Dig days:
A scent of the Pharaohs
By
Zahi Hawass
After being in contact with Arab communities in most major cities in the United States, I have come to a disheartening conclusion. Although Arab-Americans frequently live in proximity to one another, they are not united in any sense. They are more likely to quarrel and go their separate ways than to cooperate in advancing the interests of Arab- Americans.
Several years ago, for example, Sergen Hadi Salam founded a chapter for Americans of Egyptian descent in Los Angeles. The organisation played an active role in the city's cultural life. In one of its more noteworthy successes, the group arranged for the mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, to travel to Egypt. Then, two years ago, the organisation was abruptly dissolved, with no explanation given for the termination of such a promising initiative.
There is one thing that could help to unite Egyptians abroad: the history of the Pharaohs. Many Egyptian-Americans have gained an avid interest in their own storied past, and I have been invited to speak to Arab groups around the country.
Last month, for example, I was invited to give a lecture at the Arab-American Chamber of Commerce in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. I was received by Nasser Baidoun, the organisation's CEO.
Arriving into Dearborn, I was struck by the Arab nature of the city -- its main street is lined with Arab restaurants, shops, and cafés, all with signs in Arabic.
The greater Detroit area is home to some 350,000 Americans of Arab descent, the largest concentration in a national Arab-American community of some four million. In Dearborn, Arabs are counted among the city's prominent businesspersons, physicians, engineers, and judges, one judge presiding over a federal court.
In the morning my hosts took me to meet the mayor, an African- American lawyer. It was raining when we arrived, and the audience was huddled under an outdoor tent. The meeting had been called because a group of concerned citizen- activists had requested that the mayor remove the outsized beer and wine advertisements in the windows of many of the shops along the main street that were a source of "sight pollution". Acceding to their demands, the mayor whitewashed one of the signs before the assembled crowd.
Having completed this symbolic gesture, the mayor said that he had heard that King Tutankhamun was coming back to America and hoped that this was so; the last time Tut visited the United States was in 1977, when an exhibition of treasures toured six cities. Detroit has ambitions to host a Tut exhibit at the same time as it boasts the 2006 Super Bowl football championship.
The Arab-American Chamber of Commerce consists of about 1500 members who actively work towards helping to create greater understanding between Arab and non- Arab Americans. Their most impressive achievement is an organisation named Access, which has a budget of 13 million dollars, provided by private and government sources, which offers employment resources for local Arabs and has also built a local-area hospital which treats all patients free of charge. The organisation itself employs about 130 people. Ideally, such an organisation should be founded in every area with a significant Arab population.
In the evening, over 1500 Americans, both of Arab and non-Arab origin, sat down together at a dinner to honour Kamal Shouhayib, the founder and president of the Choice Group; Russell Ebeid, president of Guardian Industries Glass Group; and Richard Caleal, a 92- year-old retired businessman who was recognised jointly by the Arab- American Chamber of Commerce and Ford Motor Company, who credited him with saving the business from bankruptcy after World War II. Baidoun gave a stirring speech in which he said, "We are making history. Though the Arab- American Chamber of Commerce is only a microcosm of the Arab- American community, we are speaking volumes. We are letting the world know the strength of our commitment to peace and prosperity."
The Dearborn experience has renewed my sense of hope. Arabs can mobilise effectively to help one another. In Michigan, they have not only a strong political voice, but a slice of the city that they can regard as their own.
