ClevelandPeople.Com is sponsored in part by Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization (CAMEO)
C.A.M.E.O. is designed to articulate the political interest of more than 250,000 Northeastern Ohio residents of Middle Eastern Heritage, Arab Americans. C.A.M.E.O. has one central purpose, to appraise candidates running for Public Office, that will offer political support to those who are best prepared to respond to our concerns.
C.A.M.E.O. accepts the diversity of religious and political philosophies and beliefs of its membership. C.A.M.E.O. membership means a commitment to local political action that will enhance the voting strength and amplify the profile of the Arab American community in Northeastern Ohio.
Over the past 44 years the Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization (CAMEO) has worked to make sure that our elected leaders work to properly represent our community. Last year, over 70 candidates sought the C.A.M.E.O. endorsement with the endorsed candidate being elected in 76% of the races.
News and Upcoming Events for Middle Easterners in Cleveland
2024
First Arab Community Bazaar - February 25, 2024
The first Arab Community Bazaar was held on Sunday February 25 in North Olmsted. Sometimes events are not very successful in their first year but the first Arab Community Bazaar was a huge success. The room was packed with dozens of vendors and information resources.
Dr. Mohammad Alhawawsha, President of the Jordanian Community of Ohio, said the event aimed to support small businesses, especially those led by women working from home to support themselves.
There was some delicious food (the shawarma chicken wraps were great) at the Arab Bazaar and I had a dessert called kunafah for the first time. There was a food trucks from The Kunafah Guy.
Kunafah (also called Knafeh and other variations) is a sweet cheesy dessert from the Middle East. The Kunafah Guy includes pistachios and syrup with the cheese. Follow him at https://www.instagram.com/thekunafahguy/ Sorry about the wind during the interview. This was my first taste of kunafah and it was delicious.
2023
One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens - Arabic
Fun with Maps - Suez Canal and Sinai Peninsula
This episode of Fun with Maps is about a vitally important stretch of 120 miles - the Suez Canal. Host Dan Hanson begins by showing the Sinai Peninsula to the east of the Suez Canal. Sinai is part of Egypt but is in Asia while the rest of Egypt is in Africa. It gets its name from the belief by the three Abrahamic religions that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai, a mountain near the south of the peninsula.
The Suez Canal goes from Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea to Port Suez which empties into the Gulf of Suez and then the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and then the Indian Ocean. Dan looks at the 10 year construction of the Suez Canal and touches on many of the political, military and financial issues concerning it such as when Egyptian president Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956 and the 8 year blockade that started with the 1967 Six-Day War.
Dan tells the story of the famous Yellow Fleet which resulted from that blockade. The video also covers the recent (2021) blocking of the Suez Canal by a large container ship.
Middle Eastern Heritage - World on Stage in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation presented a World on Stage event to showcase Middle Eastern Heritage on July 22, 2023 at the Centennial Peace Plaza in the Cultural Gardens. The plaza was full and the crowd enjoyed musical performances from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Lebanon and Syria.
Dancing in the Plaza at the Middle East Heritage event
Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization Annual Picnic
The Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization (CAMEO) has been in existence for 53 years. C.A.M.E.O. is designed to articulate the political interest of more than 275,000 Northeastern Ohio residents of Middle Eastern Heritage, Arab Americans.
At their annual picnic on Sunday July 16, 2023 CAMEO welcomed friends and dozens of politicians running for office and/or there to show support for the Arab American community.
National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) takes place in April. It celebrates the Arab American heritage and culture and pays tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans.
Beginning in the 1990s, Arab American heritage was celebrated sporadically in various states at different times of the year, primarily in school districts. It wasn't until 2017 when Arab America began a national initiative to coordinate all states under National Arab American Heritage Month.
There are a lot of interesting facts in the Educator's Curriculum Kit written by the Arab America Foundation.
Here are a few fun facts.
Vigil for Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims
Members of the Turkish and Syrian communities in Cleveland Ohio gathered with family, friends and supporters in the Syrian Cultural Garden on MLK Blvd. on the evening of Friday February 10, 2023. Leena Zahra from the Syrian community and Mehmet Gencer from the Turkish community spoke at a prayer vigil lit by candles.
One young lady holding a picture of her best friend who was killed in the earthquake told how her friends and family back in Syria were reporting that dozens of family members had been killed. The crowd learned of suggested places to donate funds and foods and prayed for the victims.
Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization (CAMEO) Annual Picnic
The Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization (CAMEO) has been in existence for 52 years. C.A.M.E.O. is designed to articulate the political interest of more than 275,000 Northeastern Ohio residents of Middle Eastern Heritage, Arab Americans.
CAMEO leadership with County Executive Armond Budish
1996 Olympic Wrestling Silver Medalist Matt Ghafarriis Muslim and is of Iranian heritage. He became a US citizen and competed for the US.
He spoke at the Rotary Club of Cleveland on May 6, 2021 and was asked if he endured any prejudice after 9-11 because of his Muslim and Iranian heritage. He said it began before then. He got hassles during the Iranian Hostage crisis which went from November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981.
Matt told a funny story about a coach changing his name and other ways he dealt with the prejudice from that event as well as 9-11.
Hadia Tawadros and her husband Nader Soliman are encouraging people to "Eat like the Pharaohs" with the launch of their food truck, King Tut Egyptian Street Food. They love cooking and Egypt so decided to bring authentic Egyptian street food to the people of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.
Nader Soliman and Hadia Tawadros
This is the first food truck in the state of Ohio to feature authentic Egyptian street food.
During the month of April, Arab America formally recognizes the achievements of Arab Americans through the celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM). Across the country, cultural institutions, school districts, municipalities, state legislatures, public servants, and Arab Americans will engage in special events that celebrate the community's rich heritage and numerous contributions to society.
Arab Americans have roots in 22 countries located in the Middle East and North African regions: Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. And within all those countries, there are various languages, religions, traditions that are now part of our American story. There are nearly 3.5 million Arab Americans in the United States, according to the Arab American Institute. Establishing Arab American Heritage Month was critical in combatting post-9/11 anti-Arab sentiments, and while Arab Americans still face prejudice regularly, acknowledging their fight for recognition and equality - and becoming better allies - is something we can all contribute toward.
Faris Alameh, County Executive Armond Budish and Pierre Bejjani
On the afternoon of August 4, 2020, explosions occurred at the port of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The extremely powerful blast resulted in hundreds of deaths, thousands injured and hundreds of thousands instantly homeless. The Lebanese community of Cleveland Ohio began working on ways to assist the victims in the land of their heritage. The American Lebanese Community Council (ALCC ) met and began fundraising efforts including this vigil in the Lebanese Cultural Garden.
Pierre Bejjani, Ms. Blanche Salwan and Mr. Faris Alameh
Cleveland American Middle East Organization 28th annual picnic
The Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian political action organization established in 1970. The Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) held their 28th Annual Picnic on Sunday and a good time was had by all.
Working the grill at CAMEO picnic Nemer Saueidi, Faris Alameh and Tony Abdulkarim
Judge Rocky Perk and Pierre Bejjani
Cleveland American Middle East Organization 49th anniversary
The Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian political action organization established in 1970. They celebrated their 49th anniversary at a dinner event at St. Elias Cultural Center.
CAMEO honored Dr. Nizar Zein, Mr. Husein Rabah and Mediterranean Market at the event.
Cleveland American Middle East Organization 48th anniversary
The Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian political action organization established in 1970. They celebrated their 48th anniversary at a dinner event at St. Elias Cultural Center.
CAMEO honored Dr. Mansoor Ahmed, Mr. Ali Faraj and Kan Zaman Middle Eastern Restaurant at the event.
Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO)
board members Faris Alameh, Pierre Bejjani, Sam Tanious, Tony Abdulkarim and Abby Mina with honorees Dr. Mansoor Ahmed and Mr. Ali Faraj
Maryam Mirzakhani was an Iranian mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. Her research topics include Teichmüller theory, hyperbolic geometry, ergodic theory, and symplectic geometry.
In 2014, Mirzakhani became both the first woman and the first Iranian honored with the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics. The award committee cited her work in "the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces".
Maryam Mirzakhani
Mirzakhani died from breast cancer on July 14, 2017 at the age of 40.
The American Lebanese Community Council presented the 7th annual celebration of Lebanon Day in the City of Cleveland celebrating the 74th independence of Lebanon. The ceremony was in the Rotunda of Cleveland City Hall.
Cleveland American Middle East Organization annual picnic
The Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian political action organization established in 1970. They hosted their annual picnic on July 16, 2017.
Dr. Nizar Zein and Dr. Wael Khoury with Hall of Fame award
Dr. Nizar Zein and Dr. Wael Khoury with Sawssan Khoury
Click on the white arrow in the image below to watch the video of Jim's speech. Make sure your speakers are on and you can make the video full screen once it begins by clicking the icon in the lower right corner.
Cleveland American Middle East Organization 47th anniversary
The Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian political action organization established in 1970. They celebrated their 47th anniversary and induction of new officers at a dinner event at St. Elias Cultural Center.
Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and CAMEO Board
Former President of Lebanon Amine Gemayel in Cleveland
Amine Gemayel, President of Lebanon from 1982-1988, was the guest speaker at Case Western Reserve University on Friday October 7, 2016. The event was sponsored by the CWRU Center for International Affairs, The Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity, Cleveland Council for World Affairs and the Kataeb Chapter of Cleveland..
Cleveland American Middle East Organization 46th Anniversary
Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) is a Bi-partisan Political Action Organization that was established in 1970. It is designed to articulate the political interest of more than 100,000 Northeastern Ohio residents of Middle Eastern heritage, Arab Americans.
The 46th anniversary of the group was celebrated at a dinner event at St. Elias Cultural Center on May 20, 2016.
The two honorees that evening were Fred Bourjaily and Dr. James Zogby.
Abby Mina, Dr. James Zogby, Pierre Bejjani and Tony Abdulkarim
A highlight of the 6th annual Holiday Celebration of Cleveland's Diversity held in the atrium of the Global Center for Health Innovation in the Cleveland Convention Center by the International Community Council-Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) was the multicultural fashion show.
Mr. Fahad (Abou Mohamed) is representing Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in his traditional Thobe, a loose, long-sleeved, ankle-length garment, typical for these two countries. He is wearing a cape, made out of camel wool to signify the importance of the occasion. The agal (a black cord, worn doubled, used to keep the ghutrah-a square scarf, made of cotton or silk, in place on the wearer's head) completes Mr. Fahad's outfit.
The American Lebanese Community Council, along with Major Frank Jackson and the City of Cleveland hosted Lebanon Day at the City of Cleveland. This event for all Lebanese and friends of Lebanon celebrated the 72nd Independence of Lebanon.
Along with the speeches, entertainment and food there was a presentation on the Lebanese Cultural Garden.
Arab poet Nizar Qabbani honored with bust in Cleveland
Several hundred members of Cleveland's Middle East community along with friends and supporters gathered at the Syrian Cultural Garden for a ceremony dedicating the new bust of Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani on September 12, 2015.
Bust of Nizar Qabbani in Syrian Cultural Garden
For those who could not attend the dedication ceremony for the bust of Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani in the Syrian Cultural Garden we have posted 4 pages of text, photos and videos.
Page 2 includes poetry recitations in both English and Arabic.
Page 3 features people posing with the bust of Qabbani.
Page 4 shows the bust up close and the Syrian Garden.
It was a great event and this is a great addition to the Cultural Gardens.
Cleveland American Middle East Organization 45th Anniversary
Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) is a Bi-partisan Political Action Organization that was established in 1970. It is designed to articulate the political interest of more than 100,000 Northeastern Ohio residents of Middle Eastern heritage, Arab Americans.
The 45th anniversary of the group was celebrated at a dinner event at St. Elias Cultural Center on May 2, 2015.
County Executive Armond Budish and the new CAMEO Board
The American Lebanese Community Council presented Lebanon Day in the City of Cleveland to celebrate 71 years of independence for Lebanon. The Rotunda of Cleveland City Hall was full of Lebanese Americans and friends of the Lebanese community.
Cleveland City Hall Rotunda
May 28, 2014 The City of Cleveland Community Relations Board, led by Asian Liaison Chia-Min Chen, hosted an Asian Heritage Day Celebration on May 28, 2014 in the Cleveland City Hall Rotunda.
Over 60 Asian community groups and organizations participated. Chia-Min Chen called them up to the stage one at a time and each gave an elevator speech explaining their organization.
This included Salaam Cleveland
Salaam Cleveland is a woman's organization established in 2002 with the mission of promoting interfaith harmony through small acts of Charity. We have currently grown to over 50 volunteers who are optimistic and dedicated women of American, Canadian, Indian, Iranian, Pakistani and Syrian Descent. Salaam Cleveland takes its name from the Arabic word for peace (Salaam) and encourages harmony between different faiths and ethnicities. We believe simple acts of kindness can make people more loving, compassionate and tolerant.
Learn more about each organization including photos and videos of the group leaders at the Asian Organizations in Cleveland pages.
Middle East Belly Dance by 2 young ladies
Two young ladies performed a Middle Eastern Belly Dance at a Global Cleveland event in the Cleveland Convention Center.
Musical Journey along the Silk Road - Musicians at Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Ali Amr was born in Morocco and now lives in Palestine. Ali Amr debuted as a qanun prodigy at 12 years of age and has earned overwhelming international recognition for over a decade. Amr's compositions span a variety of genres including classical music, flamenco, jazz and electronica. A Qanun is an Arabic zither instrument with 76 strings. He joked that he spends half his life tuning it.
He explained the different parts of the qanun and told about the instrument and Arabic music.
Tareq Rantisi is a percussionist who was born in Jerusalem, Palestine. This self-taught artist began his percussion career at 12 years of age. Rantisi received the Al-Qattan Foundation Music Scholarship to attend the prestigious Berkley College of Music in 2008. Graduating with honors in Percussion Performance, Rantisi performs with many modern musicians, composers and ensembles.
He explained the Arabic tambourine, a classical Arabic instrument with a high pitch and 4 different sounds. It is "a frame drum that jingles - the original snare drum."
Cleveland American Middle East Organization 44th anniversary
Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) is a Bi-partisan Political Action Organization that was established in 1970. It is designed to articulate the political interest of more than 100,000 Northeastern Ohio residents of Middle Eastern heritage, Arab Americans. The 44th anniversary of the group was celebrated at a dinner event at St. Elias Cultural Center on May 2, 2014.
Abby Mina, Pierre Bejjani, Judge Joseph J. Nahra and Paul Marnecheck
The Middle East was represented at the annual Culture Shock event in Parma.
Iraqui artist Ahmed Gareeb behind one of his pieces
The Essay Competition winner was a Syrian 8th grade student
Display of Iranian culture
Saudi Students
The offices of immigration attorneys Margaret W. Wong & Associates has a new location in Parma, Ohio. Malak Jadallah is Director of Community and International Affairs for Ms. Wong and will run the Parma office. Malak is Palestinian-American and very familiar with the Middle Eastern community in Cleveland and formerly worked for Congressman Dennis Kucinich.
CAMEO board with Ohio State Auditor Dave and Darlene Yost
2012
Wind and Sand Middle Eastern Dancers
September 2, 2012
The Wind and Sand Middle Eastern Dancers under the direction of Cassandra Al Warda performed at the ClevelandPeople.Com International Pavilion at Ohio's Celtic and International Festival.
Siamak 'Matt' Ghaffari at Greater Cleveland Sports Awards
Ghaffari was a two-time Olympic team member obtaining a silver medal in 1996. He holds four World and Olympic Medals.
Cleveland Browns Dick Ambrose with Iranian-American Olympic champion wrestler Siamak 'Matt' Ghaffari
Organizations and Resources for Middle Easterners in Cleveland
Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization (CAMEO) is designed to articulate the political interest of more than 100,000 Northeastern Ohio residents of Middle Eastern Heritage, Arab Americans. C.A.M.E.O. has one central purpose, to appraise candidates running for Public Office, that will offer political support to those who are best prepared to respond to our concerns. C.A.M.E.O. accepts the diversity of religious and political philosophies and beliefs of its membership. C.A.M.E.O. membership means a commitment to local political action that will enhance the voting strength and amplify the profile of the Arab American community in Northeastern Ohio.
