Category: RECORDS IN MIDDLE EAST

SAUDI ARABIA: Neom graduate Rafif Kalantan Wins Yugo BAFTA Award 2023. Creates History – becomes First Female Director & First Non-European to Win in Gamers Category.

Kalantan has become the first female director, the first non-European to win a BAFTA award in the Gamers category.

Rafif Kalantan has become the first student from Saudi Arabia to win a 2023 Yugo BAFTA Award, picking up the accolade in the Games Category for her submission ‘Eros Xavier’s Love Solutions’.

The Yugo BAFTA Student Awards is an annual event celebrating the works of the next generation of highly skilled and creative storytellers from around the world.

Kalantan, the first female director and the first non-European to win a BAFTA award in this category, was one of the students supported by Neom to attend the National Film and Television School (NFTS), one of the top-ranking schools to join its Master’s programme in Games Design and Development.

Kalantan’s entry ‘Eros Xavier’s Love Solutions’ is the culmination of an intensive two-year Master’s programme of training that provides students with the skills and creative knowledge to design, devise and build games, from inception to delivery.

‘Eros Xavier’s Love Solutions’ is a narrative-driven puzzle-like game. The game follows Eros Xavier, a retired cupid who is cynical about love and has decided to open a private business for hire as a match-breaker.

This year’s Yugo BAFTA Student Awards welcomed 754 submissions from 103 schools across 30 countries, including, Argentina, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking about the award, Rafif Kalantan said: “I am honoured to have been selected as the winner of such a globally renowned award, especially being the first female director and first non-European to win this category. This wonderful achievement also showcases the capabilities of the developers from the Kingdom and the Middle East as a whole, and how the game industry in the region has a lot of potential. I am also grateful for the continued support and investment of Neom, which was an integral part of this achievement. Their continued support for us in the gaming field shows how much Neom believes in growing local talents and allowing them to thrive!”

Jon Wardle, Director of the National Film and Television School, commented: “The School is incredibly proud to be celebrating this achievement with Rafif as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Games Design MA. We’re also very grateful to Neom for continuing to help make our courses accessible with life-changing funding opportunities.”

Wayne Borg, Managing Director of Media Industries, Entertainment, and Culture at Neom, added: “On behalf of the entire Neom team, we extend our congratulations to Rafif for the well-deserved honour of receiving this prestigious award from BAFTA. This remarkable accomplishment is a testament to her exceptional talents and marks a momentous beginning for Rafif’s journey, and I’m sure she will achieve great things in the gaming world. We will continue to work closely with the National Film and Television School to nurture and empower more talented individuals as we develop our partnership and offer a unique blend of professional development, mentorship, and growth opportunities for emerging talent in the creative industries.”

source/content: broadcastprome.com /BroadcastPRO / (headline edited)

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SAUDI ARABIA

YEMENI-SAUDI ARABIAN: Osamah Almarwai proud to represent Arab World when he bids for ONE Championship Glory

Born in Yemen, raised in Saudi, Almarwai takes on ONE Championship flyweight submission grappling champion Mikey Musumeci in Colorado.

Osamah Almarwai says he is ready to make history on Friday by becoming the first Arab to win the ONE Championship flyweight submission grappling title when he takes on champion Mikey Musumeci in Colorado.

The Musumeci-Almarwai title contest is one of the two main co-events of the 11-fight card headlined by the ONE Fight Night 10 MMA flyweight world championship bout between Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes.

Born in Yemen and raised in Saudi Arabia, Almarwai carries the weight of the Arab world on his shoulders against an opponent widely regarded as one of the pound-for-pound best grapplers in the sport.

Almarwai, 31, says the messages of support he has received has “turned me to be in my best ever shape” and that his American opponent will see his best version when they lock horns at 1stBank Center, Denver.

“It’s an honour for me to represent the Arab World and I assure everybody that I’m in my best shape ever and ready, and hopefully, be the first Arab to win this flyweight title,” Almarwai told The National.

“I continue to receive lots of messages and love from so many people from different countries. It’s really an honour for me to represent the region. I’m grateful for this opportunity and I assure them I’ll be in the best version of myself. I would like to thank for their support. I appreciate their love.”

He added: “Representing the Arab World puts a lot of pressure on me but this pressure will give me the strength to win.”

Almarwai earned his passage for the title meeting with 26-year-old Musumeci after a string of victories including winning the No-Gi Pan American and the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship titles.

He has been preparing for the biggest match of his career for more than three months under the training of Andre Galvao, the co-founder and head coach of Atos Jiu Jitsu in San Diego, California.

“My preparation has been going very well. I have studied Mikey. He is one of the best but I train with some of the best in the world, and that’s why I want to fight him,” he said.

“I have completed my preparation and now I’m just focused on the mental preparation. I feel ready, I fee sharp, and hopefully, come out with a win. I will create history again on Friday, Insha Allah.”

Musumeci, who boasts a 19-3 win-loss record, makes the second title defence of his ONE flyweight submission grappling belt against Almarwai having beaten Gantumur Bayanduuren via unanimous decision in January.

The contest is scheduled for 10 minutes and Almarwai says, though he respects Musumeci, he is determined to take the challenge to the champion.

“As the challenger my approach for Mikey will be aggressive. It’s only 10 minutes, so there is no time to waste. I have studied his game and I have seen his flaws and seen his strengths. I have prepared both mentally and physically for this match.

“I have been watching and following him. It’s an honour to be competing against Mikey. He’s my biggest challenger and I’ll be testing my skills against him,” he said.

Almarwai claims his speed and his mental preparation to be his biggest asset while representing the Arab World motivates him to bring his best to the table.

Almarwai’s jiu-jitsu journey began when he followed his older brother, Mohammed, to the gym as a boy in Saudi Arabia and he continued to train after completing high school.

He then moved to the United States to study English in Orlando, Florida where the university he attended offered free jiu-jitsu classes.

Almarwai received his brown belt when he returned to Saudi Arabia, where his father was employed, before returning to the US again to complete his Masters in Engineering Management.

“I spent my free time training jiu-jitsu during my college time, I would train hard but it wasn’t serious. I started competing and then I started to focus more seriously and professionally,” Almarwai adds.

“I thought I had the talent and the potential because I was training with some of the best in the world when I came to the US. I thought ‘why not become a professional?’

“In the late stage of my brown belt, when I won my first world title as a professional, I took it up more seriously. Tthat’s the time I wanted to be one of the best and represent the Middle East because I was able to beat some of the biggest names in the sport.

“Hopefully on May 5, I’ll make history again by becoming the first Middle Eastern flyweight world champion.”

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Osama Almarwai was born in Yemen, raised in Saudi Arabia and on Friday hopes to make history in ONE FC. Photo: IBJJF

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YEMEN / SAUDI ARABIA

JORDANIAN-AMERICAN: Farah Abu Adeela Crowned Miss Arab USA in Arizona Beauty Pageant

US Jordanian contestant Farah Abu Adeela from the state of Illinois was crowned Miss Arab USA at the beauty pageant’s finale in Arizona over the weekend.

The new Miss Arab USA, who is a model, takes over from 2022’s winner, Moroccan American Marwa Lahlou.

The annual pageant, which returned in 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was held in Arizona this year. Produced by The Arab American Organization (AAO), the pageant is “founded on the basis of advancing the cause of young ladies of Arab descent,” according to its website.

The swimsuit category does not feature in the pageant, with the stated aim of organizers being to “select an honorable Arab young lady to represent our culture in the US and worldwide for one year.”

This year’s ceremony featured a performance by dance troupe Zeffa of Phoenix.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Farah Abu Adeela nabbed the coveted tiara at the 2023 Miss Arab USA pageant. (Instagram)

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AMERICAN / JORDANIAN

LEBANON: Fady Dagher the Lebanese Immigrant Who’s Risen to become Montreal’s Police Chief

Fady Dagher is the first minority-background officer to head Canada’s second-largest force.

A map of Lebanon hangs in Chief Fady Dagher’s office in the grey stone headquarters of Montreal’s police force. It is a constant reminder of where he is from and the place he hopes to return to.

“For me, it helps me to stay connected to my roots and not to forget where I come from,” Mr Dagher said.

The 55-year-old Lebanese-Canadian officer, who moved to Canada when he was 17, is the first person from a minority background to lead Montreal police in the force’s nearly 200-year history.

His appointment in January was the culmination of a lifetime of service to his adopted homeland.

“I always felt I had a debt to the Montreal community,” Mr Dagher told The National. “They welcomed me so well and it was a duty for me to serve them.”

Softly spoken with a slightly gravelly voice, Mr Dagher said that when he came to Canada in 1985 his original plan was to go to university and then return to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, where his father ran a manufacturing company. But a chance encounter with a police officer drew him to a different life, despite strong opposition from his father.

“Oh my God, he lost it,” Mr Dagher recalled with a chuckle.

Not even an unplanned trip from his beloved father could dissuade Mr Dagher from pursuing a career in law enforcement.

“I didn’t see my father from 1985 to 1991 and he came right away to discourage me.”

While policing may not have held the same allure and status in Lebanon and Ivory Coast as it did in Canada, Mr Dagher has brought the values of both places to his role leading Montreal’s nearly 5,000 officers.

“In Lebanon and Africa, we really have the community spirit deep in us and in the police, if you don’t have the community spirit, you cannot be close to the community and you cannot find your resolve to apply the law,” he said.

Mr Dagher has championed a community approach that involves immersing officers in the neighbourhoods they patrol.

The police chief leads by example. Earlier this year, he spent five days living and sleeping at various Montreal homeless shelters to better understand the struggles faced by the city’s homeless population.

“There is no way you can lead without walking the talk,” Mr Dagher said.

At the heart of his approach to policing is a Lebanese ethos.

“I want to be able to be inside those houses, sit with them, cook with them, clean with them, eat with them and see what their stories are,” he said.

He is hoping he can help to transform a police force that is facing a severe shortage of personnel and a city grappling with a sharp rise in gun violence.

Mr Dagher estimated that the force is 20 per cent to 30 per cent short of the officers it needs. A huge part of his first few months on the job has been to go on a charm offensive trying to attract new recruits.

“That’s my first priority,” he said. “To be able to recruit and to keep the recruit is huge.”

He’s looking at immigrant communities and hoping his own career can help new Canadians see a potential future in the ranks of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montreal.

Like many cities across North America, Montreal recorded a sharp increase in violent crime during the pandemic, a trend that continued in 2022.

Mr Dagher said the force was actively looking at ways to reverse that trend and was optimistic it would.

In terms of gun violence, “last year was the worst year that we went through”, he said, but noted that since he took over in January gun violence appears to be down, a trend he hopes will continue through to the end of the year.

Mr Dagher, who signed a seven-year contract, is determined to help recharge the department, but he dreams of having one more professional act after he retires.

“I am hoping that one day I will finish my career as ambassador of Canada in Lebanon, so I can go back to where I come from,” he said.

It would be the cherry on top of an exceptional life and allow Mr Dagher to spend time closer to his ancestral village of Bikfaya in the Mount Lebanon region.

Even while he is busy leading Canada’s second-largest police force, his mind and heart are never far from the small Mediterranean country that generations of Daghers have called home.

Throughout his busy career, he said, Lebanon has always held a restorative power.

“Every time I go back to Lebanon my heart beats better, again and again. My heart is in good health when I go to Lebanon because I feel welcomed,” he said.

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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CANADIAN / LEBANESE

SAUDI ARABIA: King Abdulaziz Public Library Restores more than 3,000 Cultural Heritage items

The newly established restoration center at the King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh has succeeded in preserving more than 3,000 rare scientific materials of cultural heritage. This includes photographs, documents, maps and rare books, as well as manuscripts.

The center was able to restore rare images depicting the old city of Diriyah, showcasing its location surrounded by a sea of palm trees.

The center restored 415 rare images of the city of Jeddah. The team of experts were also able to also restore 117 rare books, including their leather covers and internal pages.

In addition, the center restored a group of Saudi currencies, issued on 14 Dhu Al-Qa’da 1372 AH, corresponding to July 25, 1953 AD, when the Saudi Monetary Agency issued what was then known as the “receipts of pilgrims.” These were lightweight banknotes distributed and used during Hajj, starting at ten Riyals, of which 5,000 were printed with phrases in both Arabic and English.

The restoration center rehabilitated more than 615 rare documents and restored a series of rare magazines.

The center also cleaned up 2,235 rare and valuable maps in preparation for their restoration and preservation. The most notable was a map of the continent of Africa and the Arabian peninsula, drawn by Abraham Ortelius in 1570 AD.

The restoration center was inaugurated in late 2022, and has served as a space to handle artifacts carefully. Careful consideration is given to each item to maintain and preserve these pieces of history for future generations.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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SAUDI ARABIA

EGYPTIAN-SCOTTISH Ayoub Sisters to Perform at King Charles’ Coronation in Edinburgh

Egyptian-Scottish classical duo the Ayoub Sisters are scheduled to perform at King Charles III’s coronation in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

“We are delighted to share that we have been invited by HM King Charles III to perform at his coronation in Edinburgh next week,” wrote the Ayoub Sisters on Facebook on Saturday.

“The ceremony is part of Royal Week, with the King and Queen undertaking several engagements in Scotland, and will be broadcast live on BBC One. Tune in on Wednesday 5th July at 1:30pm to watch the celebration unfold,” they added.

The Ayoub Sisters have taken the international music scene by storm since their debut at the Royal Albert Hall in 2016. Laura Ayoub plays the violin – performing on an 1810 J. Gagliano – and Sarah Ayoub masters the cello. Both play the piano. 

The internationally renowned duo were discovered by producer Mark Ronson.

Their young, albeit sparkling, career has led them to sign a contract with Decca Records, one of the UK’s biggest record labels playing at the BRITS and the BAFTAs. Their album topped the Official Classical Artist Albums Chart.

The duo explore many musical genres, starting from classical music to Scottish traditional repertoire, topping it with captivating arrangements of pop, funk, and world music.

Their virtuosity and creativity have taken them to many prestigious halls in the UK (the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, London Palladium) and the rest of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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SCOTLAND / EGYPT

U.A.E: Abu Dhabi schoolgirl ‘Amna Al Mansouri’ Crowned ‘UAE Arab Reading Challenge’ Champion

Competition also had a new category this year for disabled pupils.

An Abu Dhabi pupil was crowned the winner of the UAE Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai on Friday.

Emirati schoolgirl Amna Al Mansouri, who read 128 books during the academic year, took top spot ahead of more than 500,000 pupils.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, praised those who took part.

“Today, the UAE celebrated 514,000 students from state schools who participated in the Arab Reading Challenge – whose Arab and international participation reached 24.8 million students,” he said on Twitter.

“I congratulate Amna Mohammed Al Mansouri, and her family, for coming in first place. Amna read 128 books during the academic year.

“Two years ago, Amna lost the ability to walk, but that did not stop her. She soldiered ahead and sailed across the vast ocean of knowledge and literature. The challenge was the beginning of a life-changing experience.

“Today, Amna can walk once again, she has won the Reading Challenge and has authored two stories.

“She will represent the country in a few days at the International Physics Olympiad in Tokyo.”

Amna took the top prize ahead of Mohammed Al Hammadi and Iman Daoud.

The competition had a new category this year for disabled pupils. Emirati pupil, Ghareeb Al Yamahi, won first place, with Ghaya Zainallah coming in second place.

“I also congratulate the student Gharib Al Yamahi who won first place in the reading challenge in the category of people of determination,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“Gharib is blind in sight but he is not a stranger in the path of achievement.

“Gharib read 130 books during the academic year in Braille. He is a writer of articles, a speaker and an inspiration to all of us. When a blind person reads 130 books, sighted people should review themselves.

“All the best to Gharib who, with his persistence and willpower, represents the saying that ‘nothing is impossible in the UAE’.”

The ceremony was attended by Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology.

Largest in the world

In May, Sheikh Mohammed  said the annual Arab Reading Challenge  had become the largest event of its kind in the world.

He said 24.8 million pupils from 46 countries had taken part in this year’s competition.

It was launched in 2015 to encourage a million young people to read at least 50 books in a year.

The challenge usually starts at the beginning of the academic year, around September, and continues until the end of the academic year.

The Arab Reading champion is selected based on the pupil’s ability to articulate general knowledge, critical thinking and communication skills, plus the diversity of books they have selected.

A Syrian schoolgirl who survived a deadly missile attack during the civil war in her country was crowned the Arab Reading Challenge Champion in November.

Sham Al Bakour, who was seven when she was named winner, was only six months old when her family’s car was struck during violence in Aleppo in December 2015.

Her father was killed while she and her mother survived the horrific attack.

She completed a remarkable journey from tragedy to triumph to win words of praise from Sheikh Mohammed.

The young literature lover read 70 books to win the competition.

When asked about what she would do with the Dh1 million ($270,000) prize money, she said she would give it to her mother.

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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The UAE Arab Reading Challenge prize ceremony was held in Dubai.

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ARAB WORLD / UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

SAUDI ARABIA Auditor Fehr Al-Jefri Becomes the First Arab to Win the William S. Smith Gold Award for Auditing

Fehr Al-Jefri, a member of the Saudi Institute of Internal Auditors, achieved the highest score in the William S. Smith Award for the Certified Internal Auditor program.

He earned the gold medal in a competition against candidates from the Philippines, China, and the US.

Al-Jefri is the first Arab to receive the highest award offered for auditing by the CIA, which consists gold, silver, bronze, and student levels. These awards are determined by individual performance in the core CIA exams.

The International Institute of Internal Auditors recognized and honored Al-Jefri for successfully completing all core exams within a year.

His accomplishment is a testament to the support provided by the Saudi leadership to individuals in various fields, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

According to the International Institute of Internal Auditors, this recognition signifies the role of Saudi Arabia in supporting the internal auditing profession and its practitioners. It highlights the “efforts made to help them overcome challenges, succeed in their professional work, and enhance work mechanisms.”

Abdullah Saleh Al-Shebeili, the CEO of the Saudi Institution of Internal Auditors, affirmed that the country’s achievements persist due to the steadfast support of the leadership toward the overall control system and, specifically, the internal audit profession. Al-Jafri’s victory serves as undeniable evidence of this sustained support.

Al-Jefri expressed his pride in receiving the award, considering it not only a personal accomplishment but recognition for his nation.

He also praised the role played by the Saudi Institution of Internal Auditors in bolstering the profession and advancing its practices.

Al-Jefri highlighted the institution’s efforts in organizing courses and seminars aimed at enhancing efficiency, improving performance quality, and strengthening oversight.

He also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the institution for providing him with the necessary resources and support to achieve success. He emphasized that obtaining the CIA certificate signifies a high level of excellence in the profession and creates numerous opportunities for career advancement.

The William S. Smith Award, launched in 2010, catalyzes the advancement of the CIA program. It showcases participants’ commitment to addressing evolving challenges and equipping professionals with the necessary experience, credibility, knowledge, and competence to excel in the field and make a difference in various domains.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Fehr Al-Jefri, a member of the Saudi Institution of Internal Auditors, and the first Arab to receive the Gold William Smith Award for the CIA. (SPA)

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SAUDI ARABIA

SYRIAN-AMERICANS: Refugee-Powered ‘NaTakallam’ Launches Professional Arabic Language Courses

  • New course offers four tracks specific to journalism, humanitarian work, health care and business
  • “Arabic for Professionals” carricula are proofed by Arabic academics from top universities

Six Syrian refugees in the US have crafted the “Arabic for Professionals” course launched on Wednesday by NaTakallam, a refugee-powered social enterprise that provides language learning, translation and interpretation services.

The course’s contents have been proofed by Arabic academics from top universities, such as the American University of Paris, according to a press release by NaTakallam.

Tailored for upper-intermediate and advanced Arabic students, “Arabic for Professionals” offers four tracks specific to journalism, humanitarian work, health care and business.

“The program is the outcome of conversations about common teaching challenges among NaTakallam language partners, especially when it comes to Arabic in practice,” said Carmela Francolino, NaTakallam’s talent and community manager.

“After defining the general profiles of our students and their needs, the necessity of structured courses for intermediate and advanced students was clear, as were the topics we needed to focus on,” she said.

Combining synchronous and asynchronous learning, “Arabic for Professionals” provides flexibility to fit busy schedules. The curricula are divided into several units, including exercises to reinforce each point and ten one-hour private lessons with an experienced tutor.

In addition to a focus on Modern Standard Arabic, a lingua franca used across the Arabic-speaking world, the one-on-one tutoring sessions offer students the opportunity to practice what they have learned in spoken dialects of Levantine Arabic.

Multiple pilot students have noted that the blended structure of the course provided an impetus for them to continue learning the language after their progress had stalled.

“For NaTakallam, whose core mission is to showcase the talents of displaced and conflict-affected people, it is especially meaningful that our language partners are not only teaching this curriculum but have created it in its entirety,” said Aline Sara, co-founder and CEO of NaTakallam.

Besides the new Arabic for Professionals program, NaTakallam offers an Integrated Arabic Curriculum, a 25-hour course that teaches Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic concomitantly, as well as one-on-one language tutoring in Arabic, Armenian, French, Kurdish, Persian, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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SYRIAN / AMERICANS

ARABS IN NEW YORK, USA: Tour guide dubs Little Syria ‘the best-kept secret in New York history’

Longtime scholar Linda Jacobs calls it “the best-kept secret in New York history.” She is talking about New York City’s forgotten Syrian enclave of immigrants (often referred to as Little Syria) that once thrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, forming the first Arab-speaking community in the US.

As part of an initiative supported by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Jacobs led in-person walking tours on Washington Street, the main hub of Little Syria, this summer. For Jacobs, it is a story that hits close to home.

Just-landed Middle Eastern immigrants at Ellis Island, ca. 1905. (Supplied)

All four of her grandparents emmigrated from modern-day Lebanon in the late 1800s, moving to Washington Street. “I was just interested in doing my family genealogy, and more importantly, for me, understanding if the myths or stories we were told as children in our family matched the reality … Some made it, some didn’t,” she told Arab News.

Aside from the presence of Arabs, Washington Street was home to other nationalities, including German and Irish families. It was an economic and cultural center, full of stores, cafes, and factories. It was not a bed of roses, though, according to Jacobs.

Built on landfill, Washington Street suffered from poor living conditions and a lack of clean air. Because the area was located near the tidal Hudson River, water would come up through the basements of tenement buildings.

60-62 Washington Street, where dozens of Syrian-owned businesses were located, 1903. (Supplied)

To make matters worse, the rate of infant mortality, due to tuberculosis, was high. “It makes you cry, it’s really sad,” said Jacobs. “You can imagine that people did not want to remember this time of their lives, and I think that’s why my grandmother never talked about it. She never mentioned the word(s) ‘Washington Street’.”

A majority of the people referred to as Syrians who came to New York City most likely hailed from Lebanon, seeking better economic opportunities. Those who initially arrived were farmers and laborers, later followed by wealthier classes. The lucrative trade of peddling was a common profession amongst Syrians, who saved up money to open their own businesses and relocate to safer boroughs, such as Brooklyn.

By the 1940s, the Syrian community was non-existent on the street. The physical neighborhood was destroyed, making way for building the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel. Today, Washington Street is a neglected area, where only three buildings, including the facade of St. George’s Melkite Church of the Syrian Community, have survived, but most lack landmark status granted by the city.

Conducting such walking tours around the area is important for Jacobs. “All were surprised because no one had any idea that this community existed,” she remarked. “It’s a mixed blessing, because in a way, it’s a real lesson to others to try and save their communities from total destruction. And on the other side, it’s very sad to have it all be gone.”

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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New York City’s forgotten Syrian enclave of immigrants (often referred to as Little Syria) thrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (Supplied)

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ARABS IN USA