IMEU : Palestinian Americans

Hany Abu-Assad: Filmmaker (IMEU)

Fri, 31 May 2013 16:46:31 PST

For award-winning Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad, cinema serves as a tool of resistance. From escaping to the cinema as a child to his own 2006 Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated film Paradise Now, Abu-Assad has utilized film as a means of exploring different manifestations of oppression.

Niveen Rasheed: Basketball star and student (IMEU)

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:43:39 PST

For Niveen Rasheed, life mostly revolves around basketball. A star player of Princeton University women's basketball team, the Tigers, Niveen is considered one of the most successful basketball players in Ivy League history. "We made school history for the past three years in a row by winning the Ivy League and we made it to the first NCAA tournament in school history during my freshman year," recalls Rasheed who is co-captain of the team and has been named Ivy League Player of the Week 11 times during her career.

Khaled Al Sabawi: Entrepreneur and geothermal pioneer (IMEU)

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:02:21 PST

Named one of the world's top energy entrepreneurs by the Global Post, Khaled Al Sabawi is a leader in green energy and the first certified geothermal engineer in the Middle East. He is founder and president of MENA Geothermal, a Palestinian company specializing in geothermal heating and cooling systems.

Kanaan Kanaan: Artist and mentor (IMEU)

Tue, 03 May 2011 11:48:13 PST

Palestinian-American artist Kanaan Kanaan is a skilled painter and graphic designer who incorporates the two art forms to create the vivid, colorful tiles for which he has become known. Kanaan has showcased his work in 43 exhibitions and festivals nationally and internationally. His latest work, "Isholnak?" is a colorful piece which translates as "What's your color?" The piece is meant to "show the different colors, or sides, of the Arab culture politically, socially, and mentally."

Karam Dana: Professor and author (IMEU)

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:03:21 PST

Palestinian-American professor and author Karam Dana is the co-principal investigator of the Muslim American Public Opinion Survey (MAPOS), the largest survey of Muslims living in the United States. Troubled by rising Islamophobia and the lack of reliable information about American Muslims, Dana launched MAPOS in 2007 to study the patterns of social, civic, and political participation among Muslim Americans.

Remi Kanazi: Poet and teacher (IMEU)

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:59:04 PST

Palestinian-American poet and teacher Remi Kanazi never imagined that spoken word poetry would be his life's calling. Yet when faced with growing misconceptions about Arabs in post-September 11th America, he felt an unavoidable urge to express himself. Kanazi began writing political commentary in 2001, and after attending Def Poetry Jam on Broadway in 2004, his "eyes were opened to poetry and the platform it provided," Kanazi says.

Reyad Sawafta: Inventor and nuclear physicist (IMEU)

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:41:34 PST

Palestinian-American inventor and nuclear scientist Dr. Reyad Sawafta is founder and Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina-based QuarTek Corporation, a nanotechnology company that Sawafta describes as "a company dedicated to introducing innovations for the benefit of mankind." One such innovation is the creation of products that use nanotechnology to provide safe drinking water for disadvantaged communities by converting contaminated water into drinkable water in minutes.

Simon Shaheen: Musician and composer (IMEU)

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:08:34 PST

Grammy Award-nominated musician and composer Simon Shaheen has been wowing audiences of thousands since he was five years old. Shaheen's fusion of traditional Arabic, classical Western, Latin American, and jazz is nothing short of "stunning" according to the Los Angeles Times and has earned Shaheen the prestigious National Heritage Award at the White House. A virtuoso on the 'oud and violin, Shaheen leads the fusion group Qantara and the Near Eastern Music Ensemble which performs traditional Arabic music.

Susan Abulhawa: Novelist and humanitarian (IMEU)

Tue, 25 May 2010 10:12:37 PST

By day, award-winning author and Palestinian American Susan Abulhawa is a science writer for medical journals. Her real passion, however, is literature. After spending four years writing "early mornings, at night, on the weekends, any spare time I could find," her debut novel Mornings in Jenin (Bloomsbury Press, 2010) was born. The book, which Publishers Weekly calls "richly detailed, beautiful and resonant," gives unique voice to four generations of a Palestinian family.

Elena Farsakh: Photographer (IMEU)

Mon, 10 May 2010 14:25:03 PST

Palestinian-American photographer Elena Farsakh believes that "90 percent of all communication has nothing to do with words." Through her lens, she strives to give insight into the daily conditions and emotions of people in faraway and sometimes misunderstood places. Her portfolio features work from Egypt, Palestine, Tunisia, and Morocco, and her pictures appear in Samih Farsoun's seminal work Culture and Customs of the Palestinians.