Dear Community Member,

            The Arab Student Union (ASU) is an organization at the University of Michigan-Dearborn that is comprised of a promising new generation of individuals who are dedicated to representing the interests of Arab Americans at the university level. Our commitment is to help end the oppression of Arabs worldwide and decrease the harmful stereotypes associated with Arab Americans. We hope to accomplish this by increasing positive awareness of Arab culture, while remaining politically active in support of justice for the Arab people. 

            ASU has enriched the student body with the beautiful Arab culture by displaying traditional music, dance, clothing, literature, and decoration on campus throughout the year. We have been successful in passing a Divestment Resolution (within Student Government) three years in a row, which calls for the University to divest from any corporations that profit from the brutality and humiliation of any people. ASU has held numerous lectures on campus celebrating the legacy of great Arab leaders such as Gamal Abdel Nasser and Imam Sayyid Moussa Al-Sadr. We have also held events which educate the community on the looting of Iraqi antiquities and art after the 2003 US invasion. We recently held a rally and protest for the University to recognize the illegal blockade of Gaza and called for immediate action. In addition, ASU is known for supporting local candidates who we feel are capable of representing the Arab community. Over the past year, we have increased membership by over 100 students and our organization is still expanding. In 2007, ASU hosted its second annual banquet, “Empowering the Youth,” with keynote speaker Ambassador Dr. Imad Moustapha, that was attended by over 550 people.

            The Arab Student Union is upholding that tradition and is hosting its third annual “Empowering the Youth” banquet on Friday, March 21, 2008 at Bint Jebail Cultural Center. We are proud to host internationally acclaimed author and movie critic Dr. Jack Shaheen as our special guest and keynote speaker. A former NBC news consultant on Middle East Affairs, Dr. Shaheen has given over 1000 lectures, is the writer of 300 plus essays in publications such as Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, and is the author of five books. Before 9/11, Dr. Shaheen dissected Hollywood’s equation of Islam and Arabs with violence in Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People, his comprehensive book and film study of over a thousand movies. In his newest book, Guilty? Hollywood’s Verdict on Arabs after 9/11, Dr. Shaheen finds the same malevolent stereotypes at play. He explores a long line of degrading images of Arabs, along the way offering devastating insights into the origin of these stereotypic images, their development at key points in US history, and why they matter so much today. He suggests that winning the “war on terror” would take shattering the century-old stereotypes of Arabs.

            The Arab Student Union would like to cordially invite you to be our honored guest at this event, which will draw together students, families, community members, and politicians of the like to build bridges of understanding among peoples. We look forward to an evening of dining, learning, and solidarity with the youth movement. 

            The future lies within the educated components of our community, which will adequately articulate and demand the rights of Arab Americans. With the rapid growth of our organization, we must now express our platform to a greater community and need your help in continuing to dominate the political and cultural scene.  We hope to be able to work with you in the future and see you March 21st!

Sincerely,

Roula Daher