Arlington Hosts First-Ever Muslim Cultural Celebration for the Entire Community

For the first time in history, the Arlington Mayor’s Muslim Advisory Board and Levitt Arlington are co-hosting a massive cultural celebration this weekend.

The American Muslim Cultural Celebration will take place on Saturday, March 4 from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Levitt Pavilion in downtown Arlington. The entrance is free.

The family event, open to the entire community, will include live entertainment and shopping for art, fashion and international cuisine. It will also feature musical performers and cultural performances such as dance, musical instruments, robotics presentation.

There will also be Quran recitation and Asr prayer (Islamic afternoon prayer). Special guest speakers scheduled include Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, State Representative Salman Bhojani, and Dr. Omar Suleiman, world-renowned scholar, writer and civil rights leader.

Part of the proceeds will be donated to US humanitarian aid to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. The event was made possible with the support of Zio Al’s Pizza & Pasta, Just 7 Lube & Auto Repair and other local supporters.

Yaman Subay, who co-chairs the celebration along with Arlington Muslim Advisory Council members Sam Mahrouk and Waleed Joulani, said the council created the event to bring together people from all communities, especially those who may have had limited opportunities to interact with Muslim cultures.

“American Muslims play a significant role in society, running small and large businesses, hiring and supporting many families,” said Subay, who is also chairman of the Arlington Muslim Advisory Council.

“For us, the American dream is real! We often lead the way in our professions as doctors, consultants, lawyers, engineers, accountants, etc. We educate and support the community with our donations and in-kind contributions, but mostly we do it under a hidden identity,” he added. “Unfortunately, we are mostly known to the general public because of the false image that extremist radicals portray through the media. I hope that through this event we will be able to open up to a larger community so that people get to know us. It’s one of the reasons Mayor Ross created the council to give a high voice and seat at the table to members of the Arlington Muslim community, and we appreciate that.”

Subei said the upcoming celebration is a first for Arlington.

“In fact, we are not aware of any public event in Dallas-Fort Worth that would give members of the non-Muslim community the opportunity to experience and enjoy Muslim culture firsthand,” he said. “Volunteers of the event are planning an exciting showcase and celebration of secular and religious Muslim culture, including amazing cuisine, commemorative cultural performances, and inspiring and insightful commentary from our guest speakers. We invite all members of the public to join us at the beautiful Levitt Pavilion and it will surely be a great experience.”

Guests are advised to bring sun loungers or blankets. Food and drinks will be available for purchase on site, but refrigerators are also allowed. Glass containers and alcoholic beverages are prohibited.

Parking is free and available on all sides of Levitt and in public parking lots downtown. Click here for a map.

“Levitt constantly promotes culturally rich programming, which is why we jumped at the opportunity to sponsor this celebration of the beautiful multicultural tapestry that makes Arlington unique,” ​​said Letatia Teikle, CEO of Levitt Arlington. “We look forward to welcoming you. guests to this and other social events and concerts of various genres in the 2023 season.”

To find out more visit levittpavilionarlington.org/events.