Tag: Arab American

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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 confused by the man. I told him to relax and that the man was not shoplifting. “He probably wants to get home to beat the products’ expiration dates.” True story.

Unless you were in COVID coma or under strict quarantine, you probably know by now the debacle around the Holy Land Grocery. To recap, the owner’s daughter, Lianne Wadi, posted racist comments on social media, which were recently dug out and brought to the attention of the public creating a huge reaction. Let me be clear here. The postings were repugnant, racist, xenophobic, antisemitic, and homophobic, too.  That clarified, these comments were posted between 2012 and 2014, however, when Lianne Wadi was only 14 she assimilated too fast. That is not by any means an excuse, which she even said, “I was so shocked that I even posted something so offensive,” she wrote. “I recognize the gravity of my words and how hurtful they can be and how hurtful they were. I wasn’t thinking. I was a teenager at the time (although my youth is not an excuse).” she wrote.  When the Holy Land CEO Majdi Wadi, Lianne’s father, fired his daughter, who had up to then been the catering manager for Holy Land.

Continue reading THE HOLY WAR