When I met Doug, he was talking about being interviewed on Lebanese TV. Yeah, his Arabic is that good.
So when a friend of mine passed along a piece of poetry (and even that title really doesn’t describe Doug’s master work) that Doug performed at a the “Harakat” Cultural Festival at Georgetown University, I was ready to see this lively, welcoming man do something incredible.
To say I was blown away by Doug’s performance would be to put it mildly. (Warning: Tactically placed F-bombs within). For any of us who have gone through the brutal process of Arabic education, the central theme of "bab" (*and it's plural, Abwaab) in Doug's work is simultaneously hilarious and uncanny.
Even if you can’t cut through all the Arabic parts, the essence of the work rings through: No amount of a generally friendly Arab acquaintaince’s Inshallah’s (God Willing) or Maalesh’s (Don’t worry about it or It’s all right), or Ilhamduallah’s (Praise God or God’s Will) can ease the pain of having to deny yourself on a daily basis.
Having to call myself Missehe, or Christian, to all inquirers was rough enough. But the issue of homosexuality is, without a doubt, on a different level.
Doug, you definitely made me think. The next question: How might we begin acting to break down the doors?
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