Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Video for 2015 Ramadan Crafty Challenge

As 2015 comes to a close, I thought it might be fun to gather all the tutorials we made as part of our annual Ramadan Crafty Challenge into a video.



I'm not very happy with the music, and would love suggestions on improvements, but I think the rest of the video came out fine. What do you think?

To see other A Crafty Arab videos, including last year's Crafty Challenge, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Islamic Calendar 2016/1437-1438 {Free Printable}

In just a few more days it will be 2016, a New Year.

However, for many Muslims around the world, we are still in 1437 AH and the Islamic New Year doesn't start until October 2016.

Trying to explain this to children can be challenging, so I'm always looking for fun, educational ways to teach my daughters how the Islamic calendar correspondences to the Georgian calendar.

Recently I came across al-maurid, a website that sells personalized Islamic ebooks.

They are offering a FREE printable Islamic calendar for download.
Islamic Calendar 2016/1437-1438 {Free Printable}
Each month has it's own page, so you can print it all at once, or as you go. The designer mom, Latifah Ibrahim, who created it shared - 
Important dates are included, for example: Ramadan and Eid. It is a fun way to teach children about The Islamic Calendar all year round. It has quotes about Allah, Islam and using Islamic teachings to help with character building. The calendar is not only for children. I intend to use it myself, InshaAllah.
Email info@al-maurid.com to learn more about the ebooks.

I'm heading to the library to print it out today! I think I'll get three copies, one for each girl. Don't forget to support this wonderful business who is offering this service.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Happy Birthday Prophet(s)!

I would like to wish all my friends who follow the wise words of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) a joyous Mawlid for yesterday.

I would like to wish all my friends who follow the wise words of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) a joyous Christmas for tomorrow.

I would like to wish all my friends who follow the wise words of Others a joyous day for today.

May we all find gratitude in even the smallest of gestures in these blessed three days.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Mawlid Celebrations Around the World


Here we are again, celebrating another Mawlid Al Nabi in 2015.

Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, the holidays move up a few days every year.  This made 2015 have two Mawlid celebrations. Lucky us!

Mawlid in Libya is a very large celebration, one that is based on cultural traditions. Growing up, I remember eating aseeda for breakfast, playing with fireworks, singing a song for Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), running into musicians who would erupt into spontaneous music and buying khamsases to decorate the home.
Mawlid Celebrations Around the World - Aseeda
While a few extremists wanted to do away with this holiday that has been around for 14 centuries in Libya, participants still came out to celebrate this past January.

But I am aware that many do not celebrate Mawlid. In fact, recently I posed the question of celebrating this holiday to my Facebook group of fellow Muslim female innovators that live all over the world.  Eleven said they do, while eight do not. 

Nadine of Reinventing Nadine said

We do and I plan some activities around it such as making cards, learning a new surah and reading every night about the Prophet's (pbuh) life. We all have a really cool game called "What would Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) do?". So I give my daughter hypothetical situations and she should tell me what she thinks our merciful Prophet (pbuh) would do. I also tell her stories about real situations and what the Prophet (pbuh) did. I think it important to to relate religion to our real day life.
Omaira of black board, white chalks said
We do. We read the story of the Prophet (pbuh) and how He was as a child, and about His character, and try to sing a lot of naats and nasheed and attend Mawlid gatherings.
It was fascinated to learn so many did not share in this special day in our house, but this just proves how diverse Islam is to so many Muslims.

Here are ten more interesting ideas that were shared to celebrate Mawlid -
  1. Fast
  2. Wear white
  3. Recite the Qasīdat al-Burda
  4. Eat the Prophet's (pbuh) favorite food
  5. Decorate your home - Make a Free Banner
  6. Perform acts of kindness - Make a Zakat Box
  7. Make sweets and share with neighbors and family
  8. Arrange a play about helping others - Make Muslim Peg Doll Actors
  9. Recite poetry written by the children in praise of the Prophet (pbuh)
  10. Produce a kids craft together - Make a Good Deeds Centerpiece
While I respect many Muslim's right to not celebrate Mawlid, there has to be mutual respect for those that do celebrate. I really enjoy this quote in Mawlid by Moonlight on the importance of teaching positive images of Islam to our children -
“You know, we worry about our children being too slow in this or not good enough at that, but, at the end of the day…if they love Allah and His Prophet (pbuh), what else really matters?  What else really matters?”
The next Mawlid will be on December 12th, 2016. I hope I gave you enough ideas so you will be able to celebrate with us.

Celebration of Mawlid :


  • During Mawlid celebrations, large processions come out on the road and it is a real carnival.

  • Homes and mosques are decorated for the purpose of getting into the mood of Mawlid celebrations.

  • People practice charity and distribute food to others. There is also the practice of narrating stories of the life of Muhammad by the help of recitation.

  • Scholars and poets make it a point to celebrate Mawlid by reciting Qa?ida al-Burda Sharif, the well-known poem of the 13th century Arabic Sufi Busiri.

  • Mostly in all Muslim countries, Mawlid is celebrated. Also the countries which have Muslim presence like India, Britain, and Canada, celebrate Mawlid.

  • The only Muslim country which doe not observe Mawlid as a public holiday is Saudi Arabia. People tend to participate in the ritual celebration of Islamic holidays as they want Islam to revive.
- See more at: http://www.dgreetings.com/mawlid_al_nabi/celebration.html#sthash.8nguHAap.dpuf

Friday, December 18, 2015

Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner}

Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner}

The kids are out of school today for winter break. They will be home for two weeks.

I'm trying to get all my work done now before their best friends forever "I'm" and "Bored" start visiting them.

One of my tasks is to get to the library sometime today to print out my new free download banner Mawlid Al Nabi. I'm hoping that when their friends visit, I can hand them the scissors and the library printouts and say "start cutting, Mawlid is next week and we have to prepare!"

Mawlid Al Nabi is a Muslim holiday commemorating the birth of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him).

Using the simple banner design from my free printable Green Eid Decorations, I changed the letters to read Mawlid Al Nabi. I thought of changing the colors too, but with a limited amount of time before the kids and their BFFs take over, my To Do list is long but my day is short.

If you have a favorite color, let me know and when my life returns to normal in January I can try to do a different look.  No promises. I have paper cuttings I might still be cleaning up.

Enjoy the download and may you have a blessed Mawlid.
Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner} - m print 1

Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner} - a print 3

Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner} - w print 1

Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner} - l print 2

Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner} - i print 2

Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner} - d print 1

Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner} - n print 1

Green Mawlid Decorations {Free Banner} - b print 1

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Arabic Alphabet coloring pages...Jeem is for Jamal

I'm still, slowly but surely, continuing my quest to take the animals from my Arabic Alphabet Animal poster and turn them into free coloring sheets!

Today's free download is the fifth letter of the alphabet: Jeem (jīm) is represented by Jameela the Jamal, which is how you say camel in Arabic. Jameela spends her days looking at her beauty in the mirror.

Other words that use Jeem are jibal roosiyya (roller coaster), jabal (mountain), and jazar (carrot).

Here is the newest page to print:Jamal Coloring Page.

You can also enjoy these Arabic letters and animals that have been done already -
Arrnab Coloring Page

Thursday, November 26, 2015

75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving

75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, millions of Americans gather nationwide with family and friends to take a day off to be grateful for everything they have.

There has been a lot of discussion about the Syrian refugees that will be arriving soon in America due to the dire situation in their homeland. Conservative groups are working in overdrive to creating fear in their constituents, many of whom are byproducts of America's previous immigrants and refugees.

As we gather around the Thanksgiving table today, let's all think about our 16th President Abraham Lincoln stressing the importance of new blood in making America awesome.  New blood that had given us Steve Jobs and Jerry Seinfeld, both children of Syrian refugees.

Here is an excerpt of the Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation issued on October 3rd, 1863 from Mr. Lincoln.

"It has pleased Almighty God to prolong our national life another year, defending us with His guardian care against unfriendly designs from abroad and vouchsafing to us in His mercy many and signal victories over the enemy, who is of our own household. It has also pleased our Heavenly Father to favor as well our citizens in their homes as our soldiers in their camps and our sailors on the rivers and seas with unusual health. He has largely augmented our free population by emancipation and by immigration, while He has opened to us new sources of wealth and has crowned the labor of our workingmen in every department of industry with abundant rewards."

Once you enjoy your traditional Thanksgiving meal, feel free to gather around the tv afterwards to check out any of these movies about refugees.  I love Arab and all other movies and find them a great resource for conversation. I gathered 75 here, but there are 636 titles with the keyword 'refugee' on IMBD.

Have an honest conversation with those around around you about the true meaning of this holiday.  Being grateful that as refugees, our pilgrim ancestors were accepted by the Native Americas.

xxx


24 Days in Brooks (2007) Director - Dana Inkster
In a decade, tiny Brooks, Alberta has been transformed from a socially conservative, primarily Caucasian town to one of the most diverse places in Canada. Immigrants and refugees have flocked here to work at Lakeside Packers ‐one of the world's largest slaughterhouses.

A Family Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story (2004) Director - Christopher Leitch
This film is based on the true story of the five‐year‐old Cuban boy who is the sole survivor of a refugee boat that sunk in a storm on its way to the U.S.

A Great Wonder: Lost Children of Sudan (2003) Director - Kim Shelton
Documents the difficult transition of three of the "Lost Boys and Girls" of Sudan to lives in Seattle, Washington.

A Stranger in My Homeland (2005) Director - Chloe Traicos
This film tells the story of the Zimbabwean refugees who spoke out against the regime of terror under which they lived. These brave people were tortured electrocuted and left for dead.

Afghan Stories  (2002) Directors - Taran Davies and Walied Osman
Filmmakers Taran Davies and Walied Osman set out to gain an understanding of how a generation of war has affected the Afghan people, spending time with families in Queens, New York, the frontline in Afghanistan, and points in between.

Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey (1981) Director - Jim Burroughs
In Spring 1980, Fidel Castro opened the Cuban port of Mariel to thousands of refugees to cross to Key West, Florida and the promise of a new life in the U.S. Director Jim Burroughs and his crew boarded a flotilla vessel bound for Mariel to film the exodus. Burroughs charts the lives of three individuals during their first years in the U.S.

Aka Don Bonus (1995)  Directors - Spencer Nakasako and Sokly Ny
After escaping the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the Ny family became one of thousands of refugees faced with resettlement in the U.S. Their lives unfold through the lens of this stirring video diary, which sees 18‐year‐old Sokly Ny (Don Bonus) struggling to graduate from high school.

75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - America America

America, America (1963) Director - Elia Kazan
One of director Elia Kazan’s most personal, moving and satisfying films, based on his own novel about his uncle’s experiences, America, America recreates the journey of a Greek youth fleeing Turkish oppression via Constantinople at the end of the 19th century to fulfill his cherished dream of passage to the promised land, America.

An American Rhapsody (2001) Director - Éva Gárdos
A young Hungarian girl struggles to find her place in the world when she's reunited with her parents in the USA years after she was left behind during their flight from the communist country in the 1950s.
75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - And God Grew Tired of Us
And God Grew Tired of Us (2006) Director - Christopher Quinn
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, God Grew Tired of Us explores the spirit of three Sudanese young men who leave their homeland, triumph over adversities, and move to America.

A Requiem for Syrian Refugees (2013) Director - Richard Wolf
A Requiem for Syrian Refugees is a poignant journey of survival, resilience and empowerment.

Asylum (1998)  Director - Garry Beitel
Three people arrive in Canada and face the Refugee Board.

Asylum (2003) Director - Sandy McLeod
Baaba Andoh fled Ghana in fear for her life, when her long‐lost father tried to force her to undergo female genital mutilation. Arriving in the U.S. with a phony passport, she was imprisoned by the INS for one year while her asylum case was tried. Her story ends in victory, but she refuses to forget the thousands of asylum seekers who remain in detention today.

Beautiful People (1999) Director - Jasmin Dizdar
In London, during October 1993, England is playing Holland in the preliminaries of the World Cup. The Bosnian War is at its height, and refugees from the ex‐Yugoslavia are arriving. The lives of four English families are affected in different ways by encounter with the refugees, and one of the families improbably becomes involved with a Balkan refugee through the England vs. Holland match.

Becoming America (2000) Director -  Ken Levine and Ivory Waterworth Levine
Becoming American records the odyssey of Hang Sou and his family, as they travel from Laos to a refugee camp in Thailand to a new home in Seattle.

Being Hmong Means Being Free (2008) Director - Larry Long
Being Hmong Means Being Free highlights the history, culture and identity of the Hmong immigrants who have settled in the United States between 1975 and the early 1990s. The documentary looks at Hmong life in this country as seen through the eyes of the program host, seventeen year-old Lia Vang.

Blue Collar and Buddha (1986) Director - Taggart Siegel
A Laotian community in Rockford, Illinois survives terrorist bombings and drive‐by shootings at its local Buddhist temple.
75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - Brothers and Others
Brothers and Others (2003) Director - Nicolas Rossier
Brothers and Others follows a number of immigrant and American families in the U.S. following September 11, 2001. In interviews with Arab and Muslim immigrants, government representatives, and legal and historical experts, this film explores how America’s fear of terrorism has negatively impacted many U.S. residents.

Bui Doi: Life Like Dust (1994) Ahrin Mishan and Nick Rothenberg
This film takes us inside the mind of Ricky Phan, once a gang leader in Southern California and now serving an 11‐year sentence for armed robbery. We are forced to ask ourselves which is more violent: fleeing from a war‐ravaged nation or trying to survive in an alien western culture?

Can't Be Silent (2013) Director - Julia Oelkers
Musicians from Africa, the Balkans and Iran are touring Germany with german songwriter Heinz Ratz and his band. What makes this project special is that most of these musicians are asylum seekers. In Germany refugees like them are subject to special laws that limit their freedom of movement, their ability to get a job, to choose their place of residence, their groceries or clothing. They live in special facilities and are fenced off from rest of the German population. With few points of contact things have remained this way for decades. The concert-tour breaks that pattern and for the group the project offers an opportunity to overcome this crushing isolation through music. By means of a musical documentary about the band the film "I can't be silent" will bring light to the living conditions of asylum seekers.

Catfish in Black Bean Sauce (1999) Director - Chi Moui Lo
Dwayne and his older sister Mai are adults: Mai is married to Vinh, Dwayne is about to propose to Nina. Twenty‐two years ago, when Mai was 10, she and Dwayne were refugees in Vietnam, adopted by Harold and Dee Williams, African‐Americans from Los Angeles. When Mai locates their birth mother, Thahn, and she arrives in Los Angeles, tensions reach the breaking point.

De Vluchtkerk (2013) Directors - Paul Ruven, Kees Vlaanderen
A former politician wants to force media attention for refugees, who have to leave their asylum, by faking his kidnapping.

Dheepan (2015) Director - Jacques Audiard
Dheepan is a Sri Lankan Tamil warrior who flees to France and ends up working as a caretaker outside Paris.
75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - Fire Dancer
Fire Dancer (2002) Director - Jawed Wassel
The film follows Haris, an Afghan‐American artist who shows his work at a downtown Manhattan art gallery. His story explores the ramifications of leaving Afghanistan and living as a refugee in America. Haris embarks on a journey through the world of Afghan‐Americans to learn more about their culture, finding humor and tragedy.

First Person Plural (2000) Director - Deann Borshay
In 1966, at the age of nine, Deann Borshay came to the U.S. from South Korea as one of tens of thousands of children adopted by white American families after the Korean War. In this extraordinary personal documentary she chronicles her struggle to reconcile the demands of two families, two cultures and two nations.

Flygtningene fro Kosovo (2000) Director - Per Wennick
This three‐part documentary follows two families on their way from Kosovo to the primitive conditions in a refugee camp in Macedonia to resettlement in Randers, Denmark.

From Refugee to Immigrant: A Story of Three Kosovar Albanian Americans (2003) Directors Ellen Friedland and Curt Fissel
Traces the lives of three refugees from Kosova who arrived at Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1999. With footage from the U.S. and Kosova, the documentary examines the process of assimilation into American society.

Ghetto 59 (2014) Director - Ines Tanovic
This film portrays a day in the life of those living in the still-extant Jezevci refugee center 20 years after the Bosnian War.

75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - Gran Torino
Gran Torino (2008) Director - Clint Eastwood
Walt Kowalski is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough‐minded, unhappy an old man, who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbors, a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino he keeps in mint condition. When his neighbor Thao, a young Hmong teenager under pressure from his gang member cousin, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Thao's family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood.

Heavy Metal in Baghdad (2007) Directors - Suroosh Alvi and Eddy Moretti
In the late summer of 2006, filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi traveled to Baghdad to meet and interview the only heavy metal band in Iraq, Acrassicauda. "Heavy Metal in Baghdad" is the story of the band and its members, young Iraqis whose lives have been distorted and displaced by years of continual warfare in their homeland. The filmmakers have collected glimpses into the struggles of Acrassicauda as they try to stay together and stay alive. The International Rescue Committee has been working to resettle the members of Acrassicauda since last summer. Nearly three years after fleeing Iraq and living as a refugee in Syria and then Turkey, heavy metal drummer Marwan Riyadh stepped off an airplane at Newark Liberty International Airport on January 30, 2009.

Home Across Lands (2008) Director - John Lavall
The film chronicles the work of the International Institute of Rhode Island as it guides and empowers a group of Kunaman refugees making the transition from life in the Shimelba Refugee Camp in Northern Ethiopia to their new home in America.

75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Rwanda (2004) Director - Terry George
This Academy Award nominated film tells the true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda.

In Darkness (2011) Director - Agnieszka Holland
A dramatization of one man's rescue of Jewish refugees in the Nazi-occupied Polish city of Lvov.

In This World (2002) Director - Michael Winterbottom
The story of two Afghan cousins who trek from a refugee camp in Pakistan to London, where relatives await them.

Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000) Director - Mark Jonathan Harris
In 1938 and 1939, about 10,000 children, most of them Jews, were sent by their parents from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia to the safety of England where foster families took most of them in for the duration of the war. Years later, eleven children, one child's mother, an English foster mother, a survivor of Auschwitz who didn't go to England, and two of the kindertransport organizers remember: the days before the Nazis, saying farewell to family, traveling to England, meeting their foster families, and trying to find families after the war ended.
75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving
Journey from the Fall (2006) Director - Ham Tran
The film debut of director Ham Tran, Journey from the Fall follows a family during the fall of Saigon, right after the Vietnam war, in 1975. Urged by her husband (Long) to flee for America, a mother (Mai) and her family, which consist of her two small children and her mother, settle in Northern California. After fleeing from Saigon on a small boat and being separated from her husband for six years, Mai struggles with helping her now older children get use to their new life in America.

Journey to Kapasseni: A Refugee's Gift (2001) Director - Bill Weaver
Joseph and Perpetua Alfazema are refugees from Mozambique who live in Victoria, Canada. They are determined to start a school in Joseph's home village and, against all odds, they raise money for the school and begin a long journey.

Kelly Loves Tony (1998) Director - Spencer Nakasako
Seventeen year‐old Kelly Saeteurn has a dream – an "American dream." Just out of high school and on her way to college, Kelly envisions a rosy future. Kelly is the first in her family of Iu Mien refugees from Laos to have accomplished as much as she already has, but she encounters grave obstacles in the course of pursuing her dream.

Letter Back Home (1995) Directors - Nith Lacroix and Sang Thepkaysone
A compelling look at life in San Francisco's Tenderloin district for Laotian and Cambodian youth.

75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - Letter to the King
Letter to the King (2014) Director - Hisham Zaman
Letter to the King portrays five people on a day trip from a refugee camp to Oslo, a welcome change in an otherwise monotonous life. But we soon realize that each and every one of them has an agenda for their trip. All five will make decisive choices on this day, as they discover happiness, humiliation, love or fulfill a long-awaited revenge. The five stories are tied together by a letter, written by eighty-three year old Mirza. Mirza wants to hand over the letter to the King personally.

Lost Boys of Sudan (2003) Directors - Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk
An Emmy‐nominated feature‐length documentary that follows two Sudanese refugees from Sudan and Kenya to the U.S. Winner of an Independent Spirit Award and two Emmy nominations.

Madrasa (2014) Director - Asad Sikander
Madrasa is based on true story about Afghan refugee family living in Iran after war in Afghanistan. The film portrays an innocent 8 year old Afghan girl Meena who wants to go to school, but circumstances and law in Iran don't allow her to do so. Her father Farhad goes every extent so that his daughter can go to school and fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. The story reaches a point where everything seems impossible but courage, love and sacrifice makes its own statement.

Moving to Mars (2009) Director - Mat Whitecross
Moving to Mars follows two refugee families from Burma over the course of a year that will change their lives completely. Uprooted from their homeland by the repressive military junta, they are forced to live in a Thai refugee camp for many years. A resettlement scheme offers them a chance to a new life, but their new home, in the British city of Sheffield, will be different from everything they have ever known.

Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter (2009) Director - Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater
An official selection of the Human Rights Watch Film festival, the documentary is a moving story of a West African mother’s fight for asylum in the US to protect her two‐year‐old daughter from female genital cutting.

North Korea ‐Shadows and Whispers (2001) Director - Kim Jung‐Eun
This documentary, filmed in the remote northeast mountains of China, captures the dire circumstances of North Korean refugees who journey to China.

Nuclear Nation (2012) Director - Atsushi Funahashi
A documentary chronicling the lives of Japanese refugees displaced by the 2011 tsunami and nuclear meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi.

One Family, Voices and Visions:  The Documentary Project for Refugee Youth (2001) Director - Raeshma Razvi
"One Family" tells the story of twelve youth from Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Burundi, and Serbia who have weathered war and long journeys to America, and New York City. Weaving their voices into a shared story, they reflect their views on themselves and the whole world, joined as one family.

75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - Rain in a Dry Land
Rain in a Dry Land (2006) Director - Anne Makepeace
An official Selection of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival 2006, the film chronicles two years in the lives of two Somali Bantu families who leave Kakuma refugee camp for Springfield, Massachusetts and Atlanta, Georgia.

Reflections: Returning to Vietnam (1993) Producer: KCSM TV60
Vietnamese refugees speak about the loss of family and friends, migration and feelings about their war torn homeland. The program offers three individual perspectives from the Vietnamese Diaspora.

Refugee (2003) Director - Spencer Nakasako
In this film, three young refugees raised in San Francisco's Tenderloin district, journey to Cambodia.

Roosevelt’s America (2005) Directors - Roger Weisberg and Tod Lending
An inspirational story of a Liberian refugee, Roosevelt Henderson, who resettles in Chicago from Liberia attempts to reunite with his wife and young daughter, who are still in Liberia. Winner of numerous awards at the Columbus International Film and Video Festival, the San Francisco Black Film Festival, the Cleveland Film Festival, and other venues.

Shadow Over Tibet: Stories in Exile (1995) Director - Rachel Lyon
This film is a personalized account of Tibetan refugees attempting to maintain their ancient culture in exile while using nonviolent means to bring peace and freedom to their homeland. "Shadow Over Tibet" investigates the personal odyssey of Norbu Samphell, a Tibetan immigrant now living in the U.S., who is determined to become part of the American social fabric without abandoning his cultural heritage; and the Dalai Lama, religious and secular leader of Tibet‐in‐exile, who seeks to create a "zone of peace" in Tibet.

Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars (2005) Directors -  Zach Niles and Banker White
Chronicles a band of six Sierra Leonean musicians living in a refugee camp in Guinea. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars chronicles the band over three years, from Guinean refugee camps back to war‐ravaged Sierra Leone, where they realize the dream of recording their first studio album.
Snowdrop (2013) Director- Jenny Gand
Snowdrop is a short film telling the story of a group of refugees trying to cross the EU border. It's about hope and dreams but also about real life tragedy. And eventually it's a film about the pursuit of happiness and it's power.

The Betrayal: Nerakhoon (2008), Ellen Kuras
During the Vietnam War, the US government waged its own secret war in the neighboring country of Laos. When the US withdrew, thousands of Laotians who fought alongside American forces were left behind to face imprisonment or execution. One family, the Phrasavaths, made the courageous decision to escape to America. Hoping to find safety, they discovered a different kind of war.

The Children of Huang Shi (2008) Director: Roger Spottiswoode
About young British journalist, George Hogg, who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse, saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1937.

The City of Your Final Destination (2009) Director: James Ivory
28-year-old Kansas University doctoral student Omar Razaghi wins a grant to write a biography of Latin American writer Jules Gund. Omar must get through to three people who were close to Gund--his brother, widow, and younger mistress--so he can get authorization to write the biography.

The Fortress (La Forteresse) (2008) Director - Fernand Melgar
This documentary takes a look at a Swiss registration and processing center for asylum seekers. It follows the lives of the residents and the staff and immerses us into the heart of this “daily sorting process of human beings”.

The Good Lie (2014) Director - Philippe Falardeau
A group of Sudanese refugees given the chance to resettle in America arrive in Kansas City, Missouri, where their encounter with an employment agency counselor forever changes all of their lives.
75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner (2007) Director: Marc Forster
After spending years in California, refugee Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.

The Letter: An American Town and the 'Somali Invasion' (20023) Director- Ziad H. Hamzeh
In the wake of 9/11, a firestorm erupts when the mayor of Lewiston, Maine sends a letter to 1,100 newly arrived Somali refugees advising that the city's resources are strained to the limit and asking that other Somalis not to move to the city. Interpreted as racism by some and a rallying cry by white supremacist groups across the U.S., The Letter documents the crossfire of emotions and events.

The Lost Boys (2002) Director - Clive Gordon
Orphaned by the war in Sudan and raised in a desert refugee camp, Moses and his young friends are one day invited by the U.S. government to start a new life in Boston.

The Man Who Cried (2000) Director - Sally Potter
A young refugee traveling from Russia to America in search of her lost father falls for a gypsy horseman.

The Refugees of the Blue Planet (2006)Directors - Hélène Choquette, Jean-Philippe Duval
For around ten years, natural disasters have been occurring more frequently, causing widespread destruction; yet industrialized countries still refuse to implement or persist in doubting the actions they must take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and fail to revise their policies for economic growth. Decisions taken high up directly affect the way of life of thousands of people, in Canada and elsewhere. In 2003, the United Nations indicated that for the first time in history, environmental refugees (25 million) outnumbered those fleeing from war or political persecution (23 million). And their numbers keep on increasing.

The Richie Boys (2004) Director - Christian Bauer
An aging group of European refugees that was recruited to aid the Allied cause and fight the Nazis discuss their experiences both on and off the battlefield in director Christian Bauer's affectionate tribute to the unsung heroes of World War II

The Spanish Main (1945) Director - Director: Frank Borzage
Laurent van Horn is the leader of a band of Dutch refugees on a ship seeking freedom in the Carolinas, when the ship is wrecked on the coast of Cartagene. governed by Don Juan Alvardo, Spainish ruler.

The Split Horn: Life of a Hmong Shaman in America (2001) Director - Taggart Siegel
Follows the emotional saga of Paja Thao, a Hmong shaman and his family in the U.S. who were transplanted from the mountains of Laos during the Vietnam War to America's heartland. For over seventeen years, Siegel has chronicled the intimate and private lives of Paja Thao, his wife, and their thirteen children. This intimate family portrait explores universal issues of cultural transformation, spirituality and family. It is a rare close‐up view of one Hmong family's resettlement and acculturation in America.

75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - The Terminal

The Terminal (2004) Director - Steven Spielberg
This 2004 movie about immigration by Steven Spielberg stars Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski, a man from Krakozhia, a fictional Eastern European country. During his flight to America, the Krakozhian government was overthrown, rendering Viktor’s passport invalid. Unable to legally enter the US or get a flight back to his war-torn home, Viktor sets up camp in an under-construction terminal of New York’s JFK airport.

The Valley (2000) Director - Dan Reed
A real‐time war documentary made in the middle of the Kosovo ethnic conflict, the piece was filmed in 1998 in Drenica Valley where the Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) had its base. The film documents interviews with people on both sides of the conflict.

The Warren (2014) Director - James Adolphus
A dramatization of raid to capture a suspected militant by the Israeli Defense Forces during the Second Intifada into the sprawling maze of the Balata Refugee Camp in Palestine.

The White Countess (2005) Director James Ivory
Set in 1930s Shanghai, where a blind American diplomat develops a curious relationship with a young Russian refugee who works odd -- and sometimes illicit -- jobs to support members of her dead husband's aristocratic family.

TL Xmas, School Daze, and Home (2005) Director - Spencer Nakasako
 “TL Xmas” follows Cambodian youths as they attend a "Gift Giveaways" program and experience the holiday for the first time. "School Daze" humorously breaks down a day in the lives of six students from different San Francisco high schools. "Home" closes the package with nine youths’ tender, poetic dedication to their family, friends, and San Francisco.

Turtles Can Fly (2004) Director - Bahman Ghobadi
Near the Iraqi-Turkish border on the eve of an American invasion, refugee children like 13-year-old Kak (Ebrahim), gauge and await their fate. War Child (2008) Christian Karim Chrobog, 94 minutes The film documents the story of Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier of Sudan’s civil war. He is now an emerging international hip hop star sharing a message of peace for his war‐torn land and beloved Africa.

War Dance (2006) Directors - Sean Fine and Andrea Nix
Set in civil war‐ravaged Northern Uganda, this Best Documentary Oscar nominee follows the lives of three youngsters who attend school in a refugee camp and find hope through song and dance. Coming from a world in which children are abducted from their families and forced to fight in the rebel army, these kids give it their all when they travel to the capital city to take part in the prestigious Kampala Music Festival.

Which Way Home (2009) Director -Rebecca Camisa
This documentary film directed by Rebecca Camisa follows the dangerous journey unaccompanied migrant children from around the world take as they travel through Mexico to the US. Seen through the eyes of several main characters, "Which Way Home" showcases these stories of hope and courage, disappointment and sorrow. They are the ones you never hear about – the invisible ones.

Without Permission (2014) Director - Floris Asche
Conversations with several people on the Greek island of Samos about the refugee crisis on the European border.

75 Refugee Movies to Enjoy on Thanksgiving - Woman in Gold
Woman in Gold (2013) Director Simon Curtis
Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee, takes on the Austrian government to recover artwork she believes rightfully belongs to her family.

Zaytoun (2012) Director - Eran Riklis
Beirut, 1982: a young Palestinian refugee helps an Israeli fighter pilot escape from PLO captivity because he wants to visit his ancestral family home. En route through war-torn Lebanon their relationship develops into a close bond.

xxx


Monday, November 9, 2015

Hot Algerian Lasagna


Recently, when my mother was visiting, we decided to try out a new Hot Algerian Lasagna recipe. We spent the afternoon cooking with my daughters and it was very special.

You can find the ingredients for the dish here. I had never made lasagna with no boil sheets, so we took photos to show you how easy this delicious dish is to make.

We placed our chicken in a large pan and cooked it to brown, adding a bit of olive oil so that it doesn't burn. After it was cooked, we placed it in a bowl and set it aside.

We then sauteed onions and added garlic, cayenne, cumin, caraway, and tomato paste.  We decided not to add the harissa, but to have it on the side if anyone wanted to add it later.

After a few minutes, we added the tomato puree, chickpeas, and water and let that simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Once that simmered, we added the potatoes and chicken and let that cook for about half an hour. We knew it was done when the potatoes became tender.

While that was cooking on the stove, we turned on the oven to preheat to 350. We then shredded 1 cup of Gruyere cheese.

We mixed it with the ricotta and egg. We also added a tiny bit of salt.

Now it was time to put it all together! We sprayed the bottom of our lasagna pan with olive oil. We then added a layer of the no bake sheets, then a layer of the meat then the cheese.  We repeated this a few times until we ran out of mixtures/sheets.

For the very top, we added a final layer of 1 cup Gruyere cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. We added toothpicks so that that foil does not stick to the cheese. We baked it for 45 minutes in our oven. Your oven times might vary.
 

This was the hardest part: we had to let it cool for 30 minutes when it came out.  It was so delicious, the girls loved it, but wished it had more color. I think this might be due to that fact that we eat a lot of Asian food here in the Northwest and they are used to seeing broccoli, red peppers, etc. But they have asked to have it again and can't wait to help put another one together.

Check out more recipes by Global Table Adventures, be sure to visit Multicultural Kids Blog for tons of great ideas on global food travels.

Friday, October 30, 2015

Quilled Iqra Tutorial

Quilled Iqra by A Crafty Arab

After finishing my Quilled Khatam, I got started on a new project, a Quilled Iqra.

Iqra is the Arabic word for Read and it is written in the middle of the canvas, right to left and stuffed with beige beehive quilling. Scroll quilling and coils decorate around Iqra.

I started with a recyled canvas I picked up earlier this year. The original canvas had a quote about Friendship and a huge, hidious flower.

I got my embossing heat gun, warmed up the canvas behind the flower a little bit and peeled it off. I then used acrylic paints to cover the front and sides white and the back beige.

After a few days, and a few coats, I covered the canvas with parts from an old book of my father's that I picked up a few years ago.

I then painted Iqra on the strips of Arabic font with brown acrylic.

After a few more days and coats, I outlined the Arabic letters in brown quilling stripes.

I knew I wanted the letters to stand out more then just adding paper stripes inside, so I taught myself the beehive method of quilling and filled the letters.
Quilled Iqra by A Crafty Arab

Quilled Iqra by A Crafty Arab

I almost made it to the end before I started to second guess myself. I tried the peach color strip instead of continuing with the beige beehive filling. But after I placed the canvas across the room for perspective, and asked some online advice, I decided to stick with my original concept drawing that I had planned.  Goes to show that you need to be open to other ideas along the process!
Quilled Iqra by A Crafty Arab

Once all the biege beehive quilling stripes had been filled, including the tiny, itsy, bitsy, ones below the first alif, I started filling in the outside design, including adding tight coils to the ends of the scrolled quilling strips.
Quilled Iqra by A Crafty Arab
If you are local, come see it live at the Homemade Harvest!

Be sure to check out the hashtag #CraftyArabwip on Instagram to follow along on my next work in progress.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Lebanese Lentil Soup

This evening my past mother's groups had our annual Soup Social reunion. The Soup Social was one of the best attended events when the group was active and a few brilliant members have decided to continue it.

A Soup Social is held in a home (thanks D!) and everyone is to bring a homemade soup. If you are not able to bring a soup, breads and desserts are encouraged as alternates.

We had 10 different types of soups, including the Lebanese Lentil Soup I brought, homemade rosemary bread, olive bread, crackers, french bread, and a dessert table covered with chocolate eclairs, homemade gingerbread cake, and so many other goodies I'm getting full just thinking about them again.

I found the Lebanese Lentil Soup recipe here after I met Amanda at the Arab Festival last August. Her food demos were so full of goodness, I knew when I got the invite for the event that I would go straight to her website to look for a fall, warms your bones, soup. It was there that I found this Lebanese Lentil Soup.

Just in case it looks intimidating, here is the entire process in four easy steps:

1. Rinse the lentils and rice and place them in a stock pot with 2 cups of the vegetable stock. Bring to  a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover.


2. Drizzle a layer of oil in a pan and add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the 6 remaining cups of vegetable stock and lemon juice. We'll put them in later.
Mix everything together for a few minutes until your saute vegetables are soft and look like this.

3. Pour what is in the pan to the pot and once the vegetable stock has been reduced down, add the remaining 6 cups.  Continue to simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

4. Add lemon juice and enjoy your Lebanese Lentil Soup.

Here are all the lovely ladies that brought the yummy food. And a cutie pie that brought the entertainment.
See you next year!
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