In a Muslim Office, Every Day is April Fools

In a Muslim Office, Every Day is April Fools

By elan on from www.elanthemag.com

Last Thursday was April Fools Day, otherwise known as “Liars Day,” according to the ladies who attend ESL classes at my day job at an Arab-American non-profit.  I write a lot about the goings-on in this office mainly because they are often too good to be true. In a previous article I wrote about a typical day in the office, I described my workplace as Sesame Street on crack. Read More
Catch Me if You Can! Approaching the Opposite Sex in the Middle East

Catch Me if You Can! Approaching the Opposite Sex in the Middle East

By elan on from www.elanthemag.com

Free mixing between the sexes is taboo where I live in Kuwait, as it is in most of the Middle East. And dating is categorically unacceptable - just ask this British couple in Dubai, who were caught kissing in public and now face a 30-day jail sentence . At times, dating in Kuwait can seem like a police chase gone heinously wrong. Boys with spiky hairstyles ride around Gulf Road peering into car windows as they pass. Once they spot a vivacious vixen, they often follow her while imploring for her to roll down the window to chat through the traffic light. Brings new meaning to speed dating, right? Some girls will brazenly toss pieces of paper with their phone numbers into the guy’s window. Others will roll their eyes and drive on.
What Are We Marching For, America?

What Are We Marching For, America?

By elan on from www.elanthemag.com

Last weekend, I attended the “March for America” rally for immigration reform on the National Mall. I traveled to Washington, DC with a group of Arab and Muslim Americans from Brooklyn. The sixty of us joined more than 200,000 others marching for a path to citizenship, an end to deportations and the breaking up of families, and an insistence that all people, no matter their legal status, be treated like human beings. We walked with Latino and Mexican groups, West African immigrants, and even an organization of Polish Americans.
Importing America Comes at a Price in Kuwait

Importing America Comes at a Price in Kuwait

By elan on from www.elanthemag.com

When I was first preparing for my move from the U.S. to Kuwait, I knew nothing aside from what I learned in an encyclopedia. I envisioned myself in a tent raising camels for the rest of my life. It’s sad to say that the stereotypes prevalent in the US media, even then, had saturated my judgment. The mere idea of hopping on a plane and migrating to one of the most tumultuous regions of the world sent a cold chill down my spine. To top it all off, I had major issues my mind - mainly, American food products. Read More
Review: New Documentary ‘Abraham’s Children’ Bridges the Gap

Review: New Documentary ‘Abraham’s Children’ Bridges the Gap

By elan on from www.elanthemag.com

These days there are a number of initiatives that seek to close the cultural and religious gaps between the Muslim world and the West: Muslim Voices, the documentary Inside Islam and now the new documentary Abraham’s Children.Read More
Hunting for Hummus in Arab Brooklyn

Hunting for Hummus in Arab Brooklyn

By elan on from www.elanthemag.com

When I say I work in an Arab neighborhood, I mean an Arab neighborhood - where mosque loudspeakers announce Jummah prayers, where shopkeepers close early on Fridays, where the guy at the 99 cent store insists on speaking to you in Arabic even though you have repeatedly told him that your Arabic is a disgrace to the race, where there is a fish market and a shisha cafe (sometimes in one) on every corner, where the local Chinese food joint has a sign outside that says “No Pork. No Wine” with a photo of the flames of Hell printed behind it. Do you get what I mean?Read More

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