AL-BUSTAN NEWS

                       Covering Philadelphia’s Southwest Asian and North African communities                    

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With Donald Trump Just Days Away from Retaking Office, What Lies Ahead for Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine? Three Philadelphia Scholars Weigh In

by Lauren Abunassar

With Donald Trump just days away from retaking office—and potentially implementing substantial foreign policy changes, Al-Bustan News wanted to know what questions we should be asking and whether or not we can consider this era of chaos, devastation, and transformation symptomatic of a watershed moment in our understanding of the MENA region or simply a continuation of patterns of turmoil.

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Bryn Mawr Couple Set to Open Yemeni Coffee Chain ‘Haraz’ in University City

by Jade Doumani

While in recent years Philadelphia has seen a handful of Yemeni restaurants open, Bryn Mawr-based husband and wife entrepreneurs Hamza Shaikh and Farah Khan noticed a distinct lack of a space in the city dedicated to celebrating Yemen’s rich coffee heritage. Now, the couple have decided to change that. In early 2025, they are slated to open the city’s first Yemeni specialty coffee shop: Haraz Coffee House at 3421 Chestnut Street in University City.

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Jewish Educators Denounce Philadelphia Schools for Censorship on Palestine

by Lauren Abunassar

In Philadelphia, educators at both the primary school and collegiate levels have been speaking out against Palestine-related censorship, which they say pervades the city’s academic systems. A subset of  this diverse and intersectional community are anti-Zionist Jewish educators who have stepped forward to denounce the way that pro-Israel advocacy groups are weaponizing Judaism in an effort to suppress Palestinian advocacy.

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