AL-BUSTAN NEWS
Covering Philadelphia’s Southwest Asian and North African Communities
Art as Resistance | Philadelphia Potters Carry Palestinian History and Heritage Through Ceramics
By Lauren Abunassar
Historically, traditional Palestinian ceramics have been especially well suited for the cultural archive, given their role as both ornament and instruments for daily life — bowls for eating, jars for storing, tiles for cooling homes, vessels shaped by and for use.
With Another Tax Hike, Delco Property Owners Are Paying for Long–Ignored ‘Structural Deficits,’ Officials Say
By Gawhara Abou-eid
Delaware County property owners are seeing a double-digit tax hike for the second year in a row. Here’s why — and what the funds are paying for.
Despite Sanctuary City Status, Philadelphia’s Immigrant Communities Are Under Siege
By Ragad Ahmad
The human cost of ICE raids and escalating immigration enforcement has been profound and pervasive.
Cinema, Etcetera | My Six Hopes for Arab Cinema in 2026
By Joseph Fahim
What Arab cinema needs now is not decorative Oscar recognition, but sustained community engagement and inventive, grassroots marketing strategies.
‘Palestine 36’ Reveals the Cruel Logic of Empire and the Limits of Endurance
By Gawhara Abou-eid
The film poses a question that echoes long after the credits roll: Is endurance the only solution Palestinians are permitted?
Art as Resistance | Lara Bedewi Is Telling One Arab Story at a Time — and That’s the Point
By Lauren Abunassar
While Bedewi has often worried that her films will be misconstrued as representative of all Arab experience, she has increasingly felt permitted to tell ‘one’ Arab story, not ‘the’ Arab story.
Al-Bustan News Team
Editor
Nisa Qazi
Current Journalism Fellows
Gawhara Abou-eid
Amna Khalafalla
Columnists
Lauren Abunassar
Joseph Fahim