Arab Voices Community Calendar The events listed below are not necessarily endorsed or sponsored by Arab Voices. Listing them on this site is a service to the community to be aware of activities and events in the Greater Houston Area. To include an event on this calendar, send e-mail to info@arabvoices.net.

Upcoming Events (sorted by date)   Last updated July 28, 2010	Click here for a list of PREVIOUS events.
August 3, 2010  -  Environmental Care in Islamic Teachings
The Rothko Chapel is hosting an exploration of Environmental Care in Islamic Teachings. The discussion is led by Imam Muhammad N Haq, president of the Webster, Texas based American Society for Islamic Awareness.   Imam Muhammad N Haq explores the key values of environmental care present in Islamic teachings and addresses the cultural and spiritual framing of the ethics of environmental care. Presenting an overview of Islamic cosmology and the call to stewardship, Imam N Haq elevates human obligations under Islamic law to protect the land, water, forests, and animals. Islamic teachings on preservation and protecting nature can complement secular approaches to environmentalism. Finding common ground in environmental care is a key ingredient for creating a sustainable future.   Muhammad N Haq holds a master's degree in world religions from the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan, where he was a faculty member in the Theology Department. A resident of Houston for more than 10 years, he routinely speaks on Islam and interfaith issues at universities and conferences.    When:  Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Time:  7 pm Location:  The Rothko Chapel, 1409 Sul Ross, Houston, TX 77006    For more information, visit www.rothkochapel.org.
August 7, 2010  -  CAIR-Houston's Annual Banquet
Wake Up: Rising to Meet the Challenge   Please join us at CAIR-TX, Houston's annual fundraising dinner.   Keynote Speaker: Edward Peck, Former Ambassador, Palestine Activist, Member of the Freedom Flotilla   When: Saturday, August 7, 2010 Time: 6 pm - 10 pm (Program Starts at 7) Location: Westin Oaks Galleria, 5011 Westheimer Rd., Houston, Texas   For more information, visit www.cairhouston.org.   Click here for event flyer.
August 18, 2010  -  Ramadan Iftar by NAAP-Houston
The Network of Arab-American Professionals (NAAP-Houston) is a non-partisan, volunteer-based organization dedicated to strengthening the Arab-American community.     When:  Wednesday, August 18, 2010 Time:  Maghrib/Sunset time Location:  TBA   For more information, visit www.naaponline.org.
August 19, 2010  -  Pioneers of Change
Neil Macfarquhar, New York Times   In spite of the turmoil of recent history, the Middle East can be described as a place of warmth, humanity, and eccentricity. Neil Macfarquhar will share the stories of men and women across the region who are working toward a more open and tolerant society. Activists and intellectuals, both funny and astute, they are pioneering political and social change from unexpected places.   Neil Macfarquhar’s exposure to the Middle East started early, moving to Libya at the age of three with his family. He has spent more than 25 years in the region, including five years based in Cairo as the bureau chief for The New York Times. He has also spent seven years as a correspondent for The Associated Press in Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Cyprus. He is currently The New York Times bureau chief at the United Nations. Fluent in Arabic and French, Macfarquhar holds a B.A. in International Political Economy from Stanford University.   Macfarquhar is the author of The Sand Café as well as The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday, which will be available for sale at the program.   When:  Thursday, August 19, 2010 Time:  Registration: 6.00 p.m., Program: 6.30 - 7.30 p.m. Location:  The Junior League, 1811 Briar Oaks Lane   Members: Free, Non-members: $20   For more info, email rsvp@wachouston.org, call 713-522-7811 or visit www.wachouston.org.
August 20, 2010  -  "A New Standard For Deception” Screening
Houston911Truth will offer a free screening of "A New Standard For Deception” by Kevin Ryan. Kevin Ryan was the Underwriters’ Laboratory employee who was fired for telling the truth about the strength of the steel in the Twin Towers and their ability to withstand the impact of a jetliner.   When:  Friday, August 20, 29010 Time:  8 p.m. Location:  Pecore Hall (corner of  Sul Ross at Woodhead) - a block south of W. Alabama    For more information, visit www.houston911truth.net.
August 21, 2010  -  MAS Houston Annual Fundraising Dinner
Come support your favorite Muslim American Society Houston program - Clear Lake Youth Center, Houston Qur'an Academy, and more!    When:  Saturday, August 21, 2010 Time:  6 p.m.  Location:  Shahnai Reception Hall, 5920 Hillcroft, Houston TX 77036    Tickets $60/family of 4 and $25/individual   Babysitting is available.   Contact Hamza at 713-820-3300 hamza@mashouston.org for tickets or more details.
August 24, 2010  - America’s Interests in a Changing Middle East - Part 1
Ussama Makdisi, Rice University   There is a striking shift in the power and relationships in the Middle East today. Turkey is looking outward and asserting a new influence in regional politics; Egypt is turning inward as domestic issues and the presidential elections next year take center stage. Iraq is more stable even while Yemen becomes more fragile and concern over Iran’s nuclear program is now shared by many in the region.   What are America’s interests and responsibilities in the shifting sands of the new Middle East?   This two part program will examine current US relationships and vital interests with views from distinguished Middle East experts, Ussama Makdisi, on August 24th and Haim Malka, on August 26th.   Ussama Makdisi is a professor at Rice University. Dr. Makdisi is first to hold the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University. He was named a Carnegie Scholar in 2009. In his writings, Professor Makdisi reshapes the view of the history of America in the Arab world by exploring missed opportunities for cultural understanding, retrieving unused historical evidence, and juxtaposing Arab perspectives with American ones. He is an award winning author of three books. His writings have appeared in publications such as The Journal of American History, International Journal of Middle East Studies, and Middle East Report. His latest book, Faith Misplaced: the Broken Promise of U.S.-Arab Relations, 1820-2001, will be available at the lecture.   When:  Tuesday, August 24, 2010 Time:  Registration: 6.00 p.m., Program: 6.30 - 7.30 p.m. Location:  The Junior League, 1811 Briar Oaks Lane   Members: Free, Non-members: $20   For more info, email rsvp@wachouston.org, call 713-522-7811 or visit www.wachouston.org.
August 26, 2010  - America’s Interests in a Changing Middle East - Part 2
Haim Malka, Center for Strategic and International Studies   There is a striking shift in the power and relationships in the Middle East today. Turkey is looking outward and asserting a new influence in regional politics; Egypt is turning inward as domestic issues and the presidential elections next year take center stage. Iraq is more stable even while Yemen becomes more fragile and concern over Iran’s nuclear program is now shared by many in the region.   What are America’s interests and responsibilities in the shifting sands of the new Middle East?   This two part program will examine current US relationships and vital interests with views from distinguished Middle East experts, Ussama Makdisi, on August 24th and Haim Malka, on August 26th.   Haim Malka is deputy director and senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. His principal areas of research include violent non-state actors, the Arab-Israeli conflict, North Africa, and political Islam. Before joining CSIS in 2005, he was a research analyst at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, concentrating on Israeli-Palestinian issues and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Malka spent six years living in Jerusalem while working as a television news producer covering the region. He holds a BA from the University of Washington in Seattle and an MA from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He is a frequent commentator in print, on radio, and on television. He is the author of numerous articles on Hamas and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.   When:  Thursday, August 26, 2010 Time:  Registration: 6.00 p.m., Program: 6.30 - 7.30 p.m. Location:  The Junior League, 1811 Briar Oaks Lane   Members: Free, Non-members: $20   For more info, email rsvp@wachouston.org, call 713-522-7811 or visit www.wachouston.org.
August 26, 2010  -  Interfaith Women’s Ramadan Iftar
Muslim women of diverse backgrounds will head tables and discuss their unique life experiences with their guests. Everyone will enjoy traditional Ramadan foods from around the world. For this Iftar Dinner, women of all faiths will unite to celebrate and honor Muslim women’s contributions to the arts, sciences, religious and academic scholarship, politics and everyday life.   Opening Remarks by Dr. Elora Shehabuddin of Rice University   When: Thursday, August 26, 2010 Time:  Program begins at 7:00 p.m. Location:  The Great Hall of Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Ave. Houston, TX 77002   Tickets are $30 and should be purchased in advance by registering online.   Presented By: The Interfaith Women’s Iftar Planning Committee, Brigid’s Place and Christ Church Cathedral For more information you may contact Kafah Bachari Manna at 713-231-3874 or womensiftar@gmail.com.   Click here for event flyer.
September 1, 2010  -  Ramadan Iftar by NAAP-Houston
The Network of Arab-American Professionals (NAAP-Houston) is a non-partisan, volunteer-based organization dedicated to strengthening the Arab-American community.     When:  Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Time:  Maghrib/Sunset time Location:  TBA   For more information, visit www.naaponline.org.
September 7, 2010  -  Threats and Opportunities: The Year Ahead for President Obama
Charles Lipson, University of Chicago   The big foreign policy test may be Afghanistan, but there are plenty of other challenges to keep the President up at night: the spread of nuclear weapons, the resurgence of Al-Qaeda, the rise of China, and the continued search for peace in the Middle East. How is Obama expected to tackle these and other issues? Will his new soft-power approach become an effective new policy?   Charles Lipson is an award-winning analyst and teacher of international politics and history at the University of Chicago, where he is the Peter B. Ritzma Professor of Political Science. He also founded and directs the University’s Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security (PIPES), where scholars from around the world come to discuss the latest issues in world politics. He is one of the most popular lecturer’s on campus.    When:  September 7, 2010 Time:  Registration: 6:00 p.m., Program: 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Location:  Junior League, 1811 Briar Oaks Lane   Members: Free, Non-members: $20   Co-Sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Houston and the Council on Foreign Relations.   For more info, email rsvp@wachouston.org, call 713-522-7811 or visit www.wachouston.org.
September 18-26, 2010  -  Human Trafficking Awareness Week
The Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition, a 501(c)3 organization in Houston that raises awareness about human trafficking in the Houston area will hold its 4th annual Human Trafficking Awareness Week, which will take place this September at various locations throughout the city.     For a detailed list of scheduled events, visit http://houstonrr.org/?page_id=429.
October 16, 2010  -  ACC Annual "Unity & Friendship" Gala
The Arab American Cultural and Community Center (ACC) Galas are the cornerstone events of our community-wide effort to improve the Arab American Cultural and Community Center land and building, and to continue developing programs that serve the Arab American community as well as all Houstonians. The gala is a black tie event featuring dinner, dancing, a silent auction and entertainment in an elegant ambiance.    When:  Saturday, October 16, 2010 Location:  Hilton/Post Oak   For more information, call 832-351-3366.
October 17, 2010  -  Poet Adonis on the Need for an Arab Revival
Special Lecture: Poet Adonis on the Need for an Arab Revival   This program is presented in Arabic and English. Simultaneous translation provided.   Nominated three times for the Nobel Prize, Adonis has been called "today´s most daring and provocative Arab poet," while his influence on Arabic literature has been likened to that of T. S. Eliot´s on English-language verse, and to David Hume on Western philosophical thought.   Adonis has written extensively on the need to change the framework of both thinking and reasoning in the Arab world in order to stop the disintegration of Arab culture. In his own poetry—which is experimental in form and prophetic in tone—Adonis breaks with tradition to liberate his work from the chains of the "text".   In this rare Houston appearance, Adonis addresses the factors that hinder intellectual advancement in the Arab world, and why a new way of thinking is not an option, but an urgent necessity.   Adonis has written more than 20 books in his native Arabic, including the pioneering work An Introduction to Arab Poetics. Adonis received the Bjørnson Prize in 2007, the first International Nâzim Hikmet Poetry Award, the Syria-Lebanon Best Poet Award, and the highest award of the International Poem Biennial in Brussels. He lives in Paris.   When:  Sunday, October 17, 2010 Time:  2:00 p.m. Location:  The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium Theater   A reception and book signing follow the program. Adonis´s newly released English-language anthology, Adonis: Selected Poems will be for sale in the MFAH Retail Store.   This program is open to the public and free with general museum admission.   If you are not a museum member, please print this email and bring it with you to receive complimentary museum admission. Seating for this program is limited.   This program is generously co-sponsored by the Arab American Educational Foundation.   For more information, visit www.mfah.org.
November 13, 2010  -  Christian Egyptian Heritage Society Annual GALA
When:  Saturday November 13, 2010 Time:  6:30 p.m. Reception, 7:30 Dinner Location:  Renaissance Houston Hotel, 6 E Greenway Plaza, Houston   Featuring Jabour and his Band.   For more information, visit www.cehs.org.
2010 Past Events
2009 Events
2008 Events
2007 Events
2006 Events
2005 Events