Opinion: Arab Americans bring a rich cultural heritage to our nation

Arab scientists at the Istanbul observatory in the s Population domain image via Wikimedia Commons Celebrating Arab American Heritage Month in April fortuitously comes on the heels of Black History Month and Women s History Month It coincides with Art Month and is followed by Asian-Pacific Islander American Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month Arab Americans are centered in good company that closely mirrors Arab civilization s mission to gather and reconstitute what the world offers The far reaching mission of Arab heritage is to modernize from two thousand years ago until now Arab custom extroverted and expansive stretched like a broad lattice to trace and organization the world Its roots stretch from the heart of Mother Africa to Mesopotamia and China to Byzantium Arabs have fused ideas and processes to enhance and bring new broad designs for mapping architecture social structures and scientific templates The Arabic language older than Islam is a conduit eased by its generosity to establish the first modern urban centers where hospitals and universities functioned and excelled Baghdad was the largest city in the world and a magnet for change Arabs reached out to China to enhance the spatialized character of Arabic calligraphy which neuroscientists have identified as engaging both sides of the brain Arabic music wove threads from the rhythm of the Roma Gregorian chanting and African beats to create the harmonic scale that Mozart used Arab people from Arab lands and diasporas literally and metaphorically navigated narrow and improbable pathways in medicine and apparatus Navigation was key for modernism s philosophical trajectories and the original tools for understanding and navigation were advanced by women In the fourth century Hypatia of Alexandria Egypt practiced in the methods of research and philosophy translated and salvaged Plato s writings from Greek Several women preceded and followed Hypatia s path Mariam al Astrulabi a scientist from th century Aleppo Syria expanded and perfected the functionality of the astrolabe an all-in-one precision gadget to determine the date a compass measuring tool and celestial navigator In the s designer and Palestinian New Yorker Rajie Cook created universal signage still in use the present day for all masses spaces The - s platformed literary theorist Edward Reported who enabled a notable shift in thinking on present day colonialism and the strive for justice American Iraqi Jewish multidisciplinary artist Joyce Dallal challenges our views on conflict resolution in her piece Elevate made of paper airplanes printed with Geneva Conventions language at LAX from to We are no longer invisible We celebrate Arab American accomplishments and pride but our hearts are broken Not even for an hour of our day do the cataclysmic war in Gaza the destruction in Syria turmoil in the West Bank and past crises and wars escape us For decades Arab Americans struggled against wars based on myths We see the hate manufactured at home as an industry within institutions and governing body Arab Americans have witnessed Arab cities bombed into the stone age so often in the last years we now believe it s by design to show us living in the rubble as if it is our natural habitat But in current times we don t despair because we are not the sole voice of protest anymore A Gallup populace opinion poll shows for the first time a majority of Americans with a favorable view of Palestinians And Americans are more discerning about what words like terrorism really mean Thankfully terrorism s luster does not stick to Arab Americans so tenaciously anymore Perhaps that is why the authorities media and various establishments are doubling down on peace advocates and medicine of students such as Mahmoud Khalil a fresh Columbia University graduate and negotiator Amazingly Khalil is now defended by mainstream media Arab Americans are openly challenging systems of disinformation We peel away the cruelty of those systems through our love actions and strength to remind all of America s original aspirations Arab Americans celebrate their history and beliefs because it gives us immense elation and cradles us especially during exceedingly horrific times As we celebrate we easily find our courage and share it with multiple who strive for true peace founded on justice Doris Bittar is the California coordinator for the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee