As Christmas approaches in Philadelphia, traditional American Christmas customs abound, including shopping frenzies and bulk Amazon hauls. Yet, these customs often feel foreign to the city’s Palestinian Christians who find themselves longing for the traditions they observed in Palestine.

“It’s so difficult to watch a place and a people to whom you are so connected suffer so much violence at the hands of international actors who have no regard for the wellbeing or livelihoods of people in the Middle East,” said 23-year-old Lebanese American and Penn alum Laila Shadid in an interview with Al-Bustan News.

When Medford, New Jersey-based documentary filmmaker Zainab Sultan was considering what new film projects to pursue, Delaware State Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton emerged as an immediate source of fascination. The first female Muslim legislator in Delaware, Wilson-Anton is young, candid, a steadfast community advocate, and a stand-up comedian.

As Election Day draws near, morality is at the top of mind for many young Arab and Muslim Philadelphians who are eligible to vote for the first time this election. Candidates’ proposed policies on Palestine and Israel — including their commitment to continued U.S. military aid to Israel in the midst of an ongoing genocide — are being used as a litmus test.

Over 30 demonstrators interrupted the Philadelphia School District’s monthly board meeting at district headquarters this past Thursday, October 24th, calling on the district to reinstate suspended Northeast High School teacher Keziah Ridgeway. Ridgeway, 39, teaches African American history and social and cultural anthropology at Northeast. A Black Muslim-American, Ridgeway has been a longtime advocate of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in school. 

“I believe that most of us in the [Palestinian] diaspora kept our heads down for a long time and tried to fly under the radar,” Hazou said when she sat down for an exclusive interview with Al-Bustan News.