Cooking Class: Mokabelat: Winter Mezze
2022-02-15 18:00 - 21:00, 2022-02-16 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Mokabelat (small plates) pop up all across the Arab world, and they extend beyond the standard hummus and tabbouleh served at most restaurants. In this class, NADIA TOMMALIEH will show you how to transform local ingredients into Mokabelat that can be served as appetizers or as the centerpiece of an Arabic-style feast. You’ll learn how to layer flavors in musakhan (chicken with caramelized onions and sumac), accompanied by salatet maqali/hawader (roasted cauliflower, potato, and eggplant with tahini dressing), labneh bil joz (strained yogurt with walnuts and parsley); salatet jarjeer (arugula, onion, and pine nut salad in pomegranate dressing), and toum (garlic paste), that you can soak up with homemade koubez saj (flatbread).

Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics: Part 2: History & Historical Significance of Gaza
2022-02-17 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics

Discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the West all too often neglect to include Gaza and the voices of Palestinians there, seemingly because the situation is seen to be too overwhelming or challenging to take-on. This program will openly and honestly present the reality of the siege, the occupation, and political leadership as well as include ways participants can advocate with their elected officials to encourage U.S. policies that will help end the siege of Gaza and advance human rights and security for all.
This series is co-organized by Churches for Middle East Peace, Arab American Institute, and American Friends of Combatants for Peace. Each 90-minute session will present on one of the four aspects of Gaza:
1. History & Historical Significance
2. Politics
3. Culture
4. Economics
Part 2
The History & Historical Significance of Gaza
February 17
Moderated by Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Executive Director, Churches for Middle East Peace
with Speakers TBA

Arabic Chat Hour
2022-02-17 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-02-24 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-03-03 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-03-10 19:00 - 20:00 UTC | WA
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

Still Married presented by Just For Laughs Vancouver
2022-02-18 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Biltmore Cabaret, 755 Prince Edward St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Event Info
19+ ONLY

*Limited seating available on a first come first service basis*
Doors 6:00 7:00 PM
The El-Salomons are a married Jewish-Palestinian lesbian comedy couple who after years of performing solo decided to add yet another challenge to their relationship: A duo act! Now they tell jokes about one another, in front each other. A sacrifice they make for the fans.

Virtual Event: Olga Tokarczuk and Jennifer Croft with Rabih Alameddine — The Books of Jacob
2022-02-19 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Third Place Books is proud to partner with Community Bookstore and the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith to welcome Nobel Prize–winner Olga Tokarczuk and her translator Jennifer Croft for a discussion of their latest book, The Books of Jacob—the astonishing, 900-page volume from Poland’s most well-regarded novelist. Tokarczuk and Croft will be joined by Rabih Alameddine, National Book Award finalist and the author, most recently, of The Wrong End of the Telescope.
This event will be broadcast live on Brookline Booksmith’s Zoom platform. Registering will provide you with a unique access link in an email within 48 hours of the event. During the event, you can ask questions using the Q&A feature, or chat with fellow attendees. A recording of the event will be made available and emailed to all who register.
This author talk is free! You can sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book. Order a book-bundled ticket at the link below to received a signed bookplate by the author. Supply is limited.

ARCE Chicago: A Solar-Ship Voyage: The Ancient Egyptian Religion as Inspiration in the Life and Music of Sun Ra and birth of Afrofuturism
2022-02-19 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Presenting himself as an alien coming from Saturn, Sun Ra has been considered a pioneer of Afrofuturism whose music and live performances with his Arkestra are nowadays a classic in African American jazz music, theater, and poetry. Egypt has been a central source of inspiration for this polyhedric artist; this paper will analyze in particular how Sun Ra used and re-interpreted elements of the ancient Egyptian religious culture and its deities in his work and how much contents relate to the development of the Afrofuturistic philosophy within the American climate of political unrest during which he lived and performed.

Rita Lucarelli studied at the University of Naples “L’Orientale,” Italy, where she received her MA degree in Classical Languages and Egyptology. She holds her Ph.D. from Leiden University, the Netherlands. Her Ph.D. thesis was published as the Book of the Dead of Gatseshen: Ancient Egyptian Funerary Religion in the 10th Century BC.

Film: Route 181: Fragments of a Journey In Palestine-Israel, the Center
2022-02-24 - 2022-02-27 | WA
To kick off the winter 2022 season, we present Route 181: Fragments of a Journey In Palestine-Israel, a three-part film with a focus on daily life in Palestine.
In the summer of 2002, Eyal Sivan and Michel Khleifi travel together from the south to the north of their country of birth; they traced their trajectory on a map and called it ROUTE 181. This virtual line follows the borders outlined in Resolution 181, which was adopted by the United Nations in 1947 to partition Palestine into two states.
As they travel, Khleifi and Sivan meet a multitude of characters, each of which has their own way of evoking the frontiers that separate them from their neighbors: concrete, barbed-wire, cynicism, humor, indifference, suspicion, aggression; frontiers have been built on the hills and in the plains, on mountains and in valleys but above all, in the collective unconscious of both societies.
FEB 23–27, 2022
PART TWO: THE CENTER

From Lod City to the Jerusalem area. The second part of Route 181 begins in the Center for New Immigrants in Lod, as Russian musicians play melodies from Eastern Europe to greet new immigrants who have just arrived from Ethiopia. The scene is a bit chaotic, a bit mundane, and a bit perplexing. This part of the film discusses building settlements and the destruction of former towns and homes, encountering tourists, artists, scholars, and soldiers. Capturing the experiences of everyday people, this installment exposes the dangers and hope we might find in the historical narratives we tell.

Screening IN-PERSON at Trylon Cinema on Wednesday, Feb 23, 2022 at 7pm. TICKETS

Available virtually Feb 24–27, 2022 in the US ONLY. TICKETS

Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics: Part 3: The Politics of Gaza
2022-02-24 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics

Discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the West all too often neglect to include Gaza and the voices of Palestinians there, seemingly because the situation is seen to be too overwhelming or challenging to take-on. This program will openly and honestly present the reality of the siege, the occupation, and political leadership as well as include ways participants can advocate with their elected officials to encourage U.S. policies that will help end the siege of Gaza and advance human rights and security for all.
This series is co-organized by Churches for Middle East Peace, Arab American Institute, and American Friends of Combatants for Peace. Each 90-minute session will present on one of the four aspects of Gaza:
1. History & Historical Significance
2. Politics
3. Culture
4. Economics
Part 3
The Politics of Gaza
Moderated by Aziz Abu Sarah, Founder, MEJDI Tours with Jehad Abusalim
February 24

Coffee/restaurant Arab monthly meeting
2022-02-26 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Tanoor (Seattle), 803 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA
Let’s break some bread and Shawarma together 🤗

Intisaar, Kathy Moore, and Nick Bigelow at Sunset Tavern
2022-02-26 21:00 - 23:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA, 98107, United States
Seattle vocal powerhouse Intisaar will play songs with support from the prog-rock outfit Kathy Moore and electronic artist Nick Bigelow.

A Taste Of Morocco: Cooking Class
2022-03-02 10:00 - 12:30, 2022-03-11 10:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sur La Table – Kirkland, 90 Central Way, Kirkland, WA, 98033, United States
Menu

Orange and Olive Salad
Roasted Chicken, Caramelized Onion and Preserved Lemon
Couscous with Saffron and Ginger
Almond and Date Tarts

Instructor: PeterL

What You Will Learn
Cooking Class Description: Moroccan cuisine is one of the most diversified cuisines in the world. A result of the centuries-long interaction with the outside world, the cuisine of Morocco is a mix of, Spanish, French, Middle Eastern, and African cuisines. Spices are used extensively, and we’ll show you how to bring these rich and exotic flavors to prepare an amazing authentic Moroccan feast from start to finish.

Mohamed Soueid Retrospective: Movie Series
2022-03-03 - 2022-03-04 | WA
Co-presented by ArteEast and Anthology Film Archives, and curated by Giovanni Vimercati, this series is part of the legacy program Unpacking the ArteArchive, which preserves and presents over 17 years of film and video programming by ArteEast.

Video pioneer, cinema auteur, and television producer Mohamed Soueid has collected stories from his compatriots for most of his adult life. Widely regarded as Beirut’s first video artist, Soueid films defy categorization.
https://arteeast.org/news-events/mohamad-soueid-retrospective/
MOHAMED SOUEID RETROSPECTIVE
Online Screening: March 3-13
Free / $5 suggested donation
RSVP at artearchive.org

CINEMA FOUAD
1994, 41 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

“A documentary on the life and ambitions of a young Lebanese cross-dresser, the video follows her journey from soldier to cabaret dancer in an effort to raise funds for her sex change operation. Shot in Beirut, CINEMA FOUAD weaves a complex and multi-layered story of sexuality, identity, and desire, and paints a compelling portrait of its subject.”
–THIRD WORLD NEWSREEL

TANGO OF YEARNING
1998, 70 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

One of Soueid’s finest and most representative cinematographic achievements, TANGO OF
YEARNING melancholically exemplifies the relational essence of his cinema. It is at once a film about love (for cinema, for life and its characters), about Soueid’s work for the Lebanese state broadcaster Tele Liban, and about the mysterious death of the Egyptian Jewish actress Camelia.

The film’s sinuous and free-flowing shape is not so much a rejection of the linear narratives of realism, but an acknowledgment of reality’s unmoored dynamics and the role memory plays in
its construction.

NIGHTFALL / INDAMA YA’ATI AL-MASA
2000, 68 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

“On the surface, NIGHTFALL is a semi-autobiographical reconstruction of the militant years of Fatah’s Student Brigade; a series of conversations and interviews between the director and his
old comrades, most of whom spend their time meditating their movement’s defeat in a state of drunken incoherence. Throughout NIGHTFALL, Soueid remains uncompromisingly bleak about the state of the Palestinian revolution at the turn of the new millennium. It is not just the individual militants who now suffer from a crisis of identity, but the very slogans of the struggle
itself – and thus, its history. What is to be recovered, then, from the ramblings of these old Maoists?”
– Francesco Anselmetti, SAFAR JOURNAL

MY HEART BEATS ONLY FOR HER / MA HATAFTU LI GHAYRIHA
2008, 87 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Through the story of a son reconstructing his father’s revolutionary past from a diary, Soueid draws a portrait of two generations of men, fathers and sons, who were revolutionaries of the 1970s. This is a poetic flight in time, back to when young men dreamed of changing the world
with their own hands, and forward to a present where young men just want the security of a salaried job. At the same time, MY HEART BEATS ONLY FOR HER is a film about Lebanon’s schizophrenic modern history, caught in between the neoliberal lure of financial capitalism and the internationalist dreams of revolution. Between its sudden kindness and unforeseen brutality.
Between Hong Kong and Hanoi.

THE INSOMNIA OF A SERIAL DREAMER
2020, 170 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Soueid’s magnus opus, a gargantuan flux that is both timeless and multi-temporal, THE
INSOMNIA OF A SERIAL DREAMER amalgamates the past into the present, and from the schizophrenic streets of Beirut opens onto the world: the world that a Middle East Airlines captain has traveled and now remembers from his patio, but also the world of boundless love one of Soueid’s friends has for the Egyptian singer and actress Souad Hosny. In order to fall asleep, the director asked his friends and artistic accomplices to tell him stories, resulting in a film of rarefied, oneiric beauty.

Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics: Part 4: The Economics of Gaza… where do we go from here?
2022-03-03 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics

Discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the West all too often neglect to include Gaza and the voices of Palestinians there, seemingly because the situation is seen to be too overwhelming or challenging to take-on. This program will openly and honestly present the reality of the siege, the occupation, and political leadership as well as include ways participants can advocate with their elected officials to encourage U.S. policies that will help end the siege of Gaza and advance human rights and security for all.
This series is co-organized by Churches for Middle East Peace, Arab American Institute, and American Friends of Combatants for Peace. Each 90-minute session will present on one of the four aspects of Gaza:
1. History & Historical Significance
2. Politics
3. Culture
4. Economics
Part 4
The Economics of Gaza… where do we go from here?
March 3
Moderated by Dr. Jim Zogby, Founder and President, The Arab American Institute
with Asmaa Abu Messed and Omar Shaban

Movie: Breaking Bread
2022-03-04 | SIFF Film Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, 98109
Opens March 4, 2022

Breaking Bread illustrates what happens when people focus on the person, rather than her religion; on the public, rather than the politicians.

USA | 2020 | 85 min. | Beth Elise Hawk

Breaking Bread follows Arab and Jewish chefs in Haifa, Israel as they collaborate in the kitchen. Connected through a shared love of food, the chefs unite to celebrate their cultures and the food of their region free from political and religious boundaries. Welcome to the A-Sham Arabic Food Festival. Founded by Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, the first Muslim Arab to win Israel’s MasterChef, the festival invites Arab and Jewish chefs to celebrate their shared culinary history as they exchange stories, recipes and techniques. A celebration of the region’s diverse cuisines and people, Breaking Bread offers a mouth-watering taste of rich culinary traditions that will leave you wanting more.

In Theater: Huda's Salon
2022-03-04 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
Opens March 4, 2022
SIFF Cinema Uptown
A woman’s visit to a hair salon turns into a nightmare when she is blackmailed by its owner.
Palestine | 2021 | 91 min. | Hany Abu-Assad

Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem. But this ordinary visit turns sour when Huda, after having put Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her to have her work for the secret service of the occupiers, and thus betray her people.

P&P Trip: A Moroccan Adventure
2022-03-05 - 2022-03-06 | WA
A Moroccan Adventure
Saturday, March 5 – Saturday, March 12, 2022
Last week we told you about our upcoming in-person events, and today we’re excited to announce the return of P&P Trips! Along with our partner, Wild Blue Yonder Trips, we invite you to join us for an unforgettable Moroccan Adventure. Spring is a beautiful time to visit Morocco, with cool temperatures and sunny days, and the first flowering trees begin to bloom. This trip will be led by popular P&P teacher of Middle Eastern literature Dr. Heba F. El-Shazli, and Sheila Campbell, who leads a number of our trips. Heba will introduce you to the customs, foods, literature, art and culture of Morocco as we visit its imperial cities.

The price of the trip to Morocco is $4875, based on single occupancy. There are no single supplements to pay. The optional extension is $2150. (Note that there’s a minimum group size of seven people for the extension.)
Here’s what’s included:
– Pick up at the Casablanca airport, and delivery to the airport at the end of the trip
– Seven nights in three beautiful Moroccan-style hotels (Casablanca, Fes and Marrakech)
– Hot ample breakfast buffet every morning, including eggs, meats, cheeses, fruits, pastries, yogurts and an array of breads and juices, plus Moroccan specialties
– Wine socials on three nights with book talks led by Dr. Heba F. El-Shazli
– Entrance fees for all group activities listed.
– Restaurant and dining recommendations.
– All transportation with our private driver, including tips
– A Morocco-based guide with us every day, including tips

Arabic Language and Story Time for Young Children w/ Laila Taji from ArabishWay at MPP
2022-03-05 08:00 - 08:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Young children ages 2-5 will learn the basics of the Arabic language with a fun theme each month.

About this event

Laila Taji, author of These Chicks and My Grandfather Has a Donkey, uses songs, familiar stories, and fun activities to form a bridge from English to the Arabic language. Each month, and using colloquial dialect, your child will be exposed to songs, stories, and activities based on the theme, 2-4 Arabic letters, and a highlight of one Palestinian city, town, or village. A worksheet will be sent in advance with links to the transliterations and translations of all the stories and songs, as well as the printable activities.
These sessions are free. MPP has a suggested donation of $10. The Museum of the Palestinian People Resilience Monthly Club members who register for these sessions will receive a free copy of These Chicks. Please click here to make a donation or to become a Resilience Monthly Club member. Thank you for your support!
September: alphabet
October: numbers
November: days of the week
December: colors
January: animals
February: family
March: parts of the body
April: seasons/temperature
May: movement
June: surprise topic!

Meditation & Art: Virtual Painting Workshops
2022-03-05 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
4 Saturdays!
12-1:30 p.m. ET Saturdays, March 5-26, 2022
Meditation & Art: Virtual Painting Workshops with Suhad Khatib
Online via Zoom
Purchase tickets
Museum Members: $15
General Public: $20
Students: $17
This March, AANM artist-in-residence Suhad Khatib will host a 4-part online painting workshops to help students create 4 paintings a week. No experience is necessary to participate! Suhad will guide students through meditation practices and experiments with ink to create a new art practice they can fall back into in a post-pandemic world.
This workshop is open to/a safe space for adult women only. A required list of supplies must be purchased in advance to participate (see below).
Please note that this event will occur virtually and over the four Saturdays of March 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. If you purchase a ticket by Saturday March 5, you will have access to the rest of the workshops for the month.
Required List of Supplies (students must purchase in advance)
Black pens: Uni-Ball AIR Micro – 0.5mm Fine Rollerball – Pack of 12 – Black
Ink: Liquitex 4260337 Professional Acrylic Ink 1-oz jar, Carbon Black
Brushes: Princeton Artist Brush, Neptune Series 4750, Synthetic Squirrel Watercolor Paint Brush, Round, Size 8
For questions, e-mail Kathryn Grabowski at KGrabowski@accesscommunity.org.

Arabic School (for kids and youth)
2022-03-05 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Kent Meridian High School, 10020 SE 256th St, Kent, WA, 98030
Our Arabic School provides those who want to learn Arabic the opportunity to fine-tune their knowledge. Our classes are held weekly at Kent Meridian High School for our kids and youth.
​
Program Eligibility Requirements:
​
– Elementary or middle-school age children
– Living in King County

When: Saturdays
Time: 10-12
Where: Kent Meridian High School (10020 SE 256th St, Kent, WA 98030)

marwa@irccw.org

The Water We Carry: Struggle, Daring, Dignity and Joy (virtual)
2022-03-05 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
International Women’s Month Poetry & Music with Claudia Castro Luna, Hilary Field, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Cindy Williams Gutiérrez, Deema Shehabi.
Five women – four poets and a classical guitarist come together to celebrate women’s poems and stories of struggle and joy. This virtual group reading and performance brings together distinct and distinguished poets reflecting an array of international backgrounds along with music, all in acknowledgement of this being International Women’s Month.
Going alphabetically, this should all include: Claudia Castro Luna is a Seattle/Duwamish Lands-based poet who is an Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellow, a recent Washington State Poet and Seattle’s first Civic Poet. Her originally being from El Salvador, ‘living in English and Spanish,’ informs her work, including the poetry collections This City, Killing Marías, and One River, A Thousand Voices, and a powerful new collection, Cipota Under the Moon, coming in April from Tia Chucha. Her prose is also in the anthology, There’s A Revolution Outside, My Love.
Hilary Field is an internationally known performing and recording artist who has garnered widespread praise for her work with classical guitar. Her debut album, Music of Spain and Latin America, won Classical Album of the Year, awarded by the National Association of Independent Record Distributors. She has performed in festivals throughout the Americas and has taught at both Seattle Pacific University and Pacific Lutheran University.
**Lena Khalaf Tuffaha is a Seattle-area-based poet, essayist, and translator who has read and been part of group readings at Elliott Bay numerous times in the past – including readings from the Arabic. Her first full collection of poems, Water & Salt (Red Hen Press), won the 2018 Washington State Book Award. She is also author of the chapbooks, Arab in Newsland, and Letters from the Interior. She has also received an Artist Trust fellowship and the 2019 Robert Watson Literary Prize, among other honors.
Portland poet, playwright, producer, and educator Cindy Williams Gutiérrez is the author, most recently, of Inlay with Nacre: The Names of Forgotten Women (WIllow), as well as the earlier poetry collection, the small claim of bones. She has received numerous awards and honors, and is cofounder of Los Porteños, Portland Latinx writers’ collective, and the Confluence Poets in the Methow Valley. Her newest stage work, IN THE NAME OF FORGOTTEN WOMEN, a choreopoem, opens at CoHo on March 25.
**Kuwait-born poet, teacher, editor, and activist Deema Shehabi, presently living in California, is the author of Thirteen Departures from the Moon (Press 53), and co-author with Marilyn Hacker of Diasp/renga: A Collaboration in Alternating Renga. She is also vice-president of the vital writers group, RAWI – Radius of Arab-American Writers.
This should be special: please join us!

Around the World Small Plates with Big Tastes: Cooking Class
2022-03-05 17:30 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Whisk, 10385 Main St, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Join us for a delightful trip Around the World with four different Small Plates guaranteed to wow with their Big Tastes! You will accompany Chef Jennifer Berry in this hands-on class as your taste buds travel the world with stops in Spain, Cuba, Egypt and Greece. No passport needed! Just come hungry as you will cook, eat, cook, eat, etc.

From Spain – Spanish Espelette Clams with Grilled Tomato Bread
Clams steamed in Spanish sherry broth with dulce (sweet) paprika and Espelette pepper
From Cuba – Beef Picadillo-Filled Pastries
Flaky puff pastry filled with sweet and briny beef filling, baked to golden brown and brushed with honey glaze
**From Egypt – Kataifi Prawns, Dukkah and Pistachio Yogurt**
Briny prawns wrapped in shreds of phyllo dough, seasoned with traditional Egyptian spice mixture
From Greece – Fried Calamari, Oil-Cured White Anchovies and Crispy Chickpeas
Greek version of Italy’s Fritto Misto but instead of being served with heavy tomato sauce, paired with acidic creamy complement to the fried seafood

Educator Virtual Open House: resources for teaching about Arab American Community
2022-03-08 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
5-6:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Educator Virtual Open House
FREE with RSVP
RSVP for streaming link
AANM invites Educators to join us for our Educator Virtual Open House, which will take place Tuesday, March 8 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (EST) over Zoom. Our open house will showcase the many educational, cultural and digital offerings and resources that AANM has available for educators locally and nationally to utilize in their classroom. We are also excited to introduce educators to a sneak peek to two new exhibitions at AANM!
Our goal is to equip teachers with appropriate materials and resources to better educate the masses about the Arab American community. We look forward to meeting you virtually and are excited to share our resources with you!
For questions, e-mail Dave Serio, Educator & Public Programming Specialist at dserio@accesscommunity.org.

A Conversation on Arab/MENA Women in Science
2022-03-09 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Location: Virtual via Zoom

Join the Arab American Cultural Center in an online round-table conversation about Arab/MENA Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine (STEM). Join the Conversation and Be Inspired.
Guest Speakers:
Besma Smida, Associate Professor, Dept Electrical and Computer Engineering (UIC)
Dima Qato, Associate Professor, Pharmacy (USC)
Leila Amiri, Assistant Dean, College of Medicine (UIC)
Conversation will be facilitated by Sara Hattab, UIC Student (major)
Event is co-sponsored by the Honors College and MENA Student Organization
Zoom auto-captioning will be available. For information, questions, and accessibility, please email us at: arabamcc@uic.edu or call us at 312-413-3253
Besma Smida is an Associate Professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. After completing her appointment as a Post-Doctoral Researcher and later a Lecturer at Harvard University, she became an Assistant Professor of electrical and computer engineering with Purdue University Northwest. She received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Quebec (INRS), Montreal, QC, Canada. She was a Research Engineer with the Technology Evolution and Standards Group of Microcell, Inc., (now Rogers Wireless), Montreal. Prof. Smida has served as the Chair for IEEE Women in Engineering, Chicago Section, from 2011 to 2013, and has been the Chair of IEEE Communication Chapter, Chicago Section, since 2019. She currently serves as Editor for the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS, Editor of the IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, and a Guest Editor Sensors Open Access Journal. She is a Communication Society Distinguished Lecturer for 2021-2022. She was awarded the INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine’s 2015 100 Inspiring Women in STEM, the Academic Gold Medal of the Governor General of Canada in 2007 and the NSF CAREER award in 2015. Her research focuses on In-band Full-Duplex systems and applications, backscatter modulation, IoT, and two-way communication networks.
Dima Qato serves as the Director for the Program on Medicines and Public Health at the University of Southern California’s School of Pharmacy. In addition, she also serves as the Hygeia Centennial Chair and Associate Professor (with tenure) in the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy. She has also been appointed as a Senior Fellow with the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. Prior to joining USC, Dr. Qato was an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy (2012-2020). She also serves as a National Academy of Medicine Pharmacy Fellow for 2018-2020. Dr. Qato received her PharmD from UIC, an MPH from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a PhD in Public Health from the University of Illinois School of Public Health. At the USC School of Pharmacy, she will develop and lead interdisciplinary research efforts focusing on drug utilization, access to medicines, and pharmaceutical policy both in the U.S. and globally to better understand why medications are used, or not used, and how they can and should be used in the population to promote equity, longevity, and good health.
Leila Amiri serves as Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at the College of Medicine at UIC. Previously she was the Director of the Medical College Admissions at UIC, and prior to that the Director of Admission and Financial Aid at the University of Chicago. She has served as the liaison for the committee on admissions for the Association of American Medical Colleges and as an AAMC holistic review facilitator working with other medical schools admissions committees on how to include holistic review in their process.

2022 Online Film and Discussion MidEast Series: Sumud
2022-03-11 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
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

MARCH 11, 8 P.M. (discussion)
BLIND TRUST
Blind Trust celebrates the life and work of psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. Vamik Volkan, a five-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee who has spent over four decades bringing enemy groups together in areas of conflict all over the world. This look into his pioneering fieldwork and peace-building missions in Europe, the Middle East, and the US sheds light on how large-group identity and shared trauma can both unite us and divide us for generations.
Learn more here.
with host: Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel North America, Jonathan Kuttab
special guest: the director of the film, Molly Castelloe

MARCH 25, 8 P.M. (discussion)
OBJECTOR
Objector follows Atalya to prison and beyond, offering a unique window into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of a young woman who seeks truth and takes a stand for justice.
Learn more here.
with host:
special guest:

APRIL 8, 8 P.M. (discussion)
GAZA
Gaza brings us into a unique place beyond the reach of television news reports to reveal a world rich with eloquent and resilient characters, offering us a cinematic and enriching portrait of a people attempting to lead meaningful lives against the rubble of perennial conflict.
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with host:
special guest:

APRIL 22, 8 p.m. (discussion)
MISSION: HEBRON
and SKIES ABOVE HEBRON
In Mission: Hebron six young Israeli men who served in the army from the age of 18 give an account of their mission in Hebron, a Palestinian city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Footage documenting numerous appalling situations corroborates their compelling stories, from soldiers taking pot shots with rubber bullets and conducting humiliating searches of passersby to arresting ten-year-olds and turning entire households upside down. What effect did these military duties have on their moral compass? Looking back and growing older, how do they feel about this mission now?
Learn more here.
Skies above Hebron is a coming of age story depicting three boys coping, each in his own way, with physical and mental obstacles enclosing life in their Palestinian hometown of Hebron.
Learn more here.
with host:
special guest:

MAY 6, 8 P.M. (discussion)
LITTLE PALESTINE: DIARY OF A SEIGE
During the Syrian civil war, the district of Yarmouk, home to thousands of Palestinians, became the scene of dramatic and ferocious fighting. Little Palestine: Diary of a Siege is a film that follows the destiny of civilians during the brutal sieges, imposed by the Syrian regime, that took place in the wake of the battles. With his camera, Abdallah Al-Khatib composes a love song to a place that proudly resists the atrocities of war
Learn more here.
with host:
special guest:

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:

Habibi with Plastic Cactus: Concert
2022-03-11 20:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Alma – Tacoma, 1322 Fawcett Ave, Tacoma, WA, 98402, United States
“Rock out with psychedelic Iranian rock band Habibi and Portland’s own desert-inspired surf rock band Plastic Cactus March 11th at ALMA!” (Promo Copy)
