Items

• Asif Iqbal

  Asif Iqbal, Electrical Engineer born in Bangladesh, shares his travel stories to the Middle East. His interest in history, religion, and culture led him to explore many destinations such as Turkey, Palestine, and Jerusalem. From the food and culture, to the beautiful scenery and religious monuments, Asif shares his experiences and memories of the Middle East. He hopes that his stories inform others that may have interest in visiting the Middle East one day.

• Gloria Amin

  Gloria Amin was interviewed by her son, Camron Michael Amin, in the course of several Zoom sessions in 2022 and 2023. She discusses her life growing in Chicago, marrying into an Iranian family, moving to Iran in the 1970s and witnessing the early stages of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. She also discusses the aftermath of the revolution and challenges of returning to life in the Chicago area. She discusses her life working in Iran and the challenges of re-establishing her career in the US after the revolution.

• Tareq Abu Alrub

  Tareq Abu Al Rub was interviewed via Zoom on October 10, 2022 by his friend Abdallah H. Alnakhal for the Liberal Studies 450, Integrative Studies course. Mr. Abu Alrub actually lives in Illinois, having grown up in Jordan and Saudi Arabia and attending college in Jordan and Germany. The conversation covers his travels in the Middle East and life in the United States, with some comparisons of life in Illinois and in Michigan.

• Sumaya Alkased

  Sumaya Alkased is an Iraqi-American female that was forced to flee her home country, Iraq, at the age of 1 year old. Sumaya explains her story from her parents' eyes about the struggles and experiences they faced when they were in this life-changing experience.

• Sultan Alharbi

  Sultan Alharbi is a Yemeni American, who traveled to the United Arab Emirates and from there to Yemen in 2018. In this interview, he describes the challenges he faced, the encounters he had, and the life changes he experienced as a result of his prolonged visits. He focuses more on Yemen and the life in the village. He describes some cultural shocks he experienced, as well as how his perspective changed due to the unfortunate economic conditions of Yemen compared to the luxuries in Dubai.

• Sally Howell

  The life and times of Sally Howell, Ph.D. as it pertains to her relationship with the Middle East. An in-depth conversation that details her upbringing, her current projects, and everything in between.

• Rose Wellman

  In this interview, Kawthar Mousa, a UM-Dearborn student interviews Dr. Rose Wellman who is a Professor of Anthropology at UM-Dearborn. Professor Wellman speaks about her experience living in Iran and doing research on food, culture, and religion.

• Omar Harhara

  This interview is Between UM-Dearborn student, Justin Yax, and his friend, Omar Harhara. They discuss Omar's travels to Yemen including the changes between trips and various details about Yemen's culture.

• Mohsen Chaaban

  Interviewee, Mohsen Chaaban, details the 13-14 years of life in his home country of Lebanon before moving to the US. He is currently a junior in his undergraduate studies. He describes the scenery of his home village, his early schooling experiences, favorite cuisines, and iconic tourist attractions in Lebanon. After moving to the US, he is able to compare life between the two countries in terms of living quality and available opportunities.

• Melissa Taylor

  Melissa Taylor speaks on her experiences of traveling to the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Qatar. This includes the similarities and differences that she saw and experienced. Along with how traveling to the Middle East changed her career path.

• Meera Abueida

  Interviewee, Meera Abueida, is an Arab American woman born in Gaza, Palestine. Although she moved to the US at age five, she travels to Gaza and Abu Dhabi to see family. In this oral history, Abueida covers sensory memories of her travels to the Middle East, explains the languages she uses, and cultural differences.

• Khaled Rabbah

  Interviewee grew up in Egypt, served in the army, and moved to the US after a brief period of miscellaneous travel. He has lived in Michigan for almost 30 years with his wife and kids, and works as an engineer. His oral history encompasses childhood, cuisine, sensory memories, career, family, and life in the US.

• Isen Ujkaj

  Isen Ujkaj immigrated from Albania to the United States when he was twenty-one. His family had a long history of struggling with and escaping communism, and Isen saw first-hand how it affected his parents' lives. When he first arrived in the United States he was disappointed that America was not how it was displayed in American movies. After he was settled in, his parents returned to Albania and Isen visited them in Albania in 2018. He misses the Mediterranean food, the beautiful sites along the coast, and the loud sounds of yelling and horn honking from his village.

• Hussein Sobh

  This interviews outlines Hussein's immigration from Lebanon to the United States. The struggles he through, the outcome, and if he regrets his decision. Hussein lived in a small village located in Lebanon up until he was twelve, when his parents decided to move to the United States to provide a better life and education for Hussein and his twin sister. They have been living In the United States since, and have gone back to visit Lebanon once.

• Hassan Mohamad

  Hassan Mohamad talks about moving to Lebanon in 2007 to attend private elementary school to learn Arabic and connect with his heritage before coming back to his birthplace, Dearborn, Michigan. He reflects on his childhood in Lebanon and extensive travels in the Middle East. The interview also covers comparisons between life and education systems in the US and in Lebanon.

• Dina Budair

  Dina Budair was interviewed by her brother, Muhammad Budair. In her interview, she talks about her experiences with traveling around the Middle East as well as visiting the United States. Dina Budair goes into detail about living in the U.A.E as well as being a woman in the Middle East.

• Dalia Rabbah

  Dalia Rabbah was interviewed by fellow UM-Dearborn student, Jordan Aguilera. Rabbah discuss her trips to Egypt, the sights and sounds, as well as the highlights of her trip and misconceptions.

• Ahmad N. Allabban

  Ahmad Allabban discusses Egypt and how it is different from the UAE. Allabban and interviewer, Saja Badawi, talked about what things make Egypt unique as well as looking at the different social classes. Allabban also talks about womens' roles in the Egyptian society.

• Abeer Mukahhal

  In this interview, Abeer Mukahhal answers questions from her son, Muhammad Budair, regarding her travels throughout the Middle East. She discusses what she remembers, her experiences, the lessons she learned, and the rights and freedom she had. Budair relates his mother's memories to his course materials on mobility in the Middle East. She spoke about how she misses the Middle East and how she was free to do whatever she pleased especially because it was such a familiar and comfortable environment for her.