TOPIC+Middle+Eastern+Performance

= =

__Brief History of Israeli/Palestinian CLASH since 1947__
In order to situate the political theater occurring in Israel and Palestine, it is essential to have a basic understanding of the conflict, or CLASH, plaguing the region.

According to [|Dictionary.com], the word 'conflict' is defined as "to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition; CLASH". For the purposes of this research, we have found that the term conflict is insufficient in defining the Israeli/Palestinian clash. The connotations of 'conflict' are not only too ambiguous, but also do not ring true to the level of violence (both emotional and physical), passion, and severity of the issue. By contrast, "clash" evokes the spirit of two ideas in opposition crashing against each other, together making a deafening noise. The word describes more accurately the clash of classes, bodies, politics, and beliefs that have birthed the Israeli/Palestinian clash.

**History Says:**
Following the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jewish were unjustly murdered by the Nazis, the pressure on Britain increased to allow Jewish immigration into Palestine. In 1947, the [|UN] partitioned the land into Arab and Jewish states (Bard). The Palestinians were against the division and violence broke out. The Jewish people emerged victorious, expanded their state (to include over 70% of Palestine) and consequently created several hundred thousand Palestinian refugees. Many Arab states refused to recognize Israel or make peace with it. Wars erupted in 1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982, and there were numerous terror raids and Israeli reprisals. Because history is about perception, each side believes different versions of the same history and the conflict continually becomes more and more complicated.

**Understanding the Clash (Issues):**

 * Occupation, Land & Settlements** (Hyperlinking to the Tempest, Post-Colonialism, etc..)



[|Israel] has occupied the West bank and Gaza Strip (about 2,200 square miles) since the 1967 6-day war, and has built settlements with a population of about 220,000, mostly in the West Bank. Palestinians have demanded a withdrawal from all of the land conquered in 1967 and desire to evacuate the settlements. Israel continued to expand the settlements throughout the peace process that began in 1993, and the expansion continues today ([|sixdaywar.org]). In the final status negotiations at [|Camp David] and Taba, Israel offered to turn over 97% of the land in the West Bank and all of Gaza, as well as Arab sections of [|Jerusalem]. This offer was not accepted by the Palestinian leadership.


 * Palestinian State**

The [|Palestine Liberation Organization] was originally formed to regain all of Palestine for the Palestinian Arabs. The organization expressed that they would agree to a two state solution in 1988. The Oslo accords were intended to lead to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, but with Israeli settlements continuing and Palestinian violence persisting, the disagreements degenerated into open conflict in September 2000 (Wood).

The majority of Palestinians insist on a state in the West Bank and Gaza. Most conservative Israelis are against creating a Palestinian state because they believe it would become a breeding ground for terror groups.


 * Refugee Population**

There are now over 4 million Palestinian refugees. Several live in overpopulated refugee camps in poor and unsanitary conditions in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Palestinians stipulate that these refugees should have the right to return to their homes in Israel under[| UN General Assembly Resolution 194]. Israelis, on the other hand, note that an almost equal number of Jews ran from Arab lands to Israel in 1948 (Brynen 13). The Israeli government is against the return of refugees because an Arab Palestinian majority would be created and would put an end to Israel as a Jewish state. Most Palestinian groups, including the Fateh, agree, and openly make known that the return of refugees would mean the end of Israel (Brynen 9).


 * "Terrorism**"

Almost all Palestinian groups were founded with the declared aim of destroying Israel by violence. Only the[| PLO] (Palestine Liberation Organization) has officially rejected this aim. Since September 28, 2000, Palestinians have killed over a thousand Israelis in terror and suicide attacks. Israelis have killed over 3,500 Palestinians in "defense" operations and reprisals, including many civilians (IICC 14). The Intifadeh destroyed the belief of the possibility of peace for many Israelis, and destroyed the credibility of Yasser Arafat and the [|PLO] as peace partners. Israeli retaliation and repression further embittered the Palestinians.


 * Israeli Repression** (hyperlink to the Island, Apartheid in South Africa)

Israel responded to Palestinian violence at the beginning of the Oslo process by limiting the flow of Palestinian workers to Israel to prevent infiltration of terrorists, and by strict, regimented checks at border checkpoints. The border closing drastically reduced the Palestinian standard of living. Palestinians who did come to work were often subjected to humiliating searches and very long waits at checkpoints (IICC 52). Following terror attacks at the checkpoints, nervous[| IDF] (Israel Defense Forces - the Israeli Army) soldiers sometimes were too quick to open fire on suspicious vehicles, killing innocent civilians. Checkpoints around Jerusalem made it difficult for Palestinians to get to work in Jerusalem and to travel between Palestinian towns, setting in motion the isolation of an entire peoples.

After September 2000, Israeli reprisals for Palestinian terror raids became increasingly severe, including assassinations of wanted terrorists that Palestinians refused to arrest. Following a series of deadly suicide bombings in March of 2002, Israel launched operation Defensive Wall in the West Bank and has since reoccupied most of the territories ceded to to the Palestinians in the West Bank ([|NGOmonitor.org)]. The[| IDF] set up additional checkpoints and has kept towns under virtual siege with extended periods of curfew, disrupting work, education and daily life. Ditches surround towns, preventing people from leaving. The IDF has killed over 3,500 Palestinians, demolished houses and uprooted olive groves. After a recent IDF study showed that the demolitions do not deter suicide bombings, demolitions of the houses of suicide bombers were discontinued, but houses are still demolished for other reasons.

In addition to measures taken to ensure security, Israeli extremist settlers have harassed Palestinians, destroyed property, uprooted agricultural land, and killed several Palestinians in doubtful circumstances. The perpetrators are rarely identified and almost never prosecuted.


 * Water**

The land has always had a scarcity of water. The[| Israel National Water Carrier] has made a high standard of living possible despite the high population density. The carrier pumps water from the Sea of Galilee and carries it to areas in the center and south of Israel as well as for Palestinian areas. In one day it delivers the volume of water used in all of 1948, but it is not enough. The aquifers that supply Israel's central area lie in the West Bank. The Jordan river flows through territory that would be part of Palestine. Both sides need water for survival and development and want to ensure an adequate water supply from the limited resources available[| (CESR.org)]. Israel has reserved for its own use a large percentage of the water in West Bank aquifers, often leaving Palestinian refugees with little to no water.

__Ancient Theater in the Middle East__
Theater and performance has been going on in this disputed land long before Israel and Palestine existed. Here is a brief history of ancient performance in the Middle East.

The Paradox of the Proscription against Representation and Islamic forms of Performance
Pre-Islamic Arabia, before it was influenced through various conquests by Judaism and Christianity, was polytheistic. Jinn (spirits) and local tribal, often astral deities were worshipped. Temples, holy stones (baeteyls) and sacred trees could serve as cult centres temporarily and then shift, since many of the tribes were nomadic. An ancient permanent cult centre for the tribes of Hijaz (in present-day Saudi-Arabia) was the Kabah in Mecca. In pre-Islamic times the Kabah was a pilgrimage centre and sanctuary surrounded by some 360 idols, which Muhammad is said to have destroyed, but there are indications that some Meccans were moving toward a concept of a single divine power (al-ilah, “the god”) even before Muhammad, associating al-ilah with the supreme divinity behind the tribal Gods of Arabia such as Wadd, Suwa, Yaguth, Ya’uq and Nasr.

With the rise of Islam came new rules, regulating life, ritual and art: شرك‎ (shirk) is the Islamic concept of worshipping anything other than Allah or giving other beings his characteristics. It originates from interpretations of several passages from the Qur’an, including Surahs 4:48 and 21: 52-54:

Qur’an 4:48 //Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.

Qur’an 21:52 - 54 // When he said to his father and his people, "What are these statues to which you are devoted?" They said, "We found our fathers worshippers of them." He said, "You were certainly, you and your fathers, in manifest error.“

( //Sahih International translation // from qur’an.com)

The notion of shirk leads to a proscription against creating of images of God, Muhammed, the human form or any living creatures in artwork. Concrete proscriptions against representing any living creatures in art or other forms can be found in the hadith, which are stories told around the deeds, words and teachings of Muhammed. There are several different collections of hadith, including the six major collections of Sunni Islam, and the writing of the three Muhammeds in Shi’ism.

This excerpt is from the صحيح البخاري ( //Sahih al-Bukhari // ), one of the six canonical hadith collections of Sunni Islam. // 3:4:318 //  Narrated Aisha: (mother of the faithful believers)

I bought a cushion with pictures on it. When Allah's Apostle saw it, he kept standing at the door and did not enter the house. I noticed the sign of disgust on his face, so I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I repent to Allah and His Apostle . (Please let me know) what sin I have done." Allah's Apostle said, "What about this cushion?" I replied, "I bought it for you to sit and recline on." Allah's Apostle said, "The painters (i.e. owners) of these pictures will be punished on the Day of Resurrection. It will be said to them, 'Put life in what you have created (i.e. painted).' " The Prophet added, "The angels do not enter a house where there are pictures."

The notion of shirk and the proscription against the representation of humans or animals result in a focus on patterns and calligraphy in Islamic art:



-Ta’ziya, passion plays: Reinaction of the death of Hussein idn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad
At first glance, it would appear that the proscription against representing the human form would prohibit any form of theatre in Islam, but performance has long been a part of Islamic culture. For example, during the Mourning of Muharram in Shia Islam passion plays called ta’ziya are performed. The Mourning of Murharram takes place during Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calendar) to commemorate the Battle of Karbala in which Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad was killed by Yazid. The event is mourned by arranging majalis (gatherings) to review Islamic teachings and to commemorate Hussain’s sacrifice, by pilgrimages and fasting and by so-called Ta’ziya, or passion plays, consisting of sorrowful, poetic recitations, lamenting and grieving to beating drums and chanting and re-enactments of the Battle of Karbala and the suffering and death of Husayn at the hands of Yazid.These ta’ziya were especially popular since the Qajar dynasty (late 18th century) until the early 20th century.

// __**Live Plays and Shadow Plays**__ // Apart from the //Ta’ziya// passion plays, the world of medieval secular theatre lives on primarily through the work of poets and authors and their descriptions of //khayāl/khiyāl// (meaning “live play”) and //khayāl al-zill// (meaning “shadow play”). While there remains scholarly debate on the extent to which live theater was embedded into early Islamic culture, the //semantic evolution// and semantic similarities (as it is termed by Professor Shmuel Moreh) of the terminology surrounding the performances of //live// and //shadow// plays has made it difficult to separate the two forms (Moreh “//Khayāl//” 123). // Khayāl ( // or live plays) are considered the earliest form of secular live theatre and originate from forms of imitation and impersonation (Meisami 441). Though there are very few descriptions of //khayāl// plays, references to the costuming and style of these performances imply that the performers of //khayāl// were dressed to look like people they represented but were not meant to actually represent them. Because of this, //khayāl// as live theatre thrived on this brand of impersonation, sometimes included the ridiculing of slave or mad men characters (Moreh “//Khayāl//” 129). Other terms that are synonymous with //khayāl// are //akhraja, la’ba, hikāya// and //tamthīl (//Meisami 441//)//. // Khayāl al-zill // or shadow plays began appearing in the Islamic world at the end of the tenth century or the beginning of the eleventh century after merchants and travelers from the “Far East” had produced similar presentations of puppetry and shadow figures (Meisami 441). Most poets note that the shadow plays often consisted of a repertory of buffoonery, but actual social and political events would also be presented in //khayāl al-zill//. For example, preserved figures of Muslim and Crusader ships indicate that the battles between the Muslims and the Crusaders during the Third Crusade were a common theme in shadow plays (Moreh “Shadow Plays” 49). Some verses from the poet Al-Mināwī provide details as to how shadow plays may have been staged, indicating that the curtain that the shadows were cast on was called //izār shāsh sitāra sitr//, and the figures were known as //shukhūs ashkhās suwar//. Plays were known as b//ābāt fusūl// and in order to light these performances, a lamp (fān//ūs)// or sometimes a candle were used (Moreh “Shadow Play” 53). The poet Ahmad al-Bayruti explains that the figures arranged the “mover” in two boxes (the first box where he took the figures from, and the second box where he discarded them), using the shadow play as a metaphor for the universe: I see this Universe as a shadow play; Its Mover is the much-forgiving Lord. The right-hand box is a womb; The left-hand box is the grave. (Moreh “Shadow Plays” 51) // __**Ancient Hebrew Performance**__ // Stemming from sanctions against wearing garments of members of the opposite sex, strict rabbinical laws prohibited public entertainment, and therefore theatre, in early Jewish culture. Similar to Christianity’s longstanding rejection of theatrical traditions, the roots of Judaism in a monotheistic and anti-pagan religious tradition stood in conflict with theatre and dramatic performance. However, dramatic representation existed within the Jewish community through ritual and within the boundaries of Jewish festivals. Furthermore, the eventual incorporation of theatre into Jewish culture was unrelated to a religious service or text—such as the //Quem Quaeritis//— and was controlled within the confines of the festival of Purim (Rozik 139). The festival of Purim, which falls a month before Passover, commemorates the survival of the Jewish community of the Persian Empire and the downfall of Haman, the Persian vizier who plotted to exterminate the Jewish people (Moreh and Sadgrove 3). Despite the seriousness behind the events recounted in the Book of Esther, the celebratory and religiously loose nature of Purim lead to a temporary disregard for religious laws. Though early Purim celebrations did not include organized theatrical performances, the laxity of rabbinical authority opened the door for dramatic expression; the day of Purim was not considered a Sabbath, excessive drinking of wine was promoted, children were allowed to use //raashanim// (whirl noisemakers) and dressing in disguise was encouraged—despite statutes against cross-dressing (Rozik 133). It was not until the sixteenth century that plays performed on the day of Purim, called //purim-shpils//, came into existence (Kirshenblatt-Gimblett 5). Initially, purim-shpils were not necessarily staged, and instead usually consisted of parodies of prayers, read by a solo performer at the ceremonial meal (Rozik 135). These performances underwent development (transitioning from short plays to full-length plays) and were performed in both public and private spaces. Though these plays were initially written only in Hebrew, they were eventually written in Yiddish and then translated into many languages (Rozik 137). Throughout its evolution, pupil-shpils plays have continued to revolve around Queen Esther and have been primarily comedic or farcical in nature. The festival of Purim illustrates the expansion of Jewish theatre from its ritual origins to contemporary practices. Though Purim was, in many ways, a liberating force in Jewish communities, religious authorities accepted it because it fulfilled a certain religious purpose. Because this holiday specifically allowed for release and its own brand of organized chaos, it actually reinforced the strict religious order, until theatre became adopted and secularized.

The intifada (“shaking off” in Arabic) is the second mass rebellion of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 War. This was a time of protests and riots, men and women alike were driven to the streets to fight the Israeli occupation. When protests turned violent, the women prevented young men from being beaten or arrested by claiming them as their sons, whether they were or not. The women adopted the motto, “He’s my son!” This form of resistance quickly can take on the form of theater, these women acting as the mother of Palestine. Daniel Naila writes of one woman’s heroic performance during a violent outbreak in the intifada: //On another occasion, upon seeing a young man being beaten by soldiers, a woman rushed up to them with her baby in her arms. She began shouting at the man saying that he never listens to her when she warns him not to leave the house. She then turned to the soldiers, encouraged them to beat the man and yelled, "I'm sick of you and your baby. Take him and leave me alone." She then pushed the baby into the young man's arms and ran away. The soldiers became utterly confused and left the scene. A few minutes later, the woman reappeared, collected her infant, and wished the man safety and a quick recovery. They were total strangers. //

====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Avatar Protest February 12th, 2010 ** media type="youtube" key="Chw32qG-M7E" height="385" width="640" ====

=
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There were two recurring common themes that are found throughout the theaters in Israel and Palestine. The first theme is the initiative to teach theater to the youth of the nation, “which would empower them to challenge present realities and to reach out beyond the limits of their own community.” On many of the theater websites, this was one of the main goals outlined in their mission statements. The second recurring theme was that of using theater, “as a tool for social change.” This again was mentioned on multiple websites under the goals and mission statements. (All websites were retrieved through http://www.goldenthread.org/community.htm.) ======

=
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Many theaters throughout Israel and Palestine practice a variety of mediums in order to present a narrative to their audience. Some companies use Augusto Boal's Theater of the Opressed or Street Theater in order to get their message across. Others use collaborative techniques in order to create their own shows. The Galilee Multicultural Theatre in Israel performs mainly puppet shows with little to no text at all so that the shows can be enjoyed across any language barriers. Stationed in Israel, this is a wise move in order to include as many people as possible because many people speak either Arabic or Hebrew, but it is unlikely that they would speak both. At the Beresheet La'Shalom Foundation (translated as “A Beginning for Peace”) in Israel, the youth use mask work and dance in order to present messages about unity and cross-cultural acceptance, another recurring theme in many of the theaters' missions. ======

====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-Combatants for Peace: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">[|http://www.combatantsforpeace.org/] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">media type="custom" key="5950719" ==== <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Combatants for Peace was started by former soldiers from both Israel and Palestine; Israelis as soldiers in the Israeli army (IDF) and Palestinians as part of the violent struggle for Palestinian freedom. After brandishing weapons for so many years, and having seen one another only through weapon sights, they have decided to put down their guns, and to fight for peace. They aim to raise consciousness about the hopes and goals of both sides of the clash, to educate about non-violent ways to approach the situation, and to pressure both governments into peace talks rather than violence.

====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-Arab-Hebrew Theatre Of Jaffa: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">[|http://arab-hebrew-theatre.org.il/eng/index.asp] ====

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The Arab-Hebrew Theatre of Jaffa consists of two theatrical groups that produce plays both together and apart in both Arabic and in Hebrew. They have won many awards for their original plays at the Acre Theater Festival. Some of their original plays include, “Mister V”, “The Lane of White Chairs”, “Clouded Moon”, “Ach Ach Boom Trach”, and “Longing”. They have even been invited to perform at the Silesia Dance and Theater Center in Poland and their play “Emergency Landing” received the International Theater Festival acting award in Reeno, The Czech Republic. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Palestinian Theatres ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-Freedom Theatre of Jenin: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">[] ====

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The Freedom Theatre of Jenin is the only professional venue for theatre and arts in the north of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Their main goal is to provide the children of the Jenin Refugee Camp with a safe space to express themselves and to empower these children and give them their own voice. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Israeli Theatres ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-Beresheet La’Shalom Foundation: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">[] ==== <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">The Beresheet LaShalom Foundation is dedicated to the creation and perseverance of dialogue of children across diverse groups. The object of this dialogue is to instill positive spirit in confronting the difficult problems they face. These youth can unite around the positive interactions of theatre and can put the horrors they have faced into a perspective that does not foster that same hatred. The foundation seeks to create a generation which will approach other cultures with greater compassion and more understanding.

//Perceptions of the Middle East in America during the Golden Age of Broadway//
The first known stereotyping of Middle Easterner’s in America goes as far back as the 1880’s, where [|Vaudeville] had grown in popularity among lower to middle class working families in a post-Civil War era. One of the first documented Middle Eastern performers was a man named Hadji Ali, a man known for his skills of human self-regurgitation. The main event of his act consisted of him swallowing large amounts of water followed by kerosene, then setting an object on fire and putting it out by expelling the contents of his stomach. In order to add to authenticity of his act, Ali wore billowing clothes as well as a fabric sash across his torso, and had his assistant dress the same way. His act was later recorded and included in the 1927 Laurel and Hardy film, //Politiquerias.//

media type="youtube" key="cW_EB0yBS5c" height="385" width="480" align="center"

Another prominent stereotyping of Middle Easterners was seen on Broadway stages in the 1918 musical comedy //Sinbad,// which featured [|Al Jolson] ’s famous blackface character (known as Gus) as a porter in Bagdad who meets characters from the story //Arabian Nights.// During this time, "[|Tin Pan Alley] " songs were prominently featured on many Broadway stages, and a few of these songs were featured in the show, with names such as “The Rag Lad of Baghdad” and “I Hail from Cairo.”



In the 1930’s, in order to cheer up Depression-era Americans, [|revue] shows provided slapstick and physical humor as a source of entertainment. One well-known revue show called //[|Hellzapoppin’]// offered sketches in many different settings and times, one of them being in a Middle Eastern Harem complete with Sheiks, snake charmers, and exotic bellydancers.

By the 1950’s, the inclusion of [|Technicolor] in many Hollywood films had trumped over Broadway as the main source of entertainment for Americans. In order to bring and keep people coming to see stage shows in the theaters, playwrights and composers shifted their attentions to focus on portraying patriotic shows that displayed a sense of national pride to a post-war country. One of the last well-known Broadway productions to prominently use and stereotype Middle Eastern people in it was in the 1953 musical //Kismet.// The story takes place in Baghdad during the time of //[|The Arabian Nights] ,// and includes such stereotypes as men wearing turbans, scantily-clad slave girls fawning over sheiks, and punishments for crimes such as lashings and cutting off appendages//.// The musical was adapted into a movie multiple times, the first being in 1955 and including caucasian American actors such as Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Dolores Grey, and Vic Damone playing Middle Eastern characters and aiding in the emphasis of Middle Eastern stereotypes.

media type="youtube" key="0TsFyO804Zk" height="385" width="640" align="center"

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Middle Eastern culture in America today is more rich and prevalent than stereotypes may suggest. Hollywood has been putting a negative light on Middle Eastern culture time and time again, as suggested by Dr. Jack Shaheen in his documentary, [|Reel Bad Arabs] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">//.// In his film (and novel) Dr. Shaheen discusses the negative stereotypes Hollywood has been associating with Middle Eastern people. The fact is that film has been doing it for years, since the early days. Even before the rise of the black and white talkies, movies have been filled with inaccurate negative portrayals of Middle Eastern people. The demonizing images that people are just starting to recognize as negative and racist have been around for more than a century, according to Dr. Shaheen. For 30 years, Dr. Jack Shaheen has been looking at the way these sorts of stereotypes on Hollywood rob an entire people of their humanity and culture. He viewed and analyzed over 1,000 films from early black and white Hollywood to today’s biggest blockbusters. Movie after movie showed the same sort of careless racial stereotyping of Arab people. We inherited the Arab image from Europeans, Shaheen says. It seems to relate itself to Dr. Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism. Early European colonialism chose to make an understanding of unknown people so that they could be controlled. The Arab people were marked as an oriental other. Writers and artists, renowned art, have transmitted these inaccurate images from then to us now today. The stereotypes passed down by Orientalism thorough art and literature transpired itself into Hollywood, Shaheen says. Shaheen refers to a fictional place that movies like to take us. A place based entirely on Orientalistic stereotypes of Middle Eastern peoples and their culture. A place called “Arab land.” It always seems to start with the desert. But it’s not just the desert, it’s a dark dangerous place accompanied by some sort of oasis where the “Ali Baba” character, the rich powerful and oversexed sheik, is surrounded by scantily clad harems. There are women in see-through outfits, turban wearing snake charmers, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, they’ll toss a flying carpet in the mix. The most offensive aspect perhaps of Arab land is that it is an untouched and uncivilized place or barbaric proportions. As if to say that it has never and will never advance. As Shaheen’s film and novel illustrates; Disney’s family friendly //Aladdin// (1992) created one of the most offensive and inaccurate portrayals of Middle Eastern culture. The film relies on fictional Americanized stereotypes of Middle Eastern people and their culture to create a song and dance kitty version of “Arab Land.” The movie does so by reinforcing such stereotypes as the seductive harems in see-through genie outfits, like Jasmine and almost every other female in the film. In the opening credits a drifting salesman sings a song, “Where they’ll cut off your ear if they don’t like your face, it’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” These lyrics are more than insensitive and questionable, says Shaheen, remarking on Disney’s need to put racially negative depictions of Arab people. //Father of the Bride II// (1995) is another example of Disney’s need to inject stereotypical and offensive characters. In this film, which has nothing to do with the Middle East or Arab people at all, there is a highly insensitive character Mr. Habib, played by Eugene Levy. This character is illustrates a greedy power hungry Jew who keeps tight rains on his meek and muffled Arabic wife. Another example of film injecting negative depictions of Arabs in movies that have absolutely nothing to do with Arabs is //Back To The Future// (1985). Within about the first half hour of the movie we see a van full of gun toting Muslim terrorists heartlessly kill the beloved character Doc. Where is this need to inject these stereotypes coming form? Both Arab men and women suffer under Hollywood’s stereotypes. The women are portrayed with only a few options; as submissive, black veiled, obedient background objects -- or she could be belly dancing in a see-through genie outfit in a harem. But these are just the old stereotypes, now the Arab woman is a deadly bomber. She is now a terrorist. Arab men take on the most common portrayal of the angry aggressive Arab. But not only are these Arabs terroristic and blood hungry, no, they are inept buffoons as well. The evil bad guy Arab always seems to be incompetent, says Shaheen. In //True Lies// (1994) the irate Arabic terrorist’s plans are easily trumped by a teenage girl. If he is not an angry terrorist, Hollywood will show him as the Sheik/Shake who is always too rich and too stupid to know the value of money. He is often over sexed and obsessed with the American woman. In the 1980’s and 90’s there is an increase in this Sheik/Shake character. He is the oily money grubbing Sheik/Shake and he’s up to no good trying to buy up America. Shaheen noted more than 300 movies containing gratuitous slurs of Arabs as the butt of a cheap joke. One of the most important factors pertaining to Hollywood’s depiction of Arab people can be connected to politics. Shaheen says that policy helps to enforce mythical images and vice versa. Even former president and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America said, “Washington and Hollywood spring from the same DNA.” The Arab image changed immediately after WWII. Three major events, Shaheen says, caused an impact: The Palestine and Israel conflict, the Arab oil embargo, and the Iranian revolution. In the film //Network// (1976) starring William Holden and Peter Finch, a news anchor directs a final angry rant against Arabs, who he says are buying up America. He then calls on his audience members, the American people, to rise up and stop the Arabs from buying his network. This causes the audience members to shout from the rooftops, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Shaheen relates this sort of propaganda to a specific group we’ve seen and heard this sort of violence from in the past. He marks it as similar to Nazi propaganda of the Jewish image. Since the state of Israel was founded in 1948 almost every American administration has made it clear what side we’re on. Policies impact opinions, Shaheen says, which brings on movies like //Exodus// (1960) and //Cast a Giant Shadow// (1966) showing Palestinian people as the even more other of the oriental others. These films do so by depicting Israelis as the innocent victims to Palestinian violence. Palestinians are shown as viscous gunmen who will kill anyone at anytime for any reason. Movies follow Washington’s policies, says Shaheen, especially in the 1980’s and 90’s. //In Death Before Dishonor// (1987) Palestinians kill anything that gets in their way, including an innocent Israeli family who they brutally kill. They, the Palestinian terrorists in the film, then torture American soldiers before killing one. Then they dispatch a suicide bomber. Films just like this have been reinforcing political policies for years. Shaheen marks other films, like //True Lies// (1994) and //The Delta Force// (1986) as some of the most anti-Palestinian films of all times. It is a rarity to see Palestinians who suffer; films do not humanize them. Especially not the same way we humanize Israelis. To get a better understanding of Washington’s interaction with Hollywood, one may just take a look at the several films produced in cooperation with the department of defense. Like //Iron Eagle// (1986) where a teenager learns to fly a plane overnight and then blows up a Palestinian building with upbeat pop tunes playing in the background. Shaheen marks //Rules of Engagement// (2000), written by former secretary of the Navy, James Webb, as one of the most racist films of all time. The film shows a mass slaughter of hundreds of Yemen people, including many women and children, by American soldiers. However, it is a riotous kill because these people are pointing the guns at us first. The film involves a complex storyline but the end message is clear: Iin the end even a massacre of women and children is justified and applauded as a riotous slaughter because of the people they are and the political climate we are in. Shaheen remarks on the message these films give, “If we cannot see the Arab humanity, what’s left? If we feel nothing, if we feel Arabs are not like us and not like anyone else, then they deserve to die. Right” Shaheen also introduces a concept of Islam phobia. He says it is part or our psyche that makes the words threatening; making these images we see even more threatening. When the Oklahoma City bombing happened it was immediately assumed and reported as a Middle Eastern terrorist attack. It was easy for viewers to gobble this up because the stereotype has become so invisible to people. There is paranoia over words like Islamic and Muslim that runs deep in America. Despite the history of Hollywood’s demonizing of Arab people there are some film and entertainment outlets that aim for fair representation. Shaheen notes the rise of comedy acts that deal with these racial issues. Such comedians as Dean Obeidallah and Ahmed Ahmed are recognized in Shaheen’s film for taking a comical stance on culture representation. There are also several film noted; //A Perfect Murder// (1998), //Three Kings// (1999), //Kingdom of Heaven// (2005) and //Paradise Now// (2005). Film such as these are not trying to sugar coat images, but instead each tries to give a fair and balanced representation of Middle Eastern peoples and their culture.

Although Hollywood’s history has shown a heavy stance on how ‘it’ thinks Middle Eastern culture should be depicted in performance; theatre that has been inspired, produced, written, and/or performed through true Middle Eastern cultural depictions and experiences has defied the negativity.

[] [] []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__Agendas of Western politics and society: How the West performs the clash__
The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is so sensitive that Western theaters have hesitated to produce work which might set them on one side or the other. In this decade, playwrights have written powerful work which clearly chooses a side. Some see this as one-sided, hateful propaganda. Others hear a voice which has been too long silenced. It is clear that the world stage has Israel and Palestine on the mind.

====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//**My Name is Rachel Corrie**// is a one-woman show based on the diary, letters and emails of Rachel Corrie, a young American peace activist killed in Palestine in 2003 while protesting a IDF housing demolition. The diaries were edited by Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner and the show opened at London's Royal Court Theater in April 2005. The play is criticized for being agenda driven with only a one-sided view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Most of the criticisms at the time of production however, came from people who had not seen the play.====

After success in London, the play was intended to open at New York's Theater Workshop in March 2006. However, James C. Nicola, the artistic director of the workshop, postponed the show indefinitely after polling Jewish groups about their reactions to the play. He cited that the topic was too sensitive considering a recent Hamas electoral victory and the failing health of Ariel Sharon saying: "The uniform answer we got was that the fantasy that we could present the work of this writer simply as a work of art without appearing to take a position was just that, a fantasy."

The decision to postpone the show was met with much resistance. Vanessa Redgrave, who applauded the Royal Court's production, called the postponement the second death for Rachel, saying she was “killed to be silenced.” The Corrie family was shocked.



In 2009, the Royal Court mounted Caryl Churchill's //**Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza.**// The six-page play was put on for free, with patrons asked to leave a donation for medical aid for the people of Gaza at the end. Israeli adults discuss how they will explain seven moments in Jewish history to an absent child. The play was heavily criticized for being antisemitic. Charlotte Higgins defends the play in [|her review from the Guardian]: "I cleave strongly to the view that it is possible to be critical of [|Israel] without being antisemitic, and I do not believe that Churchill is making or otherwise implying universal claims about the Jewish people in this play." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Seven Jewish Children// at the Royal Court, 2009

Churchill, a member of the [|Palestinian Solidarity Campaign], does not deny that her piece has an agenda. She says of the piece: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"It came out of feeling strongly about what's happening in Gaza - it's a way of helping the people there. Everyone knows about Gaza, everyone is upset about it, and this play is something they could come to. It's a political event, not just a theatre event." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">

Just as //My Name is Rachel Corrie// and the NEA 4 were censored for content, the city of Liverpool cut the funding to an arts festival that had decided to run //Seven Jewish Children// in May 2009.

Churchill's play inspired Israeli and Jewish playwrights to write works in response. New York playwright Israel Horovitz wrote //What Strong Fences Make// because "another voice needed to be heard" against Churchill's play which he called. "offensive, distorted and manipulative." This piece can also be produced for free as long as a collection is taken up for [|ONE Family Fund], a nonprofit which helps children who are victims of attacks on Israel.

Critic John Nathan argues in [|a review of Seven Other Children], " Where education becomes propaganda and where propaganda becomes a downright lie is a worthy subject for any drama about the Middle East. And I understand Stirling’s motivation to respond to Churchill with a play in kind. But the danger of holding a mirror up to a work whose content you find offensive, is that you end up replicating distortions rather than opposing them.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"

Both plays are available online. [|Seven Jewish Children by Caryl Churchill.] [|What Strong Fences Make by Israel Horovitz]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__ReOrienting Ourselves: Striving for Honest Representation of the Middle East in America Today__

 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">There is a movement among artists of Middle Eastern and Asian descent to create works which speak to their unique experience and to respond to centuries of misrepresentation in the West.

Despite the proscription against representing human form in art in Islam, none of the theaters we researched in the Middle East or in America make any reference to it in their mission statements or otherwhere. This may be due to a strong secular tendency in the theaters or a gradually less strict or literal adherence to the rules set up in the Qur'an. Either way, we found no mention of this paradox after the modern era. **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Mizna] is a local, Minneapolis based organization devoted to promoting Arab-American culture, providing a forum for its expression. They are committed to giving a voice to Arab-Americans through literature and art. Mizna published a biannual magazine highlighting the work of Arab-American artists devoted to theatre, film, music, and more. The organization provides many classes and events open to the public.

[|Middle East America] is a new playwright initiative providing $10,000 to a playwright of Middle Eastern descent to create a new work. The project aims “to challenge both the lack of representation and the one-dimensional stereotypical representation of persons of Middle Eastern descent on America's stages.” The 2008 winner [|Adriana Sevan] plans to “conduct research on themes of family, atrocity, migration, and memory, including the untold stories of the Turkish Schindlers who helped Armenians survive their Ottoman tormentors. The play is inspired by Adriana's grandparents who survived the Armenian genocide before fleeing to the shores of New England.”

[|Golden Thread Productions] in San Francisco is one of the three theaters that sponsor Middle East America. Their mission statement includes the following: “In our vast imagination, the Middle East is defined not by geographical boundaries and political separations, but as the shared experience of the people, who throughout history have been touched by its tales, melodies and aromas. The Middle East lives inside us, as we redefine ourselves, we redefine the Middle East.” The theater opened in 1996 with a controversial adaption of //Lysistrad<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">a // set during the second intifada in Israel and Palestine. The //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">i ntifada// (“shaking off” in Arabic) is the second mass rebellion of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 War. In //Operation No Penetration, Lysistrata 97//!, Israeli and Palestinian women unite and force men to sign a peace treaty.

Since 1999, Golden Thread has held the [|ReOrient Festival] each November and December. This festival of Middle Eastern plays encourages artists and audiences to “engage deeply and directly with the Middle East in a creative and supportive setting that displaces misinformation and encourages understanding”

In 2009, three of the festival plays highlighted the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: //Tamam// by [|Betty Shamieh] (2002) From one of the most highly praised Arab-American playwrights comes this story of a young Palestinian woman: Her name is Tamam; it means enough!

//Coming Home// by Motti Lerner (2003) A compassionate inquiry into the fragility of the human spirit by one of Israel’s most vocal voices against the occupation.

Charles Isen, Raffi Wartanian and Leah Herman in //Coming Home// at the ReOrient Festival 2009.

//The Monologist Suffers Her Monologue// by Yussef El Guindi (2007) A Palestinian-American explores her identity in this poignant and comedic monologue. In the dialogue of nations, do you ever get the feeling that Palestine is just a monologue? Sara Razavi makes herself heard in //The Monologist Suffers Her Monologue// in Golden Thread's ReOrient Festival, 2009.

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Middle Eastern Theater Timeline: //

First centuries of Islam: //khay āl // had the primary meaning of “figure” and “statue” and then acquire various other meanings including “imagination”, “phantom” and “fantasy” 3rd/9th century: // khay āl // used as a synonym for //hikāya// (“imitation” or “mime”) 5th/11th century: //hikāya// had replaced // khay āl // entirely and the terms were used both for an actor in a live performance and for the presenter of a shadow play; synonyms for //khayāl// now also include //akhraja, la’ba,// and //tamthīl.// End of 10th century or beginning of 11th century: the shadow-play arrives in Islamic world through merchants and travelers from the Far East; the term //khayāl al-zill// is created by the addition of //al-zill// (“the shadow”) to //khayāl// (“live play”). 1947: The UN partitions land into Arab and Jewish states. 1956: The Suez War Erupts 1966: //Cast a Giant Shadow// 1967: (June 5-10) The Six Day War erupts. 1973: The Yom Kippur War erupts. 1976: //Network// 1982: The Lebanon War erupts after Israel's Invasion of Lebanon. 1985: //Back to the Future 1986: The Delta Force 19//86: //Iron Eagle// 1987: //Death Before Dishonor// 1994: //True Lies// 1998: //A Perfect Murder// 1999: //Three Kings// 2000: //Rules of Engagement// 2002: Israel launches operation Defensive Wall after a series of suicide bombings. 2005: //Kingdom of Heaven// 2005: //Paradise Now//
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">570, The Year of the Elephant **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Birth of //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Muhammad //
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Muharram 10, in the year 61 of the Islamic calendar (October 10, 680): **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Battle of Karbala, in present day Iraq
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First half of 10th Century **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Aristotle’s //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Poetica //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> translated into Arabic by Matta b. Yunis
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">May 1798: ** //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Napoleon invades Egypt, in order to destroy British trade with the Middle East; thus, western-style theater brought to Middle East in order to entertain //
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1948 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Jewish state of Israel
 * 1960: //Exodus//**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1988 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: First Palestinian Intifada, PLO says they will agree to a 2-state solution.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1992 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Disney’s //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Aladdin //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> released
 * 1995:** //Father of the Bride II//
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1996 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Golden Thread Productions opens with its debut performance of //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Operation No Penetration, Lysistrata 1997! //
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1999 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Golden Thread debuts ReOrient Festival
 * 2003:** Rachel Corrie is killed in Gaza.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">April 2005 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My Name is Rachel Corrie //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> opens at the Royal Court Theatre in London
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">March 2006 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My Name is Rachel Corrie //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> is scheduled to open in New York at New York Theatre Workshop, but is “postponed indefinitely”, after the artistic director polled numerous Jewish groups to get their reaction to the play
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2006 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: The film //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reel Bad Arabs //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> is released
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2008 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Adriana Sevan was awarded the Middle East America playwright award
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2009 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: three plays in Reorient festival highlight Israeli-Palestinian
 * 2009:** the Royal Court produces //Seven Jewish Children// by Caryl Churchill
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">February 12th, 2010 **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Palestinian youth stage “Avatar protest” to highlight structural violence in Israel