With the Middle Eastern North African Student Association frozen last semester because previous leaders graduated, Jude Kamme and Hammoudeh Qandeel found themselves looking for a new place to celebrate their Arab culture.
Qandeel lived in Palestine for 18 years and said he missed practicing his culture. When he transferred to American University this year, he met Kamme. The two bonded over their love for Arab food, music and culture, so they came together to reactivate the organization in spring 2026.
“We decided that we need a safe space and an inclusive space that Arabs and everyone else can come in and showcase and explore their culture,” Kamme said.
Kamme, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and School of International Service, and Qandeel, a sophomore in SPA, have hosted numerous events this semester ranging from music to democracy as the co-presidents of MENASA.
The organization started back up at just the right time. During Arab American Heritage Month, MENASA hosted “Strokes, Spices and Stories” in collaboration with American University Students for Change and the American University Muslim Student Association on April 6. The event celebrated Arab culture through cuisine, calligraphy and student performances.
Other activities MENASA has recently done include celebrating their culture through dessert, music and film screenings. For example, MENASA brought former Prime Minister of Tunisia Dr. Youssef Chaed to discuss Arab democracy and screened “Palestine 36” (2025) with a discussion from the featuring director Annemarie Jacir.
Not all members identify as Arab American. Leyla Abarca-Gresh, a freshman in SIS and SPA and treasurer of MENASA, is Mexican, but her parents previously lived in Egypt.
“It’s always been a big part of my life, even though it’s not actually my culture,” Abarca-Gresh said. “I really liked the idea of having a club that just appreciates Middle Eastern and North African culture.”
According to Kamme, MENASA is an inclusive environment.
“No matter the background of people that come to our events, they’re so accepting and they’re so willing to learn,” Kamme said. “They also put their experiences forward, so we get those shared cultural experiences that we both have.”
Abarca-Gresh said she hopes that during Arab American Heritage Month, the organization will host events with higher student attendance.
MENASA is not politically affiliated and instead focuses on promoting their culture with other students. In the wake of the war in Iran, Qandeel said MENASA wanted to focus on promoting Arab-American culture during the heritage month instead of the current political situation.
“We’re hoping to promote our culture, regardless of what oppression or obstacles are in the way,” Qandeel said. “AU is a safe space that promotes free speech, free belief, and our goal is basically to keep promoting our culture, especially this month.”
As a freshman looking to meet new people, Abarca-Gresh said she has found a community and made connections with members in the organization.
“It was really nice to meet other people and to host a space for people to be able to appreciate a culture they’re either from or not from and just want to learn more about it,” Abarca-Gresh said.
This article was edited by Olive Redd, Payton Anderson and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Mattie Lupo, Ava Stuzin and Jaden Maitland Anderson. Fact-checking done by Andrew Kummeth.
