Announcing: Arabs Outside the Arab Center – A look at emerging communities from outside the Levant

Arabs Outside the Arab Center - A look at emerging communities from outside the Levant

Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | June 4, 2014 – As part of the upcoming National Convention, ADC is proud to host a session discussing “Arabs Outside the Arab Center - A look at emerging communities from outside the Levant.” A panel of experts will discuss the emerging Arab communities from North Africa. Panelist will share their insight on issues within the respective communities including identity. Panelist will also discuss Inter-Arab relationships here in the US and abroad. Presenting on the panel will be Ms. Fatima Aghbalou, from the National Endowment for Democracy; Ms. Azaz Elshami, a Sudanese human rights/gender advocate; Ms. Hind Makki, leadership associate at the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago, IL.; and Dr. Esam Omeish, community activist and humanitarian

The session will be held on Saturday June 14 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA. To register for the Convention please click here. This year the Convention is being held from June 12-15, more info and the full program can be found here.

This session is preceded by an earlier session discussing identity within the Middle East and North African communities. The two sessions are intended to provide insight, and different perspectives on identity within the community. Additionally, students interested in attending the Convention can still take advantage of the scholarship opportunities available, click here to learn more!


Ms. Fatima Aghbalou works at the National Endowment for Democracy where she manages North Africa programs. Prior to joining the NED, she served as a senior program officer on the Middle East and North Africa team at the National Democratic Institute. Fatima is a PhD candidate at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. 
Ms. Azaz Elshami is a Sudanese human rights/gender  advocate based in Washington, DC.  Elshami’s  regional focus is Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.  She has special interests in religion/race based conflicts, the implication of armed conflicts on human security specifically women, ethnic policies, peace negotiations, and implementation of IHL in contemporary wars.  Elshami worked for a decade in the fields of public diplomacy, op-ed writing, and news production.

Ms. Hind Makki is a leadership associate at the Interfaith Youth Core where she has developed and implements the One Chicago, One Nation program, an initiative that brings together diverse Chicagoans, with an emphasis on the Muslim community, through dialogue, community service and philanthropy. Since 2001, she has worked extensively within the Muslim community on matters regarding civic integration into American society, interfaith dialogue and youth leadership development and was a 2008-2009 fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute. Makki has traveled throughout the United States and Western Europe, leading workshops on social cohesion through meaningful interfaith dialogue and in 2008 she participated in the “Muslim Youth Project” exchange program to the Netherlands. Makki received her BA in International Relations, focusing on global security and diplomacy, from Brown University.

Dr. Esam Omeish was born and raised in Tripoli, Libya. He attended Georgetown University and graduated with a double major in International Relations and Biology. Dr. Omeish completed his medical training at Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1993. He completed his surgery training at the UMDNJ Hospitals and is currently in private practice in Northern Virginia where he was recently chosen as the chief of the division of General Surgery at INOVA Alexandria Hospital and elected to the Medical Executive Committee. He was presented with the “Outstanding Physician of the Year Award” at Alexandria Hospital in 2007. Dr. Omeish was a medical first responder to the tragic events of 9/11 where he was the surgeon on call at Alexandria Hospital which received some of the victims of the tragic events at the Pentagon. He has and continues to participate in several local and regional civic, religious, and community organizations. He has appeared in several national and international media outlets including CNN, Aljazeera, MSNBC, Almujtamaa, C-Span, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and many others.  He is a former member of the board of the Islamic American University and a president and founder of a Human rights advocacy group in Washington, DC. 


Early Registration Still Open for 2014 National Convention!

Early Bird Registration rates for the Annual Convention are still available! Register now and get a $100 discount ($199 for ADC Members, and $299 for Non-Members). Registration includes access to all meal events, as well as all panels. A full program can be found here.

Also, thanks to a generous donor, student scholarships are available for undergraduate and graduate students who wish to attend the conference. You can learn more here. 

Click here to become a Sponsor.

Click here to Reserve a Hotel Room.


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