Beyond Bellydancers, Bombers and Billionaires: Arabs and Muslims Out Loud!

Friday, March 22, 2002

Intermedia Arts, Minneapolis, MN

Over the last three months, approximately 5000 people of Middle Eastern descent have been asked to give "voluntary" interviews to agents of the FBI and the secret services. These people, the government insisted, were not suspect. To help the fight against terrorism, Arab and Muslim artists in Minnesota have decided to give voluntary public testimonies through prose, poetry, music, visual art, and film. They will explore life, art, and America today, their journeys (real or metaphysical) between the Middle East and America, their passion for justice, their love for Palestine, and whether they saw Osama bin Laden in Minnesota. They are not suspect, but by the end of the evening they might be. Participating artists include Esam Aal, Jennifer Jajeh, Adnan Shati, Fawzia Reda, Fouzi Slisli, Kathryn Haddad, Salah Abdelfatah, Cathy Camper, Nahid Khan, Jehad Adwan, and Hannah Allam.