Please describe the purpose and mission of your club or organization.
Our mission is to revitalize the Arabic-speaking community of the Claremont Colleges.
The Arabic Club has been dormant for the past year, and we have decided to dedicate a
lot of time and effort into bringing anyone interested in speaking, learning, or practicing
the language together. We have started planning to host events in the Claremont
Colleges as well as attending events in LA. Our events will include inviting guest
speakers to talk to students Arab traditions and cultures, organizing community dinners,
faculty-student mixers, Arabic movie nights, baking events, potlucks, calligraphy
workshops, attending the Middle East food and film festivals in LA, etc.
We are requesting funding to host a talk by Salam Al-Marayati, the founder and
president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, to speak about the depiction of Muslims
and Arabs in Hollywood. Muslim Public Affairs Council is a non-profit organization
working towards increasing an awareness within the community of how policies affect
Muslims. In addition, they consult policy-makers and opinion shapers regarding aspects
of their work related to Muslims and Arabs. Their Hollywood program has consulted
firms like BBC, Paramount, Disney and National Geographic. We believe that this talk
would be an invaluable opportunity to raise awareness about the biased portrayal of
Arabs and Muslims on TV and Film as barbaric, uncivilized people living and breeding in
the midst of tribal alliances and conflicts. In addition, as the president will also talk about
the advocacy work that MPAC is doing, students will get the chance to see how Arabs
and Muslims understand themselves compared to their depictions. So, non-Middle
Eastern students currently studying Arabic, which make up most of the Arabic learning
students in 5Cs, would find this event beneficial because it would enhance their
understanding of Arab culture and its dynamics in preparation for study abroad in the
Middle East. Everyone attending the 5Cs would also find this event useful in challenging
stereotypes and in becoming familiar with MPAC’s advocacy work in D.C. and around
the country. As the Arabic Club of the 5C’s, we feel responsible to facilitate this type of
dialogue.
What are you requesting money for? Please provide an itemized list of what the
money you are requesting will be spent on and how much each item will cost. Be as
detailed as possible (ex. if you are planning on purchasing a specific piece of
equipment, list the item and a link to it for more details, ex. if you are driving to Los
Angeles, include the number of miles, estimated mpg, and estimated amount and cost
of gas)
