances including tours to Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, and Morocco. She loves the joyous, celebratory music and dance of these cultures and… Read More →

Community Write-In with Zain Shamoon
2022-06-02 17:30 - 19:00, 2022-06-09 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join writers from across the country and around the world every Thursday evening and get your words flowing in community! Our best teachers rotate on a monthly basis to bring you a range of writing prompts and ideas. After a healthy dose of inspiration, you’ll get time to write and the opportunity to connect with other writers. Whether you want to journal, blog, start something new or get some fresh ideas for a work-in-progress, this hour will jumpstart your creativity.
RSVP at the “Tickets” link for as many sessions as you’d like to attend. You can sign up for them one by one each week, or all at once.

Dr. Zain Shamoon completed his PhD in human development and family studies in fall 2017 at Michigan State University. He also completed a master’s degree in couple and family therapy in 2011. He is dedicated to the creation of spaces where people can tell their personal stories on route to their own wellness. In his clinical work, he has served a range of clients, including those wrestling with high anxiety, relational conflict, and severe depression.

Arabic Chat Hour
2022-06-02 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-06-09 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
Whether you’re a native speaker or learner, this is a great chance to practice listening and speaking in Arabic!
Zoom room number provided upon registeration.

Film Online Screening: Liwan: A Story of Cultural Resistance
2022-06-04 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
“Liwan” is a documentary about the cultural space of the same name in Nazareth. Producer and Director Doris Hakim first met the founders of Liwan – Sami Jabali, Sally Azzam and Silke Wanner – back in 2016, when an exhibition she was to put on in Nazareth was banned. They came out to support her, and she immediately fell in love with them and with Liwan.

To register for this event please click here.
To view the film trailer please click here.

The Farhat J. Ziadeh Distinguished Lecture in Arab and Islamic Studies
2022-06-05
2022: 5 June; “The Emerging New Regional Order in the Middle East” presented by Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.

Second Intifada - 20 Years On: Film Series: Online
2022-06-09 - 2022-06-12
The Second Intifada heralded a particularly fresh, urgent and experimental approach to filmmaking, in tune with the uprisings to which they contributed. Working at a distance from both the main political organizations and, often, the aesthetic insistences of Global Northern art cinema funding, filmmakers took advantage of accessible technologies to forge new notions of freedom. The prolific body of work from this period does not just defiantly catalogue heightened colonial aggressions and appropriations, it does so with a wit and eclecticism of approach that touched diverse audiences at home and internationally.
Featuring works by Ayreen Anastas, Nahed Awwad, Enas I. Al-Muthaffar, Annemarie Jacir, and Larissa Sansour

Clean OUT your CLOSETS to support Dunya Productions and Cherry St. Village
2022-06-10 - 2022-06-12 | Cherry Street Village, 720 25th Avenue, Seattle, WA, United States
We are reaching out to you to support in creating a space for Dunya at the Cherry Street Village. It’s as simple as cleaning out your closets!

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, please bring your gently used clothing, accessories and home textiles to the home of Cherry Street Village, 720 25th Avenue. Please spread the word to your friends and family!

We are also in desperate need of volunteers to help us receive donations. Please sign-up for a two hour slot for either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. If you can’t do it, PLEASE recruit others to help. SIGN UP HERE!

Blackwater Holylight at Chop Suey
2022-06-10 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Fri Jun 10, 7 pm

Chop Suey Capitol Hill (Seattle)
This is an in-person event

$15
21+

*I’m making the guess that the lead vocalist Allison Sunny Faris has origins in Syria/Lebanon.

ARCE DC: King Taharqa: The Man and the Myth
2022-06-11 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Presented by: Dr. Rita Freed

1:00 PM EDTWashington, DC
Zoom

Register via this email
