 "Photo:")
 "Photo:")
 "Photo:")
Last Monday, the Arab Alliance hosted their Second Annual Walk Through Arabia event in the Multipurpose Room. The event started at 6 p.m. and carried on until 10 p.m. with student attendees from institutions such as NYU, Columbia, Fordham, CUNY Brooklyn, Hunter, St. John's and NYIT. Arab Alliance members Nasser Mohammed and Ismahane Merazga hosted the event. The tables were loaded with samples of Middle Eastern food such as pitas, hummus, babaganoush, tabouli, kebbe and rice. In a tent setup in the corner, Taha Zahid drew intricate Henna designs for female attendees.
More than 200 students participated in the celebration of Arab Culture. Badar Dossary, an Arab-American who attends NYIT appreciated how organized the event was and said, "Our events tend to be less organized. Baruch really seems to be a diversity hub where people converge in achievement."
One of the highlights of the night was the Spoken Word. Remi Kanazi, co-founder and a primary writer for the political Web site poeticinjustice.net, and Tahani Salah, a Palestinian-American who is a sophomore at Columbia University wowed the crowd by reciting eloquent poetry themed around the Palestinian plight for freedom, identity and peace.
Many students appreciated the promotion of their culture and the opportunity to dispel stereotypes that depict Arabs as terrorists. "I think inaccurately associating Arabs as terrorists is wholly inaccurate, and simply can't be thought to represent Arabs or reflect their culture," said Glenn Apolinar, a sophomore and former Student Government candidate.
"I've found Arab people to be very hospitable and I just love their music and food," said a Dominican-American student. The Debkah dancing was the most captivating feature of the event. Debkah is a traditional Arab folk dance going back generations and is also the national dance of many Arab countries. Debkah is a dance of community and is often performed at joyous occasions where dancers hold hands and stomp their feet in rhythm, emphasizing their connection to their land.
The Arab Alliance invited two Debkah groups to perform: the Salam Debkah and Al-Nujoom Debkah Group. The Salam Debkah troupe started in the summer of 2005 under the leadership of the Arab American Association of New York and the Al-Nujoom Debkah group is an established group formed in the 1980s to promote Palestinian Culture. The latter performs regularly at the United Nations. Arab-Americans of Baruch felt that the event was a joyous reminder of the culture they grew up with. William Hatter, a School of Public Affairs graduate student, said "I found this event to be a great way to culturally interact with Arabs outside my family for the first time." Hatter saw this as a way to learn more about a culture that he hardly knew growing up. Similarly, Mariam Roxz, a junior accounting major, said, "I don't even speak Arabic but I feel connected to my Arab roots hearing that beat," in reference to the excitement of the music.
This cultural event marks a greater objective in the Arab-American community, which is the goal of re-establishing Arab Culture and Identity in America. Khadijah Abdul-Nabi, a junior at Columbia said, "There is a phenomena of bringing the Arab community together and Ehab Zahriyeh [the President of the Arab Alliance] is a key figure in this movement across New York City.
Despite being a bit overcrowded, Baruch students seemed to enjoy the event with fellow students from across the city. The purpose of Arab unity and cultural education seemed to have been understood well by students. "I'm from Morocco, the land of the bravest, the land of love," said Samir Elmokhtar, a Baruch junior. "But, we're all Arabs and Muslims more importantly, and therefore share common bonds."
Be the first to comment on this article!