AL-BUSTAN NEWS
Covering Philadelphia’s Southwest Asian and North African Communities
Amid Federal Cuts, Philadelphia Immigrant Aid Groups Fight to Survive New Era of ‘Lawlessness’
By Lauren Abunassar
If this is an era of destruction, it’s also an age of adaptation as organizations like HIAS PA and PIC shift their approaches to embrace collaboration and local advocacy.
In Photos: Protesters Encounter Heightened Police Presence During Weekly Day & Zimmerman Protest
By Ben Bennett
Every Tuesday at 6:30 a.m., members of Philly Palestine Coalition gather for a protest outside the munitions manufacturer’s corporate offices.
Cinema, Etcetera | Kamal Aljafari’s ‘With Hasan in Gaza’ and the Challenges of Experimental Arab Film
By Joseph Fahim
The success of “With Hasan in Gaza” in Locarno, where it was seen by thousands of people, has proven that there is a sizeable audience for films like Aljafari’s: an artistically and intellectually uncompromised cinema that rejects a digestible, ready-made message.
Fargo Nissim Tbakhi’s Satirical Solo Show Offers Theatre Audiences Discomfort, Laughter and Catharsis
Gauri Mangala
The festival panel noticed a shift in this year’s collection of applications. While overall application numbers have dwindled, a larger proportion featured strong political themes and messages.
The Destruction of Hebron’s Seed Bank and the Area Growers Helping to Preserve Palestine’s Agricultural Heritage
By Gawhara Abou-eid
The Hebron facility had long played a crucial role in preserving heirloom seed varieties critical to Palestinian foodways and climate resilience. With preservation in the West Bank increasingly endangered, diaspora-based efforts have stepped in to continue the work.
Pro-Palestine Faculty at Area Universities Report Censorship, Prosecution and Loss of Academic Freedom
By Ragad Ahmad
When universities can redefine academic freedom to exclude certain perspectives, when they can retroactively criminalize respected ideas and abandon institutional principles in the face of external pressures, then no field of knowledge remains safe.
Al-Bustan News Team
Editor
Nisa Qazi
Current Journalism Fellows
Gawhara Abou-eid
Amna Khalafalla
Columnists
Lauren Abunassar
Joseph Fahim