Arab American News, MI
March 31 2007
Searching for the Arab American story
By: Ali Moossavi / The Arab American News
2007-03-31
Most Americans view people of Middle Eastern descent as either
terrorists or buffoons, thanks to the media and entertainment
industry. Yet there’s a real history of Arabs in America that goes
back to the nation’s founding. And most people are also ignorant of
the contributions Arab Americans have made – and continue to make –
to the fabric of the United States.
It’s these facts that the Chief Executive Officer of Verasoni
Worldwide Communications and Syrian-American Abe Kasbo seeks to
correct through his documentary film in progress, "The Arab American
Experience."
Kasbo’s goal is to ensure that the contributions of Arab Americans
are viewed as part of the American experience. "When I looked around,
I saw Irish, the Italians, you know, the Mexicans, they all have one
of these," he said. "They all have a film about how they contributed
to the American fabric."
"And certainly, Arab Americans have been contributing to the American
fabric for about 200 years, so somebody had to tell their story and
we’re doing it."
The "we" Kasbo talks about includes Arab Americans and non Arab
Americans alike, including Kenn Bell, a filmmaker who won the 2003
Sacramento Film Festival short film entry, with "Tedtrip." Aside from
Bell, however, making this movie has been an arduous – and non-profit
– "labor of love," Kasbo says.
Among the unknown contributions Arab Americans have made to the
United States that Kasbo’s team has found, is military service. The
first Arab American to die in combat was Syrian immigrant Private
Nathan Badeen, who died on May 23, 1776, a month and a half before
the United States came into existence.
Since then, according to the website, ,
Arab Americans have fought in every war the U.S. has engaged in. The
most significant contribution occurred during World War I, when 10
percent of the Syrian-American population – 15,000 men – went off to
fight.
"In WWII, for example, there were at least 10,000 people of Arab
American origin who signed up to fight on the side of the United
States," Kasbo said.
The inspiration for making this movie stems from his own experiences
as a Syrian immigrant. Born in the city of Aleppo and of Armenian
descent, Kasbo came to the Paterson, New Jersey area at the age of 10
in 1980, right in time for the Iranian hostage crisis and the first
wave of American prejudice against Middle Eastern immigrants.
"People were confusing Syria with Iran, so at the time it wasn’t a
most hospitable place," he said.
Like all immigrants, he found a niche to win acceptance, and that
niche was sports. Since then, he became an adjunct professor at Seton
Hall University, teaching marketing and public relations at the
Graduate Center for Public Service. In 2005, he founded Verasoni and
is listed in NJBiz’s "Forty Under 40" 2006 Class, which recognizes
exceptional business leaders under the age of 40.
Other contributions from exceptional Arab Americans include those in
the entertainment industry, which includes Danny Thomas, Kathy Najimi
and Tony Shalhoub; and Congressman Charles Boustany and Ralph Nader
in politics. It’s this hidden history that Kasbo is trying to
illuminate.
"I want this film to show the important contributions Arab Americans
have made to the fabric of the United States," he said, highlighting
it as his first goal.
His second goal for the movie is to build bridges between the
perceptions Americans have of their Arab counterparts and the reality
of being an Arab American. His third goal is to show that there’s no
difference between Arab American experience and the experience of
other immigrants.
Since the project is non-profit, with no major financial backing, the
project relies on the contributions of ordinary people. So far, Kasbo
says, the Arab American Institute and American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee have helped out, but with 40 hours of
footage shot, Kasbo says his team will need 200 more in order to
finish. And, he and his team will be coming out to Detroit and Ohio,
so more support will be critical to the project’s success.
"Right now, we have a website, you go to
and you can actually see some of the
interviews," he said. "People can share their stories with us right
on the blog and certainly they can donate to the effort and any
donation is very much appreciated."
For more information on "The Arab American Experience," go to