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Blog — Kahlil Gibran Awards
Tuesday April 09, 2013
By Jade Zoghbi
Next Tuesday, the Arab American Institute Foundation will honor the extraordinary career and contributions of Ralph Nader during the annual Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards. Read More »
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Tuesday April 02, 2013
By Jade Zoghbi
Kemal Amen Kasem, better known as Casey Kasem, is the recipient of the 2013 Award for Individual Achievement at this year’s Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards Gala on April 16. Read More »
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Wednesday March 27, 2013
By Jade Zoghbi
Marian Wright Edelman is the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), a 40-year old organization dedicated to promoting social justice and advocating for disadvantaged and children and families. Read More »
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Friday March 15, 2013
By Jade Zoghbi
This year, Christiane Amanpour will receive the Anthony Shadid Award for Excellence in Journalism. Read More »
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Friday April 20, 2012
On April 18, more than 500 Arab Americans from across the country gathered at the Renaissance Hotel for the 2012 Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards Gala, hosted by the Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF). At a time of unprecedented challenges, the Gibran Awards brought the Arab American community together to honor leaders in fostering greater understanding and promoting the common good. Read More »
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Wednesday April 18, 2012
AAIF's Gibran Gala Honors Southern Poverty Law Center, "The Muslims Are Coming!" Comedy Tour, and pays tribute special tribute to the life and work of Anthony Shadid Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 9:11 am / / Leave a comment
Wednesday April 11, 2012
The Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF) will present the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) with the Award for Institutional Excellence at the 2012 Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards Gala in Washington, DC. AAIF is bestowing the award on SPLC for its tireless efforts and accomplishments in building a society where mutual respect and understanding exists across racial, ethnic, political, and religious lines. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 4:06 pm / / Leave a comment
Monday April 09, 2012
For as long as they have been around, the Muslims are Coming! Comedy Tour has been trying to supplant our traditional Gibran Awards ceremony with a Sharia-compliant program. This year they have finally infiltrated the Gala. But seriously, the comedy tour will receive a Special Recognition Award at this year’s Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards Gala for their use of comedy to break down cultural barriers and for their efforts to dispel misconceptions about Muslims and Arabs throughout the country. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 3:52 pm / / Leave a comment
Thursday April 05, 2012
This year, the Arab American Institute Foundation’s (AAIF) Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards Gala features a number of exceptional awardees. Receiving the Najeeb Halaby Award for Public Service is Ambassador Theodore H. Kattouf, president and CEO of AMIDEAST. Since 1972 Ambassador Kattouf, a former U.S. Ambassador to the UAE and Syria, has led a distinguished Foreign Service career, serving throughout the Middle East, including posts in Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 3:02 pm / / Leave a comment
Friday February 17, 2012
Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Anthony understood that the story of the region didn't begin the day he got the assignment. His reporting reflected a historian's appreciation for context. More than that, Anthony's work was also distinguished by a poet's sense of texture. He wrote not with an ego, but with an eye for detail and an ear for the voices he heard. Where others "embedded" with troops, he walked the streets of war torn Arab countries "embedded" with people, bringing to life, for the rest of us, what ordinary Iraqis, Lebanese,Syrians, etc were seeing and saying and feeling. Read More »
Posted by Jim Zogby at 11:59 am / / Leave a comment
Thursday May 05, 2011
AAI President Jim Zogby introduced the Presenter of the Special Recognition Award to the Youth of the Arab Spring, Ayman Mohyeldin of Al Jazeera, whose coverage of Egyptian revolution and other events got him on Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2011. Read More »
Posted by AAI at 4:13 pm / / Leave a comment
Monday April 25, 2011
Today Mississippi Governor, Haley Barbour announced that he will not seek the GOP presidential nomination. Gov. Barbour's announcement came as a surprise to most as in late January he said that he was "seriously thinking" about a presidential run. He shortly thereafter began traveling and also hired new staff. As he said he would, however, Barbour waited until the end of April to make his ultimate decision, and now as a result heads are turning towards Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 2:56 pm / / Leave a comment
Thursday April 14, 2011
"As an Arab American woman I am proud of the recent changes in the Middle East and the opportunity women there have to participate in the newly accessible civic forum. Vital Voices has worked for years to support women in these environments, through local communities and women's networks, to improve the lives and futures of women both inside and outside the Arab World. To honor their commitment at this time in history not only makes me proud of what they've done, but hopeful for the work they will continue to do in the region." - AAI Executive Director, Maya Berry. Read More »
Posted by AAI at 10:26 am / / Leave a comment
Thursday April 14, 2011
We've been writing about Mitch Daniels quite often, and we've watched him in the news closely these past few months. Governor Daniels (R-Indiana) has been relatively quiet about a potential presidential run, but has remained a subject of extreme interest for many reasons. Gov. Daniels peeks our interest not only because he is Arab American (his grandparents are from Syria), he is a politician who - even in today's hyper-partisan political climate - has not digressed from his primary focus; fixing the economy. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 8:52 am / / Leave a comment
Thursday April 07, 2011
The Kahlil Gibran Memorial Garden was founded in 1991 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the poet’s birth in Besherre, Lebanon. Located across from the British Embassy at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue, the memorial was designed by renowned sculptor Gordon Kray. Read More »
Posted by AAI at 3:41 pm / / Leave a comment
Monday April 04, 2011
Actor Jeff Fahey will present the special recognition award to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) at the Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards Gala Wednesday May 4. Fahey is a well known actor, appearing and starring in a wide range of movies and television shows throughout his career. Recently, Fahey played the role of Captain Frank Lapidus on the popular ABC series Lost.
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Posted by AAI at 11:51 am / / Leave a comment
Friday April 01, 2011
With no leading Republican yet officially declared for president and only two exploration committees formed, the 2012 field remains wide open. However, as one surveys the list of potential candidates, one sticks out for a very simple reason. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, in contrast to most if not all of his compatriots, has kept his rhetoric on an even keel. He hasn’t pandered to or sought out the political benefits of engaging in the hyper-partisan arena of campaign politics. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 8:26 am / / Leave a comment
Monday March 28, 2011
Browsing the internet the other day, I found a series of videos about The Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala on YouTube which I thought were great. The videos contain original footage, serving as a comprehensive recap of the awards gala from years past. I wasn't surprised when I saw the name of the individual who posted them: Voice of America's Mohamed Elshinnawi, who has been a Gibran Gala regular for several years. His videos shed light on the reason why the Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF) holds its prestigious awards gala in Kahlil Gibran's name. If you haven't seen his videos before, they definitely warrant a look. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 10:31 am / / Leave a comment
Friday March 25, 2011
Tea partiers are “choosing substance over ceremony, character over charisma, and Gov. Daniels fits the bill,” according to Dick Armey.
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Posted by AAI at 12:20 pm / / Leave a comment
Wednesday March 23, 2011
The Gibran Gala is just weeks away and the deadline to reserve your tickets is fast approaching. This year's awardees are Indiana Governor and potential presidential candidate Mitch Daniels, who will be receiving the Najeeb Halaby Award for Public Service, an award that has been given to Secretaries Ray LaHood and Spencer Abraham, and Judge Rosemary Barkett, among others; Vital Voices, an organization that identifies, trains and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe, including the Middle East; and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, which will be given a special recognition award to celebrate its 100 years of commitment to advancing fair and humane policy and providing direct professional services for immigrants worldwide. Read More »
Posted by AAI at 1:29 pm / / Leave a comment