Photo Courtesy of Huffington Post For David Salha, opening a summer youth camp on his vacation property in northern Michigan has been a longtime dream. A Lebanese, Muslim American, and the owner of a mattress store in Detroit, David and his family have a history of involvement in scout troops; David’s son and daughter are active members of the…
Universities are meant to provide a safe space for students, where they can express their opinions, study, gather, practice their religion, or express their culture. For Omar Abboud, a third-year engineering student at Columbia University, promoting Arab culture proved to be incredibly important. Omar has accomplished plenty in his time at Columbia, which includes his work…
كلمة الشهر زكاة This month, in honor of the holy month of Ramadan, we will be taking a look at one of the five pillars of Islam, ‘zakat’ (زكاة) for our Arabic Word of the Month series. When translated to English, ‘zakat’ takes on the meaning of ‘alms-giving’ or ‘charity,’ but this definition is rather misleading, as it…
Coffee is the world’s second most valuable traded commodity. Coffee owes its origins to the Arab World, as it was first produced in the port city of Mocha in Yemen. It should be no surprise, then, that there exists a strong connection between coffee and Arab culture; the English word for coffee even comes from the Arabic word for coffee, ‘qahwa’. Coffee…
كلمة الشهر الأب Welcome to another special edition of our Arabic Word of the Month blog series! Last month we honored mothers with a special Mother’s Day edition of our word of the month by taking a look at the Arabic word for mother, الأم (al-umm), and examining the significance of the mother to the Arab culture….
On June 3, the Teen Grantmaking Initiative (TGI), a project of the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) held its inaugural Year End Celebration to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of the past year. TGI is a youth philanthropy group dedicated to bettering their community through grantmaking. Formed in the fall of 2011 in Dearborn, MI, TGI has seen…
Photo courtesy of GOOD Magazine The Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) recently got a chance to speak with Tasbeeh Herwees, founder of Kifah, a Libya-focused online magazine, and a current employee of GOOD Magazine, a news organization that combats the negativity of today’s media by sharing positive news stories, to learn more about her and her work. CAAP:…
On Saturday, May 16 many of our 2014 grantees took part in the 11th Annual Arab American Service Day, hosted by the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC). National Arab American Service day sees thousands of volunteers from diverse backgrounds around the nation give back to their communities through various service projects. Photo: Access California Services In California, Access…
كلمة الشهر الأم Welcome to a special edition of our Arabic Word of the Month! Last month we took a look at the Arabic phrase describing selflessness and putting others before one’s self, نكران الذات. For the month of May we will be sharing the Arabic word for mother, in honor of Mother’s Day. Mothers…
The morning of April 25, Nepal was struck by a 7.9 earthquake, devastating the capital city of Katmandu and the surrounding area. The 7.9 quake has killed more than 4,500 people (a number that continues to rise) and is the worst to hit the area in 80 years. Numerous aftershocks continue to ravage the area,…