![\"Abu-Absi\"](\"http:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/samir-abu-absi-vertical-by-daniel-miller.jpg\" "\\"samir-abu-absi-vertical-by-daniel-miller\\"")
<\/a>Abu-Absi<\/p><\/div>Hollywood hasn\u2019t been kind to Arab Americans. From films that include \u201cBlack Sunday\u201d and \u201cPatriot Games\u201d to the TV shows \u201c24\u201d and \u201cSleeper Cell,\u201d Middle Easterners tend to be typecast as villains.<\/p>\n
Such celluloid depiction is one reason Dr. Samir Abu-Absi edited and wrote a chapter for a new book, Arab Americans in Toledo<\/em> (The University of Toledo Press).<\/p>\n \u201cUnfair and gratuitous stereotypical images of Arab Americans are so prevalent in Western media and popular culture,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile I was familiar with the negative stereotype attached to Arabs and Muslims, I had faith that the American people were fair-minded enough to recognize the stereotype for what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n But the Gulf War and 9-11 added fuel to vilifying anything Arab or Muslim.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a tremendous problem that needs to be addressed with vigilance,\u201d Abu-Absi said.<\/p>\n The UT professor emeritus of English was born in Lebanon and came to the States for graduate school. After receiving master\u2019s and doctoral degrees in Indiana, he joined the UT faculty and moved to Toledo, where he has lived for more than 40 years.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to help recognize the valuable contributions of Arab Americans in Toledo whose stories of struggle, success and community involvement deserve to be told,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are decent, hard-working, intelligent people who defy the prevalent stereotype.\u201d<\/p>\n The 320-page book is divided into three sections: heritage, profiles and interviews.<\/p>\n Danny Thomas and Jamie Farr, two celebrities who grew up in the Glass City, are included in the profile section.<\/p>\n \u201cJamie Farr encouraged me to do this project,\u201d Abu-Absi said. \u201cHe gave me permission to reprint some chapters from his autobiography, which we did. He is a very approachable, kind person who loves Toledo.\u201d<\/p>\n More than 30 people helped Abu-Absi with the book. They conducted interviews, wrote chapters and tracked down information. <\/p>\n \u201cIt really was a labor of love that so many people contributed to,\u201d Abu-Absi said.<\/p>\n Several of these people have UT connections. Dr. Saleh Jabarin, director of the UT Polymer Institute, wrote a chapter on the University\u2019s Imam Khattab Endowed Chair in Islamic Studies, and Dr. S. Amjad Hussain, UT trustee and professor emeritus of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, contributed a chapter on Abdul Moneim Mahmoud Khattab. Interviews featured include George Isaac, UT benefactor and namesake of UT Medical Center\u2019s George Isaac Minimally Invasive Surgery Center; Dr. Amira Gohara, former acting MCO president and professor and dean emerita of pathology; and Dr. Sonia Najjar, UT professor of physiology and pharmacology and director of the Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Research. Dr. Gaby Semaan, UT lecturer in Arabic, and Michelle Davidson, UT associate lecturer in English, conducted interviews. And numerous University alumni wrote chapters and helped with interviews.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an editor and publisher, I am really proud of this book,\u201d said Dr. Tom Barden, director of the UT Honors Program, professor of English and co-editor of the UT Press. \u201cDr. Abu-Absi and his co-authors have created a fascinating and delightful portrait of this great Toledo community.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have also given us an important and timely book. There is so much bigotry and ignorance swirling around the words \u2018Arab\u2019 and \u2018Arab-American\u2019 right now that I think everyone in the country ought to read it.\u201d<\/p>\n Arab Americans in Toledo,<\/em> $25, is available in the UT Bookstore and at Borders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dr. Samir Abu-Absi, UT professor emeritus of English, edited and wrote a chapter of \u201cArab Americans in Toledo\u201d to help fight the stereotype of Middle Easterners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7087"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7087\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}