Press Room

AAI in the News

Arab Americans Present “Spirit of Humanity” Awards

By Nino Kader
America.gov (U.S. State Department)
Posted on Friday April 25, 2008

Note: This article also appeared on the website of the United States Mission to NATO.

Awards were created to celebrate life of philosopher and poet Kahlil Gibran

Washington—Some 800 people, many of Arab origin, gathered in a hotel ballroom a few blocks from the White House April 23 to mark the 10th annual Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards. The awards were created to celebrate the life of the great Arab-American writer, philosopher and poet Gibran Kahlil Gibran, who died in New York 77 years ago this month.

Established in 1999 by the Arab American Institute Foundation, the awards recognize individuals and organizations whose work “promotes inclusion, cultural understanding and cooperation across ethnic, racial and religious lines.”

The honorees at the 2008 event were Refugees International, Reporters Without Borders, U.S. Representative Ray LaHood, himself an Arab American, and the Barenboim-Said Foundation.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Washington for talks with President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, gave remarks at the event. (See “Palestinian State Remains Leading U.S. Priority, Says Bush.”)

LaHood received the Najeeb Halaby Award for Public Service, presented by the only American of Arab heritage in the U.S. Senate, New Hampshire’s John E. Sununu. The award is bestowed annually on an Arab American who has excelled in public service and has shown a strong pride in his or her ethnic heritage. It is named after the late Najeeb Halaby, father of Queen Noor of Jordan, who was chief executive officer of Pan American World Airways in the 1960s and headed the Federal Aviation Administration under President Kennedy.

LaHood, a Republican from Illinois, is the grandson of Lebanese immigrants who came to the United States in 1895, settling in Peoria, Illinois. “They did what most immigrants did in making America the great country that it is, “LaHood said. “They learned English, they worked hard and they played by the rules.”

To have the grandson of a Lebanese immigrant serve in the U.S. Congress “illustrates the greatness of America,” LaHood said. He added that “public service is a noble calling,” and “no matter what your background, you can make a difference.”

Previous recipients of the Najeeb Halaby award include Sununu’s father, John H. Sununu, former White House chief of staff and governor of New Hampshire; Representative Nick Rahall, a Democrat from West Virginia; and former Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, among others.

Mariam Said, widow of Arab-American professor Edward Said, accepted a special recognition award for the Barenboim-Said Foundation for its programs to bring together young Arab and Israeli musicians from across the Middle East. The foundation, started by Edward Said and pianist Daniel Barenboim, aims to “promote the spirit of peace, dialogue and reconciliation, primarily through music,” according to its Web site, and to promote cooperative projects in Middle Eastern countries.

Reporters Without Borders was honored for its advocacy on behalf of journalists and its support for freedom of the press around the world. Robert Menard, secretary-general of the group, accepted the award for the group.

Headquartered in France, Reporters Without Borders works to improve the safety of journalists worldwide and to defend and aid journalists imprisoned or persecuted, as well as their families. Menard told the audience that “more than 200 media professionals” have been killed in Iraq since March 2003.

Refugees International was recognized for “confronting the world’s refugee crises through a combination of advocacy and action.” Actor Sam Waterston, a Refugees International board member, presented the award to the group’s chairman, Farooq Kathwari.

Waterston said that Refugees International, with a staff of just 26, works to focus attention on, and advocate solutions for, “50 million displaced and stateless people.” He pointed out that the organization’s 2006 report underscoring the urgency of the Iraqi refugee crisis prompted quick action by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Congress.

The Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards are named for the world-renowned Lebanese-born author of The Prophet, whose message of “human endurance and triumph was so evident in his life and work,” according to the Arab American Institute (AAI) Foundation. The award also symbolizes Gibran’s “pride in his Arab heritage, respect for the freedom he found in the United States and his universal love of humanity.”

According to Helen Samhan, executive director of the foundation, “there are close to 4 million Americans of Arab descent” in the United States today.

The AAI Foundation, based in Washington, supports programs that promote “greater awareness of Arab Americans in the United States, demographic research and international outreach,” according to its Web site.

The Arab American Institute, established in 1985 and headed by James Zogby, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan national leadership organization. AAI was created to nurture and encourage the direct participation of Arab Americans in political and civic life in the United States.