Saturday, May 26, 2007

Path to Citizenship-The Citizenship Test

Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross invites you to Kaleidoscope

This month’s topic is Path to Citizenship-The Citizenship Test with Kimberly Costabile, Consultant Bridge Communications

Wednesday, May 30, 5:30 to 7:00

Mason District Government Center
6507 Columbia Pike
Annandale, Virginia

For more information, please contact Fran Tunick or Marwan Burgan, Office of Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, 703.256.7717, Mason@fairfaxcounty.gov

40 Years of Occupation: Tell Us Your Story


To mark the 40th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, The Arab American Institute is calling on members across the country to submit their stories about how the 1967 war and the subsequent occupation has affected their lives.

They will feature your stories, poems, artwork, and photographs of Palestine on a commemorative page on their website to be displayed during the week of the anniversary.
To submit your story, click here and tell us your story.

To submit poems and electronic images, please email them to aaimedia@aaiusa.org and include your name, phone number, title of the piece (if relevant), and information about when/where they were taken or created.

If you have print photographs, you can mail them to the AAI and they will scan them and send them back to you. Please mail them to the Arab American Institute (ATTN: Anniversary); 1600 K St. NW, Suite 601; Washington, DC 20006.

Note: The AAI reserves the right to alter the wording of your entries (with the exception of poems) for grammatical accuracy and consistency with the rest of its website, but will not change the context of your entry.

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies...What Can They Do for Us?

The Arab American Institute (AAI) & the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) invite you to a civic empowerment workshop - Federal Law Enforcement Agencies...What Can They Do for Us?

Thursday, May 31, 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

George Mason Government Center
6507 Columbia Pike
Annandale, Virginia

FBI and Department of Homeland Security senior staff members answer your questions about what they do. Learn about opportunities at the FBI & DHS

To attend, please rsvp Maram Abdelhamid at 202.429.9210, ext 13.

National Arab American Service Day – Washington, DC


Saturday, June 2nd at Noon
Oxon Run Park 701 Mississippi Ave., SE
Washington, DC

Organized by the AAI and co-sponsored by NNAAC, ACCESS, NAAP and the Washington, DC Department of Parks and Recreation.

This year Washington, DC Arab Americans will work with the School for Arts in Learning to coordinate a park clean-up. Each student and volunteer will contribute to a mural painted on the bridge connecting the two sides of the park. The bridge is covered in graffiti and debris, so we will help change the face of the park. We will also help clean the rest of the park and play sports like last year.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

With over 150 students, the event will need as much help as possible! To sponsor the event, sign up as a volunteer or donate toys & refreshments, call Rudy Gharib at 202.429.9210 or e-mail at http://www.blogger.com/ym/Compose?To=rgharib@aaiusa.org

More Music and Dancing!

ADC Washington DC Area Chapter hosts the Friday night party at the ADC 2007 annual convention. Live hip hop performances, Arabic music and dancing all night long!

Friday, June 8, 10:00
Omni Shoreham Hotel
Empire Ballroom
2500 Calvert Street NW
Washington , DC

Tickets $15
FEAR OF AN ARAB PLANET
The Arab Summit -- The N.O.M.A.D.S. -- Iron Sheik

The Arab Summit features Narcy, Ragtop, Excentrik and Omar Offendum.

DJ Bassam spinning your favorite Arabic music!

For more info - ADCDCArea@yahoo.com or 703.628.4186

To Register for ADC 2007 Annual Convention “Toward A More Perfect Union ” please go to
www.adc.org

Arabic Dance Music To Sooth Your Soul!

Yalla Connect Three: `An Jadd!

Friday, June 1. Buffet Dinner starts at 8:00. Party starts at 10:00
Agua Ardiente (24th St., NW, between M and N)
$10 Cover,
$30 for Dinner. Tax and tip included and includes cover charge for the party.

Contact jamilah7@hotmail.com to rsvp for dinner.
Tables in the VIP area are still available. Contact bassam@djbassam.com

Co-sponsors: American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's Washington DC Area Chapter (ADC-DC), Network of Arab-American Professionals' DC Chapter (NAAP-DC) and Yalla Connect (YC-DC)

Music by DJ Bassam.
Please rsvp by Tuesday, May 29.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Does Anybody Know About UK Citizenship Law?

I need your help.

While surfing the net (don't ask me how I got to this page) I found this info on British citizenship. http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/applying/nationality/ It contains the following:

“Applications under section 4B - Lebanese nationalsFollowing recent judicial review applications we are seeking expert opinion on the interpretation of Lebanese citizenship law. As a result, we are at present unable to decide any section 4B cases from possible Lebanese citizens and such cases will be held pending clarification. If you, your father or grandfather were born in the Lebanon you may wish to wait until the matter has been resolved before submitting an application under section 4B. We will update the website when we are in a position to decide these cases.”

It looks like there is some legal controversy as to whether Lebanese can get UK citizenship. I poked around and did not find much.

My grandfathers were born in Lebanon more than 100 years ago. Back when it was under the Ottoman Empire. So, am I a Brit? Isn’t that everybody’s dream – an American passport and a European one!

So, who knows what this is all about? Please write a post or send me an e-mail message.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Welcome YallaDems Visitors From Around The Globe

Who goes to YallaDems? We're delighted to welcome visitors from around the globe. In addition to the US, we've had visitors from the following countries (in order of number of visitors.)

Canada
France
United Kingdom
China
Italy
Germany
Japan
Belgium
Iran
Palestine
Australia
Finland
Ghana
Israel
Jordan
Lebanon
Malaysia
Mauritania
Mexico
Serbia and Montenegro
Singapore
South Korea
Sweden
UAE

In the US, our visitors have come from the following states (in order of number of visitors):

Washington, DC
California
Virginia
Rhode Island
Michigan
Massachusetts
Florida
New York
Maryland
Connecticut
Ohio
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Missouri
Washington
Texas
Arizona
Vermont
Georgia
Tennessee
Illinois
Utah
Maine
Minnesota
North Carolina

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Arab Detroit

Check out Arab Detroit for the latest info from the center of Arab American news - Detroit! I know that this site is about what is happening in Northern Virginia but we get so many hits from around the US, Canada, and around the globe that we pass on items of interest for our global visitors.

If you want to know what's happening in the Arab American community, check out Arab Detroit!

Friday, May 11, 2007

Writing While Arab

“Writing While Arab: Politics, Hyphens and Homelands” is the theme for the second national conference of RAWI, the Radius of Arab American Writers.

Thursday, May 17 through Saturday, May 19, 2007
Arab American National Museum
13624 Michigan Avenue
Dearborn, Michigan.

The conference comprises a series of panel discussions, films, readings and other live performances, as well as an awards ceremony. Among the panelists and moderators is Dr. Steven Salaita, RAWI's executive director and author of Anti-Arab Racism in the USA: Where It Comes From and What It Means for Politics Today. The conference will provide a venue for 150 or so writers and scholars to present our writings and ideas to one another and to the Detroit and Arab communities. This year's conference theme, "Writing While Arab: Politics, Hyphens, and Homelands," seeks to address the multiple challenges Arab American writers face in an intensified post-9/11 climate.

In 21 readings and workshops open to all registered attendees ($35 for RAWI membership and "$85 for the conference, including meals), the writers will address such topics as: How is Arab American writing affected by the targeting of Arabs and Muslims as the "national enemy" inside and outside of the U.S. and by the wars waged in our home-lands? How do we envision a future for our literature between the desire for location within American culture and our trans-cultural experiences? How do we promote and teach our literature? How to promote our unconventional literature within the conventions of the market place?

To register, visit the RAWI Web site