Arab American View Newspaper Online

A vibrant Middle Eastern community flourishes in Chicago despite post-Sept. 11th hatred and rise religious extremism
July 27, 2003
Arab American Media Syndicate

By Ray Hanania

From the outside, Julianna's looks are unassuming, little more than an old banquet hall among many of the historic sites on Chicago's north side. The large white marquee boasts its name and nothing more. But once you step inside, you leave a harsh Chicago world and enter a magnificent atmosphere where Iraqis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Lebanese, Egyptians, Assyrians, Muslims, Christians and Jews gather to celebrate the true richness of the last surviving vestiges of the city's true Middle Eastern culture.

The owner is Albert "Oscar" Baba, who I affectionately call "Ali Baba." At Julianna's Restaurant & Night Club, Baba miraculously opens up a world that allows you to briefly leave behind the growing anti-Middle Eastern hatred of the post-September 11th world and shake off the annoyance of a growing movement of religious Arab extremism.

Religious fanaticism has smothered most of Chicago's Southwest Side Arab community, intoxicating them in a false sense of pride that is often hypocritical, too. The Imams there have forced many Arab and Middle Eastern restaurants along south Harlem Avenue that once offered belly dancing, sheesha pipes (Nargilas), and dancing and joyous hand clapping to vibrant and loud Middle Eastern music to close their doors in the past several years. That's why in the audience at Juliana's, one of the only remaining centers of true Middle Eastern culture and real pride, many flock from burdensome lifestyles of the Southwest Suburban communities like Burbank, Oak Lawn and Orland Park to fill the tables and the huge dance floor.

Julianna's is a portal into the real culture of the Middle East where despite increasing religious fanaticism, violence and the cloud of poverty, people struggle to enjoy life. At 3001 W. Peterson, the banquet hall is nestled in the heart of a genuine Middle East peace plan where Jews, Assyrians, Palestinians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Egyptians and Muslims and Christians bump shoulders at the area's nearby ethnic grocery stores and retailers.

The evening doesn't get started until 11 pm when Baba steps up to the microphone. An Assyrian American who has operated this club and another, Al-Khayam Restaurant and Show lounge, 2326 W. Foster Avenue, for nearly two decades, Baba taunts the audience with humor and songs. Guests feast on huge plates of lamb, spiced rice, vegetables, hummos, tabouli and a menu that rivals the Middle East's best restaurants. The food's aroma only adds to the enjoyment of this genuine Middle East establishment that has survived despite all odds in Chicago.

As the sweet smoke from the Nargilas twist and turn through the air's imagination, Baba belts out song after song of popular Middle Eastern tunes representative of all the Arab and non-Arab communities that attend. He even does some Indian hits noting the strong presence of Indians and Pakistanis whose shops clutter Devon Avenue to the north.

The banquet hall is noisy as patrons enjoy their meals and drinks at their white linen cloth covered tables and under candle light and only becomes silent as the evening's main attraction steps up to the dance floor wrapped in colorful and enticing veils that cloak her dark walnut eyes, olive skin and silky dark hair. Soraya slowly begins her gyrations as the Middle East beat from the band behind her on the stage starts to pick up. And in minutes, she has the guests on their feet exploding in a frenzied beat of open-palmed handclapping, typical of Middle Eastern celebrations. Like in a nightclub in Cairo, Beirut, Ramallah, Baghdad, Damascus and Amman, Julianna's screams excitement.

Joining dancing, later, the dance floor is quickly filled not only with customers dressed in modern, Western clothing, but also women dressed in hijabs and proper Muslim covering. Despite the fanaticism of some, the Quran (or Islamic Holy Book) and the Bible do not prohibit dancing or celebratory events. They only require that people be respectful in their actions and conduct. Dancing, which has been suppressed at many weddings, in fact, is slowly returning. And ironically, while many in this country tend to be more conservative, the Arabs and Muslims in the Middle East are more diverse.

Belly dancing is also very popular in the Middle East and is not prohibited by the Quran or the Bible.

SOME BACKGROUND

Chicago's Assyrian community is a large community of about 7,500 Christians, most hailing from Iraq. Tradition says that even Saddam Hussein's ancestors were originally Assyrian forced to convert to Islam, although the dictator claims to be a descendent of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, something most scholars dispute.

The Assyrians have been treated harshly in Iraq and in the Arab World, but the destruction of Saddam Hussein's regime has created a new environment where they can live and enjoy their special culture and ties to the Arab World. Although not traditionally Arab, they share the same culture and a language dialect that is similar. They also speak Arabic fluently and other languages.

Julianna's is considered the hub of the Assyrian American community in Chicago, even though it also attracts Arabs and Muslims, too. The Assyrian community at one time was concentrated in Chicago but like other ethnic groups has migrated over the years and is concentrated from that area of Chicago northwest through Skokie, Lincolnwood, Evanston all the way to Des Plaines.

The Northwest side is also the home to the largest concentration of Arab Christians, mainly Palestinians from the city of Ramallah, Palestine. The heart of this community is in the Logan Square area of Chicago.

For more information read Ray Hanania's online history of Chicago's and the nation's Arab community, "The Door of God." (In PDF format) Go there now?

(Ray Hanania is a Palestinian-American author. Reach him by e-mail at rayhanania@aol.com. He is the winner of the Society of Professional Journalists Lisagor Award for Column Writing. His columns are archived at www.hanania.com)