DEARBORN, Mich. – About a half-million Arab-Americans live in Michigan. The majority live in southeastern Michigan, which is home to one of the largest and most diverse communities in the United States.
Dearborn is one of those communities and that's why Local 4 News spent a week there talking to business owners and college students and hair dressers to hear their stories.
This time, Local 4 took an entirely different approach. Instead of using typical news cameras, Local 4 brought along an iPhone, hoping people would feel more comfortable talking about sometimes difficult subjects.
Blog (by Jeremy Allen)
With the global climate being what it is and perceptions of a religion many know nothing about, I thought it was important to hear voices from the community that practices Islam. I think for all of us the words Islam and Muslim spark an immediate thought or feeling. I don't know what your brain tells you, but for me it has always been a question of how are Muslim people coping with the stigma attached to their most sacred possession -- their spirituality.
A quick Google search shows that over 1.5 billion people in the world are Muslim. That means that a quarter of the world's population believes in the religious text of the Quran. A large majority of Muslim Americans reside right here in southeastern Michigan, and most of them live in Dearborn.
DAY ONE
May 2: I ventured out to Dearborn with a desire to know more about perspective, one that I couldn't possibly have innately. I wanted to know more about the Arab community and what living life as a Muslim in this country was like. I quickly found out that this would be a challenge.
I parked a block off Michigan Avenue, near Maple and began the journey. (A quick sidebar; Typically in the news business we plan and schedule interviews and shoots, but to get an unrehearsed, authentic interview we opted to chat with people spontaneously.) This tactic was less than effective to begin. I approached a few men on their way to stores and office buildings, but got similar responses from both, "No thanks, I'd prefer not to be on camera." This would turn out to be a common theme. For the next hour I tried to talk with six other men and no luck getting them to talk. I did approach women too, but they seemed frightened by me. You should know that I didn't have a regular news camera, which can be intimidating. Instead I had my iPhone gear, which isn't nearly as scary. Here's what that setup looks like:
After many failed attempts I stumbled across a couple of girls, one in a traditional head scarf or hijab. Both were open to speak about life as Arab Muslims and what life is like for them both. Zana Nahle, 20, who is a Dearborn resident, was enthusiastic with her words, knowing exactly who she was and describing it plainly. She was quick to say that, "Us as a Muslim community, as Islam, we are so peace and all we want is peace." Her 17-year-old sister, Lamah was much more reserved, wearing the traditional head scarf. She stood quietly during most of the interview, but picked her spots and was thoughtful with her answers. "We're all people, looks can be deceiving, no matter (what) you are," Lamah said when asked about common perceptions of Arab women. Both sisters, in lockstep, believe that life in Dearborn is much different than other places in Michigan and the United States. They feel that the community around them supports and nurtures their beliefs and lifestyle.
Getting insight from these two was outstanding and educational. It was also my first victory.
DAY TWO
May 3: Second day, back to Dearborn. A friend of mine suggested I check out a couple spots, which came in quite handy. I headed to Shatila Bakery on Warren Avenue, not knowing a thing about the place. I was missing out. This building is beautiful and the food -- delicious. After walking in, I found the manager, who was very polite but declined to speak on camera,. He insisted that I ask to chat with his customers. So I did. But again, a lot of shy behavior, very nice, but always "no" with a smile. Again, persistence paid off and I was able to speak with Tania Haidar, a Dearborn resident who was eating with her mother-in-law. She was very modern looking, no traditional clothing. Her mother-in-law was the opposite and she did not want to talk. Tania was open and candid, very thoughtful with her answers, and quick to point out that even though biases and, quite frankly, hatred have been directed at the Arab/Muslim community, she personally has never encountered that behavior. "I've never felt uncomfortable or felt like I was being treated less than or anything, so when I hear it on TV or anything, it surprises me," she said. These words were nice to hear. I was worried that intolerance would be a heavy-handed theme in conversations of this nature. But that speaks more about my perception of society than anything else.
I walked down Warren Avenue and popped into a few shops hoping for more interviews, but that didn't happen. I was able to shoot video of amazing traditional Arabic items and people. So much of this was new to me and I was intrigued.
DAY THREE
May 18: Today was the first day shooting with Sandra Ali. For those of you who don't know here background, her family is Egyptian. She speaks Arabic and knows the culture well -- much better than I do! We started our day at Al Ameer, a restaurant on Warren. We were greeted by the hostess and brought back to meet with the owners, Khalil Ammar and Zaki Hashem. Khalil appeared older and had a ton of personality -- and lots of opinions. When asked what it's like to be Muslim in America, Khalil said, "This country have mix, all kinds of religion down here, if you check it out. You've got Hindu, you've got Muslim, you've got Christian, you got ... Many, many religions down here. Nobody ask you what your religion is, nobody. They ask you how your personality. I never ask you, just now I meet you about five minutes ago, do I ask you what your religion is?," to which Sandra replied, "No, people do ask me though." Khalil went on to say, "Well, they are stupid. I'm sorry, but they are not normal." It's an interesting idea -- is it stupid to wonder what religion someone is? I'm not sure. Is it rude to ask? I think so. But I'm sure most of us have wondered a thing like this a time or two in our lives.
We walked down to Shatila and chatted with customers there for a while. Abed Hajazi, who is from Ohio, makes the trek up to the bakery often, (yes, it's that good). He says there's a misunderstanding of what Islam is and how it's perceived, "There's 276 religions on Earth and one God. Believe whoever you believe, as long as you respect me and my sister." His words delivered with warmth and kindness were calculated and at the same time candid. He like many other people that we spoke with (some off camera) felt that misinformation was the biggest reason for any animosity toward the Muslim religion.
DAY FOUR
May 19: This day started with a trip to Salon West Dearborn. A nice, upscale spot with modern employees. The owner was going to let us back to the salon floor, but first we had to wait. Initially we didn't know why, but later found out that there were women having their hair done that wear hijabs, which means men who aren't there husbands cannot see their hair. After they were moved to a separate room we were brought back. Our conversation with Sawsan Hourani gave us perspective on hair, headscarves and how it's viewed by non-Muslims.