nowruz at the memorial art gallery

march 19, 2011: celebrated nowruz at the memorial art gallery today. the program was called “persepolis: culture carved on stone.” we were introduced to the history of persepolis and to its rich traditions. the music was especially stunning. jamilya arzanesh (piano) and kitty cheung (violin) played music from iran and turkmenistan. murat tekbilek (darbuka) and hassan isakkut (kanun or santoor) played music from turkey, azerbaijan, syria and kazakhstan. thunderous applause and standing ovations. music followed by persian sweets and tea. congrats to all the organizers, especially my friends shahin and debora.

nowruz

SUPPORT THE EGYPTIAN AND TUNISIAN PEOPLE! MUBARAK MUST GO!

March in downtown Rochester in solidarity with the people of Egypt and Tunisia
Location: Downtown Federal Building, 100 State St.
Time: 4:30PM Monday, January 31st

it was bone-chilling cold – bitterly bitterly cold. the chanting was a challenge and so was holding up signs. couldn’t feel my hands after an hour. it was still fun tho – love being with my compadres. a great day today, in many ways!

SUPPORT THE EGYPTIAN AND TUNISIAN PEOPLE! MUBARAK MUST GO!

jan 30, 2011

crazy day today: spoke about islamophobia in the morning, gave an interview about the egypt protest scheduled for tomorrow, discussed expanding a website to include my new film with a web-designer, attended my daughter’s piano recital (she was fabulous) and now on to my next modern art reading for tuesday! phew!

more info on my interview here.

my talk, “islamophobia – the new normalcy” at presbyterian church on jan 30, 2011

i will be speaking about “islamophobia – the new normalcy” at third presbyterian church (4 meigs street, rochester, ny) at 9.30 am tomorrow, sunday jan 30th. do join us if u can.

articles that i used for my talk on islamophobia:

1) the propagation of neo-orientalism by soumaya ghannoushi
2) the rise of anti-muslim hate by deepa kumar
3) islamophobia inc. by nicole colson
4) the great islamophobic crusade by max blumenthal

my second doc “pakistan one on one”

so my second film, “pakistan one on one” is officially in post production today – YAY!!! follow on facebook by joining the group, “pakistan one-on-one”.

btw i’m speaking about filmmaking and screening clips from my second film at nazareth college today, 5.00 pm, room 170, art department.

later that day: with lynn duggan and cathy kirby, both art professors at nazareth college. spoke about filmmaking as a tool for activism, screened the first 15 minutes of my new doc “pakistan one on one” and enjoyed a terrific discussion with art students and film studies students afterwards. what a delightful (and appropriate) way to celebrate the beginning of post production!

my second doc “pakistan one on one”

joan holden’s play “nickel and dimed”

jan 24, 2011: just attended a reading of joan holden’s play “nickel and dimed” at geva theater. the play is based on barbara ehrenreich’s book in which she says provocatively: “when someone works for less pay than she can live on – when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently – then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. the working poor, as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. they neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. to be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else.”

i found the play depressing – there is a hopelessness that comes from the constant, exhausting struggle for survival among america’s working poor. it’s difficult to witness. but i was more depressed by many in the audience who, in the post play discussion, expressed their disenchantment with unions. unions can be run competently or not, but the benefits of organizing workers in order to offer them some protection in a ruthless corporate work environment is a no-brainer. we need a strong movement for economic justice which can articulate all of this. the present situation is unacceptable, untenable.

“nickel and dimed” by barbara ehrenreich

cajun food at beale street cafe

had spicy jambalaya, fried chicken, cajun fries and homemade corn bread at beale street cafe, with live music of course – someone singing old elton john songs. that’s what i’m talkin’ about.

beale street cafe

goings on about town

so general musharraf was in town. over dinner with some of the locals he talked about how his visits to the u.s. r arranged by the u.s. govt and how he gets $50,000 per speech. he’s now in toronto to garner more support from pakistani expats. looks like the u.s. might be interested in propping him back in power, in pakistan. yuck!

daoud nassar, of tent of nations, speaks in rochester

met daoud nassar yesterday, a christian palestinian farmer and director of tent of nations. thru their projects for women, youth and families, this organization (mostly run by daoud’s family) uses non-violent approaches to peace in the region. daoud’s farm is located in the west bank, near bethlehem. it was truly eye-opening to meet someone so balanced and peace-loving even tho they live under impossible circumstances. daoud’s family is not allowed to have running water or electricity. they don’t have the right to build on their own land and they have to fight extremely expensive court cases in order not to lose their farm. yet they have found alternative ways of surviving. not only that, they have committed themselves to engaging with others – even settlers who threaten their v existence. pls google tent of nations and friends of tent of nations north america. daoud’s work needs our support.

this is daoud speaking at emmanuel baptist church, november 4, 2010.

daoud nassar

MUSLIMS: Reclaiming religious liberty – Letters – Rochester City Newspaper

most excellent letter from my friend richard myers: “We will not stand for attacks on the principle of religious liberty. We will not sit by when our Muslim neighbors are threatened. We will not be silent when good people are characterized as terrorists. We will not be still when politicians disregard the Constitution and label people unjustly. Therefore, we appeal to our silent neighbors: speak up gently if you can, firmly if you must. Engage your neighbors to dispel uninformed stereotyping of Muslims. Learn all you can about Islam. Enter into interfaith conversations. Memorize the opening words of the First Amendment of the Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Complete letter.

Pakistan Flood Relief Fundraising Dinner – October 3, 7pm @ Turkish Society of Rochester (677 Beahan Rd)

Over 18 million people affected. Over 1 million houses damaged. Almost 3,000 injured and 2,000 dead. The statistics are overwhelming, and the situation is one that calls for our help.

Here’s what you can do:

Attend the event:

Tickets are $15 each, and WILL NOT be sold at the door. To reserve, call the ICR at 442-0117. The program includes dinner; speeches by Mayor Robert Duffy, Brighton Supervisor Sandra Frankel, and Dr. Ismail Mehr, who traveled to Pakistan to aid in relief efforts; and silent and podium auctions. All profits go towards relief efforts, so your donations will be put to good use.

Volunteer:

We need volunteers to serve food to tables and babysit. If you are interested in doing either of those, write on the event wall and tell us what you can help out with. All volunteers will receive free dinner, but we can only accept 15-20 people, so you must let us know beforehand.

Publicize:

Tell your family, friends, professors, coworkers, and anyone else you know. The event is open to the entire Rochester community (Muslims and non-Muslims), and the more people we can get to attend, the more money we can send to aid the flood victims.

We encourage you to get involved; this is one of the worst disasters that has ever affected Pakistan, and it is a project that requires as much participation from the community as possible.