MSAS: Arabic Cultural Language Trivia

Upon my trip to Syria this past summer, I was disheartened to discover that this legume was no regular fis-toe; that it in fact had a special name. Can you guess what that name was and the story of the historical origins of that name? And even better, can you suggest a replacement for that name!

MSAS with a touch of inRANTation: Knock-off Sooria…and other amusing Shami oddities

“Stars and Bucks Caffee,” Louis Vitton label-designed serving trays, and the copyright infringement-disrespecting use of Disney characters—familiar markers of an arrival to Levant land. Sooria, Syria, in particular stands out for its product-aping attempts, grammar-distressing translations, and ironic circumstances (although a puzzling find at the Amman airport in Jordan raises the highest eyebrow). As part of MSAS, I continue to bring you highlights from my summer trip. Below are some examples of what is meant by “Knock-off Sham”:

A keychain of a car logo that has been close to being banned by heavy import taxes and replaced by the more ubiquitous “CHERY” makes is apparently a hot item to floss in Souk al-Hamidiyeh.

Racial Privilege or Persecution for Arab Americans

According to the US federal government, this guys is white:

Yes, if following the categorization of race in the upcoming Census, which directly takes its taxonomy cues from the Office of Budget and Management, Sudanese refugee turned American olympian (Beijing 2008) Lopez Lomong. According to the Office of Management and Budget’s Directive 15, passed in 1997, “whites” are defined as descendants of “the original peoples of Europe, North Africa or the Middle East.” Hispanic or Latino people, according to the same government agency, are of “Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American or other Spanish culture.” Considering that Sudan is considered a part of “North Africa,” this would render Lomong and other nationals from Sudan white, while the famous Cuban below, could receive minority protection for her nonwhite federal classification:

UPDATE on Lebanon’s Negro: Maytha does some investigative reporting

…and pisses off a vexed managing director in the process.

In a story last month on this site, I commented on the wildly inappropriate use of name, slogan, and imagery for a steel wool product sold in Lebanon called “Negro Steel Wool.” After my initial repugnant shock surrounding the no-nonesense marketing of a …product, I calmed down for a second and decided to do some investigative bloggerist work, which included online searches and correspondences, to uncover the answer to my queries.

Disturbing Image Series: And the Minstrel Show Lives on in Lebanese Markets

I cannot begin to express all that is wrong with the following image:

But I will try to.

In an attempt to sell “the best of our best” in household cleaning, a product found in a Lebanese grocery market features a caricature of a shirt-less Black man flexing his muscles as his might physique puncturing the “Negro” product’s slogan: “leef al-3bd.” The slogan literally translates to “loofah of the slave.” However “3abd,” a derogatory term equivalent to the West’s “N-word” carries a shameful historical legacy of referring to Black people as “slaves.” But this product and its imagery is proof positive that the history has yet to be exclusively relegated to the past.

Update on Busta Rhymes’ song

I didn’t think anything could shock me more than the song, but the video to the repugnantly uninformed song accomplishes that feat.

The one good thing it does serve as a pedagogical model for how videos become “A-rab”: Arabic-looking calligraphic script for english beginning credits, throw a kuffiyah in the mix, featuring DJ Khaled is your video.

Message to PETA from KETA (Kabob-enthusiasts for the Ethical Treatment of Akeel Arabi): You Can Mess with the Zohan, but Not the Kabob

Back in the middle of April, as part of the organization’s Earth Day campaign, PETA approached Lebanese Environment Minister Antoine Karam earnestly urging him to “lead Lebanon and the world in the charge against climate change and environmental destruction by going vegetarian and advocating a vegetarian diet, “as reported by Al-Arabiya. The article is short and vague, probably reflecting the lack of potential substantial consideration of the request. But, I still wanted clarity around motivations. Why would PETA decide to target Lebanon? Why make such a ludicrous request? What did they have to gain? Was this all a part of their trademark shock-and-awe publicity stunts?

Arabs invading American Idol: 2 Undercover Arabs and 1 Not So in the “Shadow”

Piggying-back off of one of my last posts about Arab Jews in which I included former American Idol finalist Elliot Yamin, I thought I would make a list of Famous Arabs on American Idol. The following is that: 1. Ferras Al-QaisiWhy did it make my day to hear MTV’s corn-fed white bumpkin Damien utter the [...]

Octavia Nasr: Why Are You SOOOO Stupid?

That’s right, I said it, the most abhorrent Arabish word to use in an Arab’s presence, let alone directed to an Arab. In yet another ho-hum “investigative report on the Arab Street” turned into a condescending absolutist Western liberal democratic diatribe on the lack of freedom of expression in the Arab World, CNN assigns correspondent [...]

My Master

“Can I please be your bitch White Man?” The Emiratis do it again as they try their hands at winning the white man’s favor and purse strings. In an attempt to attract the colonial masters (that they have ironically appointed themselves) to their latest coastal residential development project in Abu Dhabi, Al-Raha Beach,  the company has [...]