On my last visit to Egypt, working on my documentary..on my street I met Mahmoud Saadah, they call him the Ministry’s Shoemaker… this is his story.. this is his memories.. The street inhabited by high-security buildings, Parliament, Prime ministry, and the Turkish embassy, where policemen with machine guns are sitting ignored by people, lost in the street landscape. Next to him, trash and cats comfortably resting undisturbed. Walked by Mahmoud shoe repair shop, a dark man with a white beard and wrinkled face that showed his age. Mohamoud, for more than 60th years, is working in a dark narrow small room,. Mahmoud sitting behind an 80-year-old machine, surrounded by old…
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THE HOLY WAR
The Arab American community must face its own prejudices, bigotry and biases, much of these the residual effects of colonial history and pure ignorance of Arab history and culture. Arabs themselves are people of color, our heroes were blacks, our prophets were blacks, our teachers our neighbors and friends were blacks. A few summers ago, it was Friday noonish, and I was standing by the door of Holy Land Grocery in Northeast Minneapolis. The place was vibrant; people were coming and going at a fast pace. A Somali man in his ironed white khamiis was rushing out of the door carrying some grocery bags. A policeman hanging around outside seemed concerned and…
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RACISM IN THE ARAB AMERICAN COMMUNITY, A CONVERSATION WITH PROF. FOUZI SLISLI.
The Arab American Community was shocked by the Holyland’s unfortunate racist postings episode. Some people called for an honest conversation about racism and anti-blackness in the Arab American Community… here is one with Fouzi Slisli, Professor of literature, teaching Race and racism!! “Not only as a CEO, but as a father, it is my duty and responsibility to ensure my family and Holy Land team members all demonstrate high integrity and moral compass guidelines,” Majdi Wadi wrote on the company’s Facebook page. “We will now work, harder than before, to better ourselves through education, volunteering, and open conversation and forums with all our community to ensure we leave a…
